Equipment Storage Setups

Hey All...
A few of you may recall me questioning the areas of Tallahassee, as I'm relocating there for a new job. I bought a house (my first one) and although the house is awsome, I'm probably most excited about the two car garage, as I've been hauling my dive equipment up to a second story apartment for the past couple years. Just curious to see if any of you have any creative suggestions for gear storage setups in your garages. Any pictures would be greatly appreciated as well as tips for hanging up stuff such as suits, storing tanks, charging stations for scooters and lights... etc. What have you done to keep your stuff organized and taken care of?
-Matt

Welcome to Florida!!!

We have a "barn" set up as workshop and dive locker (compressor and fill station on the back). Normally our gear is dried and then stored in Rubbermaid Action Packer boxes ready for the next trip, that way we just load the boxes in the van w/o fear of forgetting something.

The drysuits are driedin the barn in a homemade drysuit dryer and stored in their bags in the spare bedroom, avoiding any temperature extremes.

You may want to insure that there are no "pest inhabitants" in your garage if you are not going to store your regs in a box where they can't get to them. They have a predilection for silicone mouthpieces for some reason, plus it can be a nsty surprise to find one in your 2nd stage...

Good luck and dive safe,

Celia

I did a writeup (as a "gear review") on Rodale's back in 2001 on my diving trailer. I can't believe more people don't do that, as trailers are so much cheaper than dive vehicles and you don't have to buy insurance on them. Plus, they're a whole lot more convenient. Everything is stored in it, and to go diving I just hook up.

Keep in mind the pictures are four years old, and I've made several changes since then.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/...iews.php?s=360

Russell

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Originally Posted by IowaCaveDiver

Hey All...
Just curious to see if any of you have any creative suggestions for gear storage setups in your garages. Any pictures would be greatly appreciated as well as tips for hanging up stuff such as suits, storing tanks, charging stations for scooters and lights... etc. What have you done to keep your stuff organized and taken care of?
-Matt

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If you need a hand building the stuff, there are a few other cavern/cave divers in the Tally area that get their kicks building that kind of stuff. (Me and 3 other guys I work with). We just built a set of gear storage shelves for one guy, and it didn't even take a whole case of beer. :)

I've got all the tools you'll need to build whatever you need (nailguns, compressors, mitre saws, etc), so shoot me an PM when you're ready to build, or if you need the crew to come over and help you figure things out. (4 of us total, and 3 of us have professional carpentry experience, 2 are cavern, 2 are cave.) Like I said, we do this kind of stuff for kicks, you just buy the materials (and the beer [ok, we're beer snobs, so we may bring our own]). :-D

We'll stop by (en-masse) if you want some help pre-planning the storage area.


Wil

I agree with Sludge about the trailer. Mine is very similar to his and works very well.

well, my intention is to take advantage of the space I have... i don't have a trailor, but I do have a huge garage. I prefer to just dump what I need in the back of my truck and go. And since i'll probably not be traveling too far for a dive I probably won't bring everything I own.... no trailors in my future, i'm just not that cool yet!

-Matt

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Originally Posted by Sludge

I did a writeup (as a "gear review") on Rodale's back in 2001 on my diving trailer. I can't believe more people don't do that, as trailers are so much cheaper than dive vehicles and you don't have to buy insurance on them. Plus, they're a whole lot more convenient. Everything is stored in it, and to go diving I just hook up.

Keep in mind the pictures are four years old, and I've made several changes since then.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/...iews.php?s=360

Russell

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You definitely have one of the finer trailer setups that I have yet to see Russell. I thought about setting one up, but our HOA here does not allow trailers in the parking lot, so our garage has to house the camper (and there is barely enough room in there for that with everything else up aganst the walls.) One of these days I might get around to setting one up though, and will likely use yours as an example of excellence to strive for.

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Originally Posted by DeWayne

You definitely have one of the finer trailer setups that I have yet to see Russell.

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One of the finer? That cuts.

Deep.

Keep in mind that most people store caustic materials in their garage.

Don't store your diving gear in the same room. In the summer time, garages get very hot and humid thus allowing caustic material to give off fumes which will cause problems with your equipment. Rubber type products (and rubber substitutes) tend to absorb just about any kind of fumes

If you choose to store your gear in the garage you will need to set up an exhaust fan to reduce humidity and any fumes from vehicles etc.

Gear is too expensive to have to replace due to improper storage.

The only "organization" I have is an exposure suit rack. I actually have 2, one inside the garage, and the other in the carport. I hang wet stuff in the carport for a couple of hours to let it drip dry, before bringing it inside. It helps keep the humidity down inside the garage. I don't leave anything outside overnight, to reduce temptation :-)

My tanks all lie down along the wall under the "dry" rack. I also have shelves for stuff I don't use often (Ok TJ, maybe never :oops: )

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My tanks all lie down along the wall under the "dry" rack. I also have shelves for stuff I don't use often (Ok TJ, maybe never :oops: )

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You should not have posted (boasted) here... Seems I took some pictures of your 'organization'... But I'm heading out to dive, so I won't embarrass you by pulling them out.... :roll:

HA!! :roll: :roll:

Give it a year or two a see how much it shinks!!! Add just One wife and a kid and suddenly POOF no room for NOTHING!! Tegg are you listening??? :-D Get a cheap AC unit and run it a couple of hours doing the hottest part of the summer to keep the temp and humi. down.

You might want to check out your local S*m'* or Wal-**** they have metal storage racks for about $70-80 that have adjustable shelfs that we use in our dive gear room to store stuff on... They are nice because we can lay our wet stuff on them to dry and hang our suits from them to dry as well.. We have had them for a couple years now and they have not rusted.

As far as the wife and kids go, curtschu, just make sure they dive as well... My hubby and I have a whole room full of nothing but dive gear... :-D

Dee

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Originally Posted by Sludge

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Originally Posted by DeWayne

You definitely have one of the finer trailer setups that I have yet to see Russell.

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One of the finer? That cuts.

Deep.

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I did not want to risk being edited, otherwise I would have said it is definitely the best I have ever seen 8)

Yeah, I keep trying but.. the wife thinks I'm nuts and the 3 YO gets cranky and about 30 ft. :-D Just kidding. I hope she shows an interest when she gets a little older. HMM I could get a SS with a camera mount and strap her to that.

Matt, I suggest the "Caver95" storage method. Just toss everything in the back of your truck, and buy gear insurance. Also toss in cans, bottles, rusted tools , dead fish, etc... just to make the truck "blend in", espicially if you are travelling in Wakulla County.
In Wakulla county you know if your truck is too full if more than one piece of trash gets sucked out per mile. Of course, thats a average taken over a week. You can have the occasional brown bags and 12 pack empties, once a month or so.
If you pee in your suit and not wash it, then the odor may be used in lieu of insurance. DONT dry anything. Always leave it wet and sticky. If its wet, sticky, and stinks like old pee, then nobody will mess with it at all. Try to get the pee smell strong enough to have a "cone of protection" around the truck. Eat lots of asparigus for a couple of months.
After you have done all of that, just park the truck in your big garage.

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Originally Posted by curtschu

HMM I could get a SS with a camera mount and strap her to that.

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Maybe you can get SS to make a "scooter seat" for her... might be more comfortable for her...

True but Straps would be required..... Anyone having trouble sleeping? I'll let you babysit for a day...... That night Exhustion will over come any Insomnia known to man :D

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Originally Posted by Chunky

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Originally Posted by curtschu

HMM I could get a SS with a camera mount and strap her to that.

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Maybe you can get SS to make a "scooter seat" for her... might be more comfortable for her...

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That would be to much drag.... not to mention hitting her head on the over head. Just have her breath of the long hose and clip her to the rear d-ring.

Yeah thats the ticket.... Like the SS folks on the video for double scooting
She can face backward and make sure my dive buddy keeps up, like a tail gunner.. yeah I like it.