Next set of SM cylinders, what should I get?

[Draker]

In addition to some of the good (and bad) info you?ve received above, there are even more variables and factors to take into consideration.

Are you diving wet or dry? Are you wearing a thick undergarment or thin? Are you wanting to actually dive small sidemounty cave, or just swim up and down the gold line with the tanks not mounted to your back? Do you want to be able to no mount the tanks or push them through restrictions? Are you planning deep dives that require trimix / high helium content?

The sidemount harness you choose might make a difference. Your skill level and ability might make a difference. Your accessibility to ?cave? fills might make a difference.

Your body shape, size and chemistry might make a difference? Are you naturally ?negative? or do you tend to float?

Not all tanks of the same rated capacity are similar in size, weight or composition. Galvanized 85?s are not the same as painted 85?s. And just because 100?s are ?similar? to 85?s does not mean they have the same buoyancy characteristics or trim out the same way.

And I?m sure there are other factors that should be considered.

Personally I love wearing my PST104?s for most of my north Florida OC cave diving, but I wouldn?t want to wear them in a wetsuit, and I wouldn?t want to wear them in a thin undergarment, and I wouldn?t want to remove one or have to push it through a tight restriction on a regular basis. But I promise you I can get further on 90cuft than I can on 75cuft. But I?m correctly weighted, diving a balanced rig, and in a warm comfortable drysuit.

Having said all that, if you think you know what you are doing in 85?s, and 80%+ of the divers you see are wearing 85?s, why would you consider something else?

There is no comparably sized cylinder that will magically hold more gas. Pressure / volume gas laws don?t work differently for different manufacturers.

If you have figured out correct weighting, buoyancy, and trim with 85?s, things are gonna change with 95?s or 108?s or 120?s. Do you want to add or subtract weight from dive one to dive two, and then back again?

If you haven?t taken a sidemount course with a competent, knowledgeable instructor, I highly recommend it. If you haven?t taken a stage course from a competent, knowledgeable instructor, I highly recommend it before you start slinging a stage through the cave.

Just my 2cents worth and internet advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[bwoodill]

Another vote for a second set of 85s. They are good all around tanks. As others have mentioned, it really comes down to what you plan to do whether it would make sense for a different size. If you need more gas, I prefer to stage it than go with 120s. Another good option if you have a good sac rate is a set of lp50s.

[bamafan]

Assuming we are talking sidemount here. I think tank size depends upon your size. Shorter smaller people seem to do better with shorter tanks. I am 6'4 and found 104's / 108's to work best for me in bm. In sidemount I found I much preferred Faber lp 120's for most dives. You can certainly work on your air consumption and at one time I was doing a fair amount of free diving and found that I could pretty much keep up with some small people on air consumption. I also found out that lp 120's allowed me to go much farther with a bigger reserve. I don't care how you dice it up but the bigger lp tanks have a far greater reserve especially if you take into consideration that gas doesn't compress linearly. The last 1/3 lasts way longer than the first 1/3 especially in large lp tanks.

[LMN]

I don't care how you dice it up but the bigger lp tanks have a far greater reserve especially if you take into consideration that gas doesn't compress linearly. The last 1/3 lasts way longer than the first 1/3 especially in large lp tanks.

I fully agree but then again, I’m a big guy myself. The non linearity of gas compression is easy to see when diving a stage, when you switch to back gas and see you lost the first few hundred psi just from adding gas to your wing and suit here and there.

[Draker]

Assuming we are talking sidemount here. I think tank size depends upon your size.

And a whole bunch of variables.
What would you recommend for this guy? That?s the question.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[bamafan]

And a whole bunch of variables.
What would you recommend for this guy? That?s the question.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Definitely Heiser 190's

[bent]

And a whole bunch of variables.
What would you recommend for this guy? That?s the question.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Don't know if that's Waldo or not but I would recommend a suit. Not just for exposure protection but also for buoyancy reasons. Also, do not go with bigger tanks. With that set up you can't carry 120 full of nitrox. More gas in the tanks would also require you to pump up that wing more. You really don't want that. If that wing loses gas (assuming thing is has a single bladder) and it's a cave with a thick layer of silt or mud or whatever, you're screwed! You're not gonna be able to crawl out. That's dangerous, dude. For real. Don't get yourself killed. I hope somebody told you this before.

If an instructor let you through any course like that, you need to look for a new instructor, seriously.

[LMN]

Don't know if that's Waldo or not but I would recommend a suit. Not just for exposure protection but also for buoyancy reasons. Also, do not go with bigger tanks. With that set up you can't carry 120 full of nitrox. More gas in the tanks would also require you to pump up that wing more. You really don't want that. If that wing loses gas (when that think is a single bladder) and it's a cave with a thick layer of silt or mud or whatever, you're screwed! You're not gonna be able to crawl out. That's dangerous, dude. For real. Don't yourself killed. I hope somebody told you this before.

If an instructor let you through any course like that, you need to look for a new instructor, seriously.

Nah, he is carrying a float, there’s your redundant buoyancy. All he really needs is to reel it in in low passages

[MORGAN]

Tracy and I have Faber LP85's and LP95's. We like both of them, but use the 85's probably 80% of the time. Recently we have borrowed some Faber LP50's from a friend; they are a lot of fun and gas enough for an hour+ run time in Peacock with plenty of reserve. Ideal for Jug, Buford, etc.

[twaldo]

Actually after that photo was taken and SO many people harping on the wing I sent it back to DR and they were like... yeah, it had some issues.... there was hardly any air in the wing when this photo was taken.... and yes it has pretty much always looked like that. And I've been diving it for 7ish years.