Pockets, SMB, reels.

[Dusty2]

Dive right in scuba has a highland glue on pocket that looks very well thought out and is a little more than half that price though.
http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog ... -2986.html

I had those pockets, and they fell apart within the first week. Good design, shite material. I would recommend spending the money on good Bare, or Halcyon pockets.

D

Good info, I had the same results with the dive rite ones.
Thanks

[Norris]

All I know is that I have a new sig line....

Cheater, you edited it.

Ok ok I did a little bit, but I promise that if anyone asks Ill define the statement in which it was pulled.

[CaptnJack]

All I know is that I have a new sig line....

Cheater, you edited it.

Ok ok I did a little bit, but I promise that if anyone asks Ill define the statement in which it was pulled.

Nah its quite an improvement

[jerryehrlich]

I can wholeheartedly concur with Lynne here..

.. carry on..

We have tried many different varieties over the years. We even had Carter build us some custom ones. After all the general fiddling around, we all use the Halcyon SMB.
Couple of things; use them at least occasionally to keep them in good working order, the edges can crack if you leave them in a tight roll for a long period of time. Rinse the inside of the unit after use, they do ship a bit of saltwater through the inflator once in awhile.

Hollis makes one that looks interesting, but I have not tried it. Will post thoughts if I have the opportunity to try one.

Best,
Jerry

[KneeDeep]

The Halcyon bags, with the inflator you can use either with an LP hose OR orally, are simply ideal. The inflator, which has a big metal flange around the Schrader valve orifice, is the easiest of all the six different ones I've tried to get a seal on, when your mouth is cold and numb. They are just plain worth the money.

NOOB question alert!!
Any one have any pic's of the different types. I haven't had the oppurtunity to use any such inflators, so have no comparision of products and the pro's and con's of each.

[CaptnJack]

No lock one way nipple. mouth or hose inflate


vs

lips on fitting and push to inflate (TWSS!!)

[KneeDeep]

Damn your quick CaptnJack.

Thanks, that helps alot.

[CaptnJack]

The halcyon bags are worth their higher prices IMO. Especially the small one for learning and recreational diving, its a gem.

[Nwcid]

Thanks for all the replies. I was busy at work so I finally just got a chance to really look at all this stuff.

So for reels it looks like the "regular" size Delrin spool with Hi-vis line is the way to go.

I am still a little confused on SMB's and how they inflate. With the "oral" inflate it appears there is a straw like tube you with a one way valve. Is that correct? Then I keep seeing ones that say they use LP inflator. So does that mean you disconnect your inflater hose (dry suit or wing) and use it to fill the SMB? Lastly I thought I saw ones that you just use your reg and blow air into the bottom of them. Isnt this an easier/better choice?

I see HOG makes a decent 4.5' SMB but I can not find much in the way of details on them. I did some looking for the H 3.3 and mostly found overseas ads with them for sale. My google foo must be weak today.

Last on pockets. I have seen the shorts and while they seem like a neat idea it seems like yet another layer of crap to put on. It seems like just having the pockets right on the suit would be much easier. Also with the pockets is there something special in the backing that is a material to make them able to be glued to the suit? I do have a commercial sewing machine and have started making some of my own gear. I have 1000 D Cordura on hand. I have already built some tank band weight pouches.

[Kees]

I am still a little confused on SMB's and how they inflate. With the "oral" inflate it appears there is a straw like tube you with a one way valve. Is that correct? Then I keep seeing ones that say they use LP inflator. So does that mean you disconnect your inflater hose (dry suit or wing) and use it to fill the SMB? Lastly I thought I saw ones that you just use your reg and blow air into the bottom of them. Isnt this an easier/better choice?

You can inflate open SMBs with your reg, but this has a couple problems, mainly that you have to keep a little pressure on the bag when it's on the surface to keep it inflated (the bottom needs to stay underwater for it to stay inflated).

Some bags can only be orally inflated. They have a small attachment that won't accept an LP hose, so you have to blow into them. This is fine, but the oral inflation attachments are kinda tricky to use.

Other bags, like the Halcyon bag, use a hybrid valve. You can hook up an LP hose, but you don't have to. Most people inflate these orally because it's more trouble than it's worth to do it with an LP hose.

Last on pockets. I have seen the shorts and while they seem like a neat idea it seems like yet another layer of crap to put on. It seems like just having the pockets right on the suit would be much easier. Also with the pockets is there something special in the backing that is a material to make them able to be glued to the suit? I do have a commercial sewing machine and have started making some of my own gear. I have 1000 D Cordura on hand. I have already built some tank band weight pouches.

I'm not a huge fan of shorts - just another thing to forget really. Some pockets have a neoprene backing to make it easier to glue them on, some don't. Keep in mind if you make your own that you'll want stainless steel grommets for drain holes and bungee (to clip stuff too). Also, everyone I know that has glued pockets to their suit ends up getting them sewn and sealed on, because the glue ends up pealing given enough time. So, glue works, but it will be a continuous project while sewing them on is a one-time sort of thing.