Most important items for a save a dive kit?

[clongdon]

I hope I'm not asking something that has already come up, I tried to check the history, but didn't see anything.

I am trying to make up a save a dive kit and was wondering what items I should put in? Since it takes at least a 40 min. to get to the nearest dive site to me, it would be a complete bummer not to be able to dive because of something simple.
I have an idea on some things like extra 0-rings, fin straps, zip ties,
OK, that's all I can think of.
Any help would be awesome!
Thanks!
Christy

[Pez7378]

Funny you should mention it. I almost started a thread about why we even bother. I have never used my SADK to save my own dive, and only once or twice to help someone else out. I just cleaned up some of my gear, and went through my SADK only to realize that it's accumulated all manner of nonsense I don't need. It still contains a few Items I'll probably (and hopefully) never need.

Here are some of the things I've needed, or seen people need to salvage a dive:

Extra First Stage (I had one of these which saved someones day at Cove 2)
Extra Second Stage (Loaned one of these out at Mukilteo)
O-Rings (Actually, this is the only thing I've needed and didn't have to conduct a dive)
Extra HP/LP hoses (SPG, DrySuit, Wing, Primary Secondary Reg Hoses)
Plastic Buckles
Gloves (Wet) (These are one of those things that people seem to just "forget")
Aquaseal
Seal Saver
Talc
Zipper Wax
silicone lube
Zip ties
1/8" Bungie
Assorted tools (Must have Crescent Wrench and Hex keys)
Spare lights (Preferably a Cannister style light for those of us who have been spoiled on them)

That's just a few things. Just imagine how big a box or tool kit you will need for all these things. I was taught to do equipment checks at the beginning of every dive. I rinse and clean my gear at the end of "almost" every dive. I know my equipment is in good working order so I really don't think I need a SADK anymore. But I'll still maintain a small kit, which contains a few items that may save someone from sitting out a dive or two.

[HydroGirl]

For me it had been:
Tank face o-rings or for your DIN reg
Reg hose o-rings
Multi-tool with an adjustable wrench

[LCF]

I agree with HydroGirl. But my kit also has a dry suit inflation hose (something people forget to put back on when they come home from warm water trips) and a set of wet gloves (gloves often get left home). I also carry spare bolt snaps, cave line and shock cord, and some big rubber bands for mocking up a way to clip up consoles for people who are letting them hang.

[nice-diver]

I have dove without gloves before
I forgot my drysuit once...I have a really good buddy...we drove back to get it (hour each way)
duk tape to patch a trilam suit
latex and aquaseal for an overnite seal repair ( seen on my first club dive)
some people bring kites and just bagg the dive day
loose hoses
old and lost o-rings
sudafed
extra primary lite for when you drop your can lite (knock on head)
$20

the best s.a.d.k. would be a complete set of gear in your size and buddies size, but who has the room

[renoun]

I think that the best save a dive kit item is a checklist so you don't leave a crucial item at home. This year it has been boots twice (thanks Paulicarp) and lead for me. At least I was smart enough to pack the inflator hose in the drysuit bag when I removed it from my reg. That said I have a little pelican box with a few tools, a spare computer battery, line, o-rings, etc.

[billandwende]

the best s.a.d.k. would be a complete set of gear in your size and buddies size, but who has the room

Hmmm? I wonder who?

Save a dive kit contains one extra of everything. And somethings 2 or 3 extra.

Alas I did not think to add a kite but I'm going to now.

[BASSMAN]

I finally got around to compiling the thread. Below is "the ultimate save-a-dive/diver and other helpful stuff kit."

Tank valve converts (K-2-DIN)
Tools - alan wrenches, screw drivers, what else?
Zip Ties
Mask Strap
de-fog spray
o-rings - various
new mouth piece
fin straps & clips
extra harness webbing?
duct tape
O-ring lube is good to have around.
Also, Talc or KY Jelly for getting through the seals.
Water bottle.
spare set of contacts
Zipper Wax
crescent wrench
spare batteries for my computers/lights,
Aquaseal,
a variety of clips and 'biners,
fin/mask straps
bungee cord
plugs for reg ports.
silicone grease
Bicycle tire/Tube repair kit
Spare mask
Spare SPG / LP Hose
Chemical lights
Bottle of vinegar
Bag of latex gloves
First Aid Kit
Pocket mask
Slate with emergency responder questionaire
Slate with neuro exam questionaire
DAN cards & numbers
100% O2 bottle with reg (or DAN O2 rig) – in car
fleece hat and gloves in my dry bag for wearing on the surface interval
pseudephed, tylenol, naproxen, bonine, Zantac, Tums, Bendryl, etc
Spare mouthpieceDrysuit talc
Small toothbrush (for cleaning zippers, etc.)
Small flashlight/head lamp
Scissors
Black electrical tape (for pinhole seal leaks)
"After-bite" is a 3.5mg Ammonia stick for bites.
Heintz White Vinegar - $0.99 with your QFC card.
A spare $20 bill.
A dentist tool thingie to help pop out o-rings (I find it works the best)
Paint pen to mark that new piece of gear I forgot to do at home when packing.
Sharpie to mark things I can't mark with the paint pen.
Lots of extra weight.
Extra flashlights.
Tide/Current tables and NW Shore Dives
Multi-tool
small tube of toothpaste
bottle of defog
extra clips
nylon string


And finally - a Dive Butler/Tank Sherpa and a Orange Honda Element.

[/quote]
put in "sad kit" in the search window.

[airsix]

The minimallist SADK:

duct tape
multi-tool
o-rings
zip ties
plan-B

[ArcticDiver]

OK, these lists look good for the Stay At Home Diver. What about the Traveling Diver who has mixed family/business and diving trips?

I give Alaska Airlines so much money they even let me check a couple bags "free", or at least "free of extra charge". But, a couple of these lists would challenge even Bob's Divemobile.

[Jabberjaw]

You all forgot the most important item

VISA or MASTERCARD with a greater than $5000.00 limit

[BASSMAN]

I actually have two SAD kits.
The bigger one hardly ever gets used, It stays in the back seat of my truck. It is a flat plastic tool box with a clear see thru door so I can easily see whats inside and I admit, As good as the list we came up with in Sounders discussion a few years ago, I still do not have the comeplete Sounder SAD kit.
But I have a smaller kit that I use more often that stays with my gear.
One of the best SAD kit things for me has been the Black Electrical Tape for Quick Latex Seal Repairs.

I think anyone could build a good sad kit if they picked things from Doug's list that was practical for them specifically.


for example... I don't wear glasses or contacts....Yet

[girldiver]

I'm at the dive sites pretty regularly...and the most common things that I need are silicone (though I've used lip gloss in a pinch a few times...it seems my silicone grows legs), multi-tool (most often used), zip ties and o-rings.

Things I loan on a regular basis (because of the BIG SAD kit I drive around in) are: Tanks, weights, regulators and once a BCD as well. Those are probably a bit overkill when you're just packing for the day...but if I'm in the parking lot, I'll probably have (and loan) real gear if you're in need.

[LCF]

I wish I'd had my SADK with me today . . . my buddy needed a drysuit hose

As I was packing this morning, I was thinking that, actually, the most critical things I take with me (that NEVER get left home) are warm, dry clothes to get into in the event of a drysuit flood. I have had that happen to me several times, and if you're out at the far end of the Edmonds Underwater Park, it's a LONG swim to shore. I carry thick fleece garments that are oversized, so I can lend them to other people who may be in need. They've gotten used more often than any equipment stuff I carry.

For travel, I take o-rings to fit everything, an o-ring pick, a scuba tool, matches, cave line, spare double enders and boltsnaps, duct tape, and lots of batteries.

[clongdon]

Wow!! Thanks for all the input!

I have dove without gloves before

I was offered money once to dive w/o just one glove, I couldn't imagine a dive here with no gloves at all. Burrrrr!

As I was packing this morning, I was thinking that, actually, the most critical things I take with me (that NEVER get left home) are warm, dry clothes to get into in the event of a drysuit flood.

This is funny, because I had always had a bag with extra clothes and a coat and the one day I didn't bring it was the day I flooded good. I was very grateful for the warm air from the hand dryer in the bathroom that day.

I do a check list the night before my dive while I'm checking my gear. One time I realized I had no weight pockets for the BCD I had as a loaner, that would have really sucked.
I always feel like I'm packing to move out, or go on a long journey when I go to dive.

Thanks Again, there was a lot of stuff I would have never thought of.
Christy

[Joshua Smith]

[quote="Major TJ "King" Kong"]Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.
[/quote]


Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned!

[clongdon]

Major TJ "King" Kong wrote:Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned!

That's standard gear in my car, plus sticky notes, a pin, some good tunes, and a first aid kit. Oh, and you should have a variety of colors of the lipsticks, you just never know....

[BASSMAN]

Major TJ "King" Kong wrote:Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned!

That's standard gear in my car, plus sticky notes, a pin, some good tunes, and a first aid kit. Oh, and you should have a variety of colors of the lipsticks, you just never know....

Based upon some of the other post on this board, I'm sure Josh has all the colors of lipstick.

[Sockmonkey]

[quote="Major TJ "King" Kong"]Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned![/quote]

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!

-Eric

[pensacoladiver]

[quote="Major TJ "King" Kong"]Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned!

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!

-Eric[/quote]

3rd bestest movie ever!!!

[clongdon]

Oh! come on, just when I was getting to know people.

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!

Joshua Smith wrote: Major TJ "King" Kong wrote:Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

Plus- all that other stuff everyone mentioned!

Based upon some of the other post on this board, I'm sure Josh has all the colors of lipstick.

Sorry Josh, I don't even know you, but.....