Pockets, SMB, reels.

[Nwcid]

As we are advancing through our gear it seems like time to add a few more things. It looks like we are getting to the point of needing SMB's. I have been looking around and there are a ton of choices on what to get. For now what we need is something for marking locations of stuff found on when diving to come back to.

I was looking at the "See Me" markers, http://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/liftbags.shtml as they are reasonably inexpensive and appears to do what we want. Is there a problem with these or is there a better choice?

To work with an SMB looks like you need a finger spool too. Which led me to http://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/fingerspools.shtml and the Large Finger spool seems to be the right choice for use with dry gloves.

With all that said we need a place to store a few things. Right now it would be the SMB/reel, a set of shears, and as of our last rescue dive training a 10' piece of 1" webbing. Since we are using a hog harness on our BP/W that does not leave anywhere to store stuff. Our dry suits do not have pockets. Any thoughts on the glue on pockets like, http://www.divegearexpress.com/exposure/glueon.shtml Is one better then another? Is there another reasonable cost option? Hers is a Neo suit and mine is a Bilam, will the glue work with both?

As always thanks ahead of time.

[Jeff Pack]

scubatoys recently had a clearance on some finger spools. Not sure if still available.

[Nwcid]

Same price as the DGE ones and DGE has done me well on my many other buys. Thanks though.

[LCF]

There are very few items on which I have a really intense brand preference, but SMBs for the Pacific Northwest is one of the few. 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.

Finger spool -- Delrin is FAR superior to plastic, because the first time you clip one off to your butt-d-ring and forget and sit on it, a plastic spool will break, and a Delrin one will not.

[kdupreez]

I can wholeheartedly concur with Lynne here..

I've had at least 4-5 different brands of SMB;s myself and when I settled on the oral inflatable Halcyon 3.3 closed circuit SMB's with OPV, its like a whole new world opened up and a few angelic "aaaaahhhhh's" were heard..

The inflator valve is whats the golden standard here, its has an inline one-way valve in a metal inflator that you can actually inflate regardless of how dumb your drysuit hands are or how stupid your cold lips are..

In every fundies class out here so far I usually have one or two students just blow raspberries (bubbles) because their cold lips can't find purchase on the inflators.. Then I end up giving them one of my Halcyon SMB's on the next dive and they cant believe how much smoother the process goes..

I have 3 of them for that exact reason.. and you are WELCOME to try one of them sometime..

As for spools - I really like machined delrin spools. they are close to neutral, so while you shoot the bag, you accidentally let go of the spool, it will just sit there and spin in front of you.. That and you can virtually drive a truck over it and it will still be ok

you are also welcome to try one of mine..

this was my 2cents.. carry on..

[renoun]

I was looking at the "See Me" markers, http://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/liftbags.shtml as they are reasonably inexpensive and appears to do what we want. Is there a problem with these or is there a better choice?

You defiantly don't want one of those. They don't have an pressure relief valve so they aren't well suited for use as a SMB. They are better suited for use as a safety sausage that is inflated on the surface by wayward vacation divers. It looks identical to the cheap Trident brand one which is the only piece of dive gear (other than gloves) that I have managed to actually wear out.

[Dusty2]

I had bad luck with the dive right glue on pockets. The back part separated from the pocket so I am left with the backing on my dry suit and no way to get it off. The light monkey one looks nice and well built. 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
Another option is the neoprene pocket shorts. A bit more pricey but you get 2 pockets and no problems gluing to your drysuit.

DRI scuba also carries a HOG SMB that is nice and has an over pressure valve

I agree with the delrin finger spools but if you want the best for cold water use try the DSS stainless steel spool
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=36

[kdupreez]

Ross is right, those "see me" are meant for use on the surface. not for shooting from the bottom.

if you blow that thing up with more than half full at anything deeper than 30ft, it will probably over expand and burst on the way up..

depends on your use, but if you want something that you can shoot from the bottom, get something that has some one-way inflation mechanism that you can operate without having to push it in with your teeth or fingers and that has an OPV.

[BDub]

There are very few items on which I have a really intense brand preference, but SMBs for the Pacific Northwest is one of the few. 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.

Finger spool -- Delrin is FAR superior to plastic, because the first time you clip one off to your butt-d-ring and forget and sit on it, a plastic spool will break, and a Delrin one will not.

+1.

Like Lynne, I have brand preferences on very few items. The smaller H bag is the best I've seen for the Pacific Northwest and the only one I use, for reasons similar to Lynne's.

That aside, for recreational diving, a 3-4' bag is the way to go, imo. Anything else is too much of a PITA to get off, or it's a 2 person job.

Keep in mind this is something you may need to get off expeditiously. A 3-4' bag, pre-rigged with a delrin spool, can be deployed very quickly and is typically all that is needed in our waters to mark your position.

If you need a larger bag at the surface, carry a second, larger bag and deploy that when you're at the surface.

And to echo Ross' and Koos' posts, whatever brand of bag you buy, make sure it has an opv. Otherwise, if you fill it too full, you may eventually find smb shrapnel descending past you on your ascent/stops.

[CaptnJack]

The reason the smaller bags work fine around here (and the Halcyon one is ideal) is because you are deploying them from fairly shallow depths <50ft typically to make sure the boat doesn't run over you. Not some waterskier driving by, you need a dive flag for that. The SMB is for the charter boat that dropped you on Z's Reef etc.

If you are in the Galapagos or diving the Governor you need a BIG bag so the boat can find and track you.

Big difference, just so you understand the different tools for the job you might see online and advertized.

[LCF]

The problem with stainless spools is that, if you drop them, they fall. Delrin spools, being close to neutral, will stay close enough for you to catch them for a little while. Of course, nobody ever drops their spool, right?

[Jeff Pack]

I see Halcyon makes a cold water spool, any thoughts on that setup, looks abit easier to work with, with dry gloves on...

[CaptnJack]

I see Halcyon makes a cold water spool, any thoughts on that setup, looks abit easier to work with, with dry gloves on...

Its not really any easier to use. It might be if you have giant fingers in wet gloves. It is a bit more expensive, but I don't think the added cost is justified by added value. We have a 100ft one in our spool stable and I'm not constantly shifting spools around to get to use it. If its handy fine, if its not I can't tell the difference.

[Jeff Pack]

cool, also, I've read most people suggest NOT to get the 100ft spools, but at least a 150ft. Do you agree?

Also, what about the bigger finger hole versus smaller? I learned not to put fingers in it,but to pinch the finger holes.

[BDub]

I'd definitely get a 150' spool, and depending on the spool (if line is really packed on there), pull a few of line off to make it easier to manage and clip the DE off to.

I learned my lesson several years ago when shooting a larger bag from 100-110fsw, in current on a dive we got blown off a pinnacle, and realizing when the bag was halfway up that I was using a 100' spool.

[Jeff Pack]

what about finger hole size? I learned to just pinch mine, good bad, or otherwise?

[defied]

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

[CaptnJack]

cool, also, I've read most people suggest NOT to get the 100ft spools, but at least a 150ft. Do you agree?

Also, what about the bigger finger hole versus smaller? I learned not to put fingers in it,but to pinch the finger holes.

The 100ft is fine for me. I don't shoot bags from down there. Because as I pointed out earlier, the little bags are not really for tracking a diver, they are to keep from getting run over. You aren't going to be run over if you come up to 40ft then shoot it. That only takes a minute or 2 and even in current you aren't going very far.

Consider why you need to shoot a bag, then choose the right equipment for the job. You don't need a 100lb liftbag at Sunrise. Nor 150ft of line. You do need a huge bag in someplace like the Galapagos or anywhere with flaky charter operators. You may or may not need >100ft of line. In the Gulf Stream you need to be shooting bags with a reel for instance.

[CaptnJack]

what about finger hole size? I learned to just pinch mine, good bad, or otherwise?

Pinch it, don't stick your finger through. Which is exactly why the "cold water spool" is not really that useful. You're just pinching a bigger hole.

[BDub]

The 100ft is fine for me. I don't shoot bags from down there.

Cherry picker

[Jeff Pack]

thx Capt, something to ponder, as dubs and your arguments are equally valid. The Light monkey spool from Divegear express, can carry 100ft of cave line #24, or 150ft of their dacron hi-viz line.

[Norris]

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

[CaptnJack]

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

Cheater, you edited it.

[spatman]

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

Golem gear makes great pockets, too.

[CaptnJack]

The 100ft is fine for me. I don't shoot bags from down there.

Cherry picker

I like sweet cheeries