A few questions

[lamont]

1. Regulators.

Another vote for Apeks DS4+ATX20+ATX50

2. Clipping in and out.

Practice. You'll build up muscle memory of where the d-rings are. It sucks for awhile, but you're not alone.

4. Donning and Doffing doubles.

Make sure you bleed air out of the wings. Grab a d-ring or a boltsnap hooked into the d-ring and use that to pull on to get your right elbow out.

 

[do it easy]

Does anyone have problems getting their arms throught the webbing if their drysuit has rings for dry gloves?

I don't have problems with the glove rings, but my bottom timer or compass will sometimes catch. Note that I usually put the gloves on first before getting into the harness. I know that sounds backwards.

 

[PerroneFord]

1. Dive Rite is similar in that regard to the Apeks. Parts and so forth are easily available, and the manual is a free PDF download. They are said to be VERY easy to service.

2. Yea, I was trying to clip from underneath and from the top last night. Coming from the top was about to give me carpal tunnel.

3. Noted. But I still don't need a dang E8-130!

4. I'll have to look into that more. A workbench. I need to see how people do this for shore dives... Maybe I need to watch some cavers.

1. Neither. Get the Apeks DS4's. The handwheel is not an issue. Being able to maintain them yourself down the road IS, especially when considering that you'll have at least four of them and possibly five.

2. Look at your wrist. It bends one way. Not the other. When you clip things into your chest D-rings, come up from underneath.

3. You don't need to spend the money. What comes with the harness will do fine. (Put the money you save toward better tanks! )

4. Find yourself some surface to set your tanks on that holds them at precisely the right level to put them on. My buddy used one of those tall padded drafting stools. I went out and bought a small workbench that had a back on it, to attach the manifold to in order to prevent my tanks from leaning forward and falling. I have a sheet of styrofoam-like material on the surface that works to hold the tanks from slipping. Whatever works, works. The point is that you'll be screwing with your rig all the time, and to have it sitting up on a well-lit surface allows you to mess with it more easily and (whats more important) allows you to don and doff it without twisting or straining your back - which is more important as (a) you get older; and (b) as your steel doubles get heavier (!).

Best,

Doc

 

[Meng_Tze]

I would vote for APEK DS4's as mentioned before, easy to maintain.... (if you want to do this later on) and rock solid.

Cliping chest D-Ring: Open snap with opening facing towards yourself and upwards (thumb is activating knobbly bit), slide is along the harness onto the D-Ring, the D-Ring should just pop up, and hey presto, you are hooked on.

SPG: Trick is to have the snap tied off on the hose at the same height as the D-Ring when you wear all your gear, this way you only have to swing the spg back (when putting back) and you will find the D-ring.

Putting on doubles (even heavy ones): put them on the ground (and hold them if they have rounded bottoms/are on unstable ground). Sit in front of them with you back to them (at this point I let them lean on me). Slide in first arm, and then second. Then fold left leg at knee to right (your left knee is on the ground), step over left leg with right leg (knee is up in the air) and roll carefully left and forward. Your right leg is ready to stand on, then stand up. Do up crotch and waist straps, walk to water and plunge in.

All these things take practice.........................and sometimes falling ;-)

 

[Derek S]

1. Regulators. Sometime in the near future I will need a new set or two of regs. I have narrowed my choice to the DiveRite RG2500 or the Zeagle Flathead VI. Price difference isn't huge. Any STRONG opinions one way or the other? The DR has the LP hose swivel, the Zeagle doesn't.

IMHO, Scubapro is the way to go (especially since you dive in warm water), with Apeks being a close second. A MK2/390/190 (or even another 390) combo is cost effective and will serve you well for many years to come. I'm not sure why you're not wanting a piston-based 1st stage until later. I could see if you were diving NE waters like I am, but you're in cave country.

2. Clipping in and out. Ok, after reading countless times about using one hand to do this, etc. I tried it last night. Ummm... either I'm an inflexible moron, or this is MUCH harder than it looks on TV! I thought I was going to get carpal tunnel trying to simulate clipping my backup lights off, and the SPG. Any tricks here? The hip ring seemed pretty elusive as I was fishing for it. I finally understand the whole welded D-Ring argument

.

It takes practice. I'm still working on it myself. Try using slightly bigger diameter snaps if need be, especially if using gloves.

3. Highland Mills, harness hardware. Is anyone using this stuff? The chest rings and waist rings look excellent, and would help with some of my clipping issues. They cost real money, but I am sure they're nice..

Use the standard stuff. Aren't the HM rings 90* bent? Entanglement city. Also, what happens if you "break a d-ring" at the dive site and have a friend loan you a spare? Uniformity is the name of the game my friend, uniformity.

4. Donning and Doffing doubles. I've found that it was pretty easy for me to use the "flip-on" and "flip-off" method for my single tank. How do you guys get yourselves into and out of doubles? Can I used the same method? I'm a pretty strong guy and could probably do it, but obviously, I've never tried.

I'm a pretty big/strong guy myself, Perrone, but I'll be damned if I'm going to throw my back out putting doubles on. GI3 can do it all he wants, I'm using a table/lift-gate. Us NEUE (North East Underwater Explorers) divers use the Stanley workhorse/table thing. Works great, folds up. Here's a link, I bought one on E-Bay, had it in a few days:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4403287826&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

 

[PerroneFord]

1. Just because I *LIVE* in Florida doesn't mean I don't travel. I'm all over the place. I need to be in NC in December, and probably West Virgina in January. I'd like to visit the northeast next year as well. The Mk2 has appeal to me but it doesn't breathe anything like as well as the DR or Zeagles.

2. I'll work on the clipping thing more.

3. The HM waist ring is not 90, but it sticks out. The chest ring has a small offset but lays down like a standard ring, so I can't see it as an entanglement risk at all. But I'll stick with the normal stuff.

4. Are you saying GI3 is a better man than you?

IMHO, Scubapro is the way to go (especially since you dive in warm water), with Apeks being a close second. A MK2/390/190 (or even another 390) combo is cost effective and will serve you well for many years to come. I'm not sure why you're not wanting a piston-based 1st stage until later. I could see if you were diving NE waters like I am, but you're in cave country.



It takes practice. I'm still working on it myself. Try using slightly bigger diameter snaps if need be, especially if using gloves.



Use the standard stuff. Aren't the HM rings 90* bent? Entanglement city. Also, what happens if you "break a d-ring" at the dive site and have a friend loan you a spare? Uniformity is the name of the game my friend, uniformity.

I'm a pretty big/strong guy myself, Perrone, but I'll be damned if I'm going to throw my back out putting doubles on. GI3 can do it all he wants, I'm using a table/lift-gate.

 

[Derek S]

1. Just because I *LIVE* in Florida doesn't mean I don't travel. I'm all over the place. I need to be in NC in December, and probably West Virgina in January. I'd like to visit the northeast next year as well. The Mk2 has appeal to me but it doesn't breathe anything like as well as the DR or Zeagles.

2. I'll work on the clipping thing more.

3. The HM waist ring is not 90, but it sticks out. The chest ring has a small offset but lays down like a standard ring, so I can't see it as an entanglement risk at all. But I'll stick with the normal stuff.

4. Are you saying GI3 is a better man than you?

1) Point taken. Go with what works best for you within your budget. I do believe that the only 'tenet' when it comes to regulators is that they be able to have the 2nd stage taken apart underwater to fix if need be. Other than that (no extra swivel connectors, ect though).....

2) So am I. Try it with drygloves...ouch!

3) It'll just take time got get used to, then it'll be like you never dove anything else before it.

4) If he can continue to do that without injuring his back, hell yes he is a much better man than I.

 

[CALI68]

The Mk2 has appeal to me but it doesn't breathe anything like as well as the DR or Zeagles.

I have to disagree with you. The MK25 breathes great and the house routing is second to none.

BTW truck tail gates work great for donning doubles!

The whole clipping and un clipping thing is a pain for a while but eventually (like most things) it gets much easier.

-Chris

 

[Spectre]

I had shoulder surgery a long time ago [about 12 years] and still have some weird positions that I just can't do. Reaching under the car seat when seated puts my arm to sleep. I also found that a certain way I tried to hit my right chest d-ring caused my thumb to become immobile.

I took about 15 bolt snaps and sat in front of the tv for 4 hours with my backplate on and ski gloves on.

never had another issue with it

 

[WaterDawg]

I have to disagree with you. The MK25 breathes great and the house routing is second to none.

Your right but I believe hes talking about the MK2.

how does that Stanley bench compare hight wise to a picnic table? Id like to get one as I have no tailgate! I saw one at home depot that was a doly as well.