Cam Band Safety

[fisheater]

. . . Someone posted a way to remember the pattern...

I think that was me.

I learned it from my OW instructor and it's always stuck and enabled me to thread many a cam band.

Just repeat the mantra: "Metal. Middle. Inside. Outside."

 

[Doubler]

My solution was get rid of the cam band and swap it out for the Scubapro latch system. That sucker never comes loose and is easy to adjust.

 

[Frosty]

Akimbo- I must plead guilty to loosing my tank TWICE since buying my own BC.
This wasn't due to incorrect lacing it was purely due to new stuff stretch.
In fairness It was explained to me by my LDS in no uncertain terms that the cam band does stretch a bit from new and he also showed me how the cloth loop needs to go around the tank neck under the regs. The problem was there from brand new and has definitely now settled down.
I just wonder how many of the described issues are caused more by this than incorrect lacing ?

 

[randy88k5]

I too am guilty of improperly threading the cam bands when I went on vacation. I never lost the tank, but it would always start to work its way lower. I had to tighten the straps after every dive. A DM caught it and showed me the correct way. I remembered, and haven't made the same mistake again. Thank you for the simplified pictures.

 

[knowone]

Couple of thousand dives with one cam band, different bcds
Soft dives and rough dives and really smashed around dives


Seriously, with no slip, I relate to the extent of the universe

 

[charlesml3]

Don't most cam-band buckles have a little diagram stamped on the side that shows how to thread them? I know mine do.

I've seen a few come loose during a dive. Certainly something that needs to be sorted out, but I'm not really sure it's a "horror story."

-Charles

 

[SeaSoulSelf]

+1 for Scubapro latch system. Just have to make sure the boat crew doesn't mess with it (but that's another topic....)

 

[kmurray719]

Don't most cam-band buckles have a little diagram stamped on the side that shows how to thread them? I know mine do.

I've seen a few come loose during a dive. Certainly something that needs to be sorted out, but I'm not really sure it's a "horror story."

-Charles

My current ones have the diagram on them too, but the ones on my last BCD did not. I once had a tank come out of both of my cam bands while walking down the sidewalk after a dive...I'm pretty sure that without an astute buddy right behind me the results of that could have been worse than coming out of the straps in the water!

 

[zimmo]

Does anyone know why they don't use ratchets instead of cams? It seems to me like that would be much easier to get tight.

 

[Akimbo]

Akimbo- I must plead guilty to loosing my tank TWICE since buying my own BC.
This wasn't due to incorrect lacing it was purely due to new stuff stretch.
In fairness It was explained to me by my LDS in no uncertain terms that the cam band does stretch a bit from new and he also showed me how the cloth loop needs to go around the tank neck under the regs. The problem was there from brand new and has definitely now settled down.
I just wonder how many of the described issues are caused more by this than incorrect lacing ?

Based on collected horror stories from dive boat skippers and instructors, a lot. Part of the problem you describe relates to stretching, but friction and the mechanics of rolling the cam over is also related. That is another reason this document became so long winded. I never appreciated how complex using such a simple device could become.