Choice: Yoke versus DIN while travelling

[eliminator]

Just a quick question, I might be heading "down south" this summer to do some diving. Likely tech diving doubles, but maybe some single tank stuff with my wife as well.

All of my regs are DIN, but I have the parts to convert them back to yoke. Is it better to travel with regs setup for DIN or Yoke?

Are 200 bar convertible valves readily available? I would think so for the EU travellers that visit....

thanx

 

[Huckleberry35]

Leave your regs set for din and get yourself a yoke adpter. This is much easer than changing your regs back to yoke. Talk to your LDS and they should be able to set you up with this adpter.
cheers Gord

 

[mselenaous]

+1 on the yoke adapater. Leave the regs as DIN and on the occasion when you need yoke, just pull out the adapter from your reg case. The adapters are relatively inexpensive starting at about $40 US.

 

[scubafanatic]

If you need max flexibility, I'd suggest use DIN 1st-stages with spin-on Yoke adapters. The default rental tank (especially for single tank diving) in the southern Western Hemisphere is the AL80, and I never see any convertable tank valves in anyone's rental fleets (meaning these tanks will ONLY work with a yoke 1st-stage) For single tank diving, the only time I've seen the convertable tank valves are on the few dive ops offering (at additional expense) HP steels. Some people have 'issues' diving such regs though, claiming the usage of the spin-on-adapter increases the odds of them bumping the back of their heads on their 1st-stages.....I've never had a problem with it but your mileage may vary. Part of the problem is that we have no idea how many regs you are willing to carry with you on your trip, so if you don't like using the spin-on-adapters, you lose flexibility and will have to compensate by carrying more reg sets.

 

[eliminator]

Thanks, I'm well aware of the adaptor but still wondering what kind of tank valves are typically available at the big dive destinations such as the Caymans, Cozumel, etc.

It's not a big deal to change over my regs to yoke before I head down.

 

[scubafanatic]

Thanks, I'm well aware of the adaptor but still wondering what kind of tank valves are typically available at the big dive destinations such as the Caymans, Cozumel, etc.

It's not a big deal to change over my regs to yoke before I head down.

...I've never been to the Caymans, but from personal experience, for Cozumel....Bonaire......Honduras...Bahamas, it's gonna be the yoke-ONLY AL 80.

 

[Ana]

I find the adapter is fine for a couple of dives but if the plan is for more than a long weekend I rather do the actual conversion.
I put together a very small kit for this purpose. The reg stays on the DIN configuration with the rest of gear, the little zippered bag has the yoke part with the tool for the change. I made a point to get the shorter handle tool I could find in order to keep the kit small.

In a pinch anything works, I'm reluctant to miss a dive for less than perfect gear but if I'm going through the trouble of packing and hauling gear with me, I rather have everything just right.

 

[tstormdiver]

My recreational regulator was a DIN regulator with an adapter, that I recently converted to a yoke. Personally I had multiple failures, only when I would turn the cylinder on (yes, slowly) & charge the line, of the DIN O-ring (the one trapped in the cylinder or in the adapter). Lots less problems since going to yoke.

 

[Zung]

You should ask your destinations if they have the newer valves with the removable yoke inserts.
For travelling, DIN is a bit lighter than yoke, but DIN + a yoke adapter is heavier.

 

[Scared Silly]

I rarely travel with DIN unless I know the location will have it. Otherwise, yoke. If traveling with DIN I always bring an adaptor just in case. However, any more it is just as easy for me you just make the reg DIN or Yoke. Just get a yoke nut socket and a socket wrench.

The other reason is not so much as failure as described above but I have had DM take the adaptor off in the process of take the reg off a cylinder.