I love my PST HP80 (3,500 psig) cylinders because they are so small. I was driving a Fiat Spyder 2000 convertible at the time I purchased them new (in 1988), and they easily fit in its tiny trunk with my MO/AR wetsuit diving gear (full 1/4" two piece wetsuit with hood and booties and coldwater gloves). Relatively lightweight (~29 lbs empty with valve), relatively small (~20" tall; 7.25" OD), and adequate capacity (82 ft^3 @ 3,500 psig; 94 ft^3 @ 4,000 psig) for a moderate depth, recreational dive.
An HP80 with a simple backpack, nylon harness, and single regulator make for a tidy, tiny, simple package!
One of its potential downsides, its negative buoyancy empty, is actually a benefit to you since you are diving cold, Pacific Northwest waters.
Another of its potential downsides, its short, 20" length (which means reaching the valve knob will be difficult for taller divers), suggests you should stay really practiced at doffing and donning your scuba at depth.
Another tidy, tiny, simple package I like for colder water, moderate depth, rec diving replaces the HP80 with an OMS/Faber LP66 (21" tall, 7.0" OD, 66 ft^3 @ 2,600 psig, or 75^3 ft @ 3,000). But, this cylinder is NOT galvanized.
rx7diver
