Diving with a Horse Collar

[Gary D.]

Looks like some are forgetting what they were intended for.

Like your gear today, they were High-Tec for their time. I’d venture to guess that in 35 years some of the stuff your are praising today, as being the ONLY good stuff to use, will be considered junk in 35 years. Times change and so does technology.

Some of us might not be here today because of what you’re considering as junk saved our bacon.

There are some real FUBAR’s out there. The Horse Color wasn’t one of them.

So many out there, and I don’t know why, praise the Navy Divers and everything they do. JaxvilleDiver is right when he said the Navy still uses them. They are small, compact, float one face up (unlike a lot of the BC’s) and easy to put on and maintain. Snorkelers still use them so why are they junk? You want to snorkel with a BC?

Hard to put on? Not if you do it right. It's just flip it oner your head and run a strap around your back and clip it in. Not bad at all, infact there are fewer things to screw up on it than there is a BC.

Gary D.

 

[dbg40]

I went from nothing, to a collar, then back to nothing because OF the collar. They were a constant source of agitation and as I remember, not that easy to get along with. Ok for snorkeling but inherently unstable for diving when task oriented, I used them at one point because it was issue, as far as rec diving is concerned, compared to new technology even at the lowest spectrum I see no logical place for them. If snorkeling is what one wishes to do then the lighter version of the collar made to do so is fine. If you want to float on the surface ,an inner tube will suffice, other than that it was basic technology even at the time with limited use and remains so. Ease of maintenance equates to its basic nature, fiewer things to screw up, again its basic nature. When I had to use them it was mostly for a short period of time and for basic floation not much else. Perhaps my answer was a little short but I subscribe to the "If equipment is not suitable for a task and if other, better equipment is AVAILABLE then the latter is junked for the former" school of thought. And I DO NOT believe that the age of equipment automaticly relegates it to the junk pile, as even now part of my gear is more than twenty years old and I use and enjoy it because of its fine quality and forward thinking in original design. this cannot be said for all gear. A pair of wet pants tied up at the ankles and turned upside down can keep you off the bottom and save your bacon as well,.. In this case I will agree, the collar would be an improvement. Although the wet pants are probably more stable, AND more comfortable, true it may be an engineering problem to come up with a reliable tank harness for them.And there is some embarrassment when one is found with their pants around their neck floating in a large body of water, but what can you do.Respectfully submitted, Dave.

 

[pipedope]

I first learned to dive with a horse collar with manual inflation.

Next came a power inflator, nice addition.

The jacket BC was a major improvement for SCUBA diving.
I continued using the horse collar for snorkeling.

The BP/wing setup is much better than the jacket for SCUBA diving but I would still use a simple horsecollar for free diving.

 

[BigJetDriver]

For your next dive trip take a Ford Tri-Motor and see how it compairs to a 737. About the same.

It got the job done but just not as nice.

Gary D.

Hey, I would be happy to fly a Ford Tri-motor ANY day of the week.....for fun!!

Rob

 

[garyfotodiver]

The old horsecollars were ok, but getting them on could be a pain since they used thin 1" webbing. You had to put the bc on first and get that all cinched in. Then the tank and molded backback went on. After the weight belt went on, if you had put the horsecollar on wrong - too loose or too tight, then you had to mess with that all over again. QUOTE]

That's the point; the non-integrated BC (for that is what a "horse collar really is") stayed with you if you ditched your gear.

I had one that I really liked, much better than the integrated jackets popular today. I bought it in 1969 and it was stolen in 1977. I never knew the manufacturer. It fit high on the chest and didn't ride up when inflated. The inflator had a large, screw-in CO2 cartridge; I think it was 32g. There was no interference with any of my other gear.

I used it as a BC with manual inflation. Never had a problem.

 

[Stirling]

I had one that I really liked, much better than the integrated jackets popular today. I bought it in 1969 and it was stolen in 1977. I never knew the manufacturer. It fit high on the chest and didn't ride up when inflated. The inflator had a large, screw-in CO2 cartridge; I think it was 32g. There was no interference with any of my other gear.
I used it as a BC with manual inflation. Never had a problem.

I still have my old Nemrod (made in Spain, I believe). I have always taken very good care of my gear, and I could probably still dive that thing but for a handful of pinhole leaks along one of the seams. I have been thinking about attempting a repair and seeing if I couldn't get some more snorkeling use out of it - I would certainly prefer it to any of the cheapo snorkeling vests available today.

 

[Mike Matthews]

I still prefer it due to the fact it floats you face up no matter what and you can drop all your other gear and it remained with you. Oh and I liked my yellow US Divers since you could be seen in the event of an emergenacy. Keep in mind I hunt with a recurve and like to start fires with flint and steel.