Explain to me why you own your own tank(s)

[rhwestfall]

partially because of this (20-25 minutes away):

I don't enjoy missing work to accommodate their business hours...

 

[rhwestfall]

and the other shop (25-30 minutes from me):

more of the same....

 

[gmerick]

Rental:
Breakfast Saturday, get text: "Lets dive"
0630-0845 Wait for LDS to open
0900-0915 - LDS is open, Rent tanks
1000 Arrive at dive site
1230 Lunch
Dive
1600 Leave dive site because LDS closes at 1700, and can't return `em Sunday or Monday, extra days are $10/tank.

Own:
Breakfast Saturday, get text: "Lets dive"
0630 - Carry gear to car and go (car has 8 AL80's in the back)
0700 - Arrive at dive site
Dive
0930 - go to cafe and finish breakfast
Dive
Lunch
Dive
Play volleyball
Supper
Night dive

Tuesday - Drop of tanks at LDS
Thursday - Pick up tanks

 

[Belzelbub]

Depends on how and how often you dive. If only occasionally, or on vacation, renting makes a lot of sense. If you dive with charters or otherwise go through a dive operator, then renting can make sense. It can be convenient to just get the tanks at the boat and leave them when done. In most cases, renting, you’ll get AL80s, you may be able to secure other types, but a bit more scarce.

For me, renting makes no sense. I dive primarily off of private boats. As such, I want to have tanks ready to go when the weather window cooperates. I’ve initiated and cancelled some trips fairly last minute. If I were renting the tanks, I just wasted those trips and didn’t even get to dive. With my own, they would just go back in the garage until the next time. I don’t use AL80s anymore. I much prefer my steel tanks. I currently have 8 main tanks (2 AL80, 2 HP120, and 4 HP100) all are getting loaded on the boat in a couple of days as we head to the Keys. Some days, we’ll dive, others we won’t . Really depends on the weather when I get up. For me, renting tanks just doesn’t make sense.

 

[MB NZ]

I primarily dive from my own boat. The decision to go out is often made the night before a trip based on sea conditions, so no chance of hiring cylinders. Regardless, it's a 30 minute drive in to town for collection/return and I have the sea outside my front door, so it's a convenience, plus steel is my preference and they aren't always available for hire.

 

[AeroSpartacus]

One big reason for me is that I dive sidemount, and it's perfectly fine to leave the hardware on it when filling. It's easy enough to remember where it's situated, but at worst saves several minutes every time moving hardware off/on, and at best saves some dive time making sure I positioned the bands where I've determined they work best. It also lets me make any kind of dive I'm trained for without planning too far ahead (e.g. if I'm with an Intro buddy that isn't supposed to do decompression) - I have 4 LP85s for sidemount, 1 AL40 for Oxygen deco gas, and 1 AL13 for my rebreather. I'll also likely buy an AL80 stage bottle soon. If I'm going to Ginnie, I'll bring and drop the O2; if I'm going to Peacock, leave it in the car/at home, etc. I also have a different mix in my sets of 85s right now - one is Nitrox and the other is 21/35.

The shops around me also would never cave fill any tanks, which wouldn't stop me from theoretically renting down in cave country after driving; but, there are times of year where it may be hard to find the tank/size you want, and I just finished driving 4-5 hours. That also opens up the opportunity for me to fill my own tank to whatever pressure I want if I buy a compressor / booster in the future.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I don’t know that owning tanks is to save money, it’s more a certain preference of a type and size of tank, convenience of going diving at a moments notice, possibly saving the first trip to the LDS to pick up the rental especially if I can’t get there the day before and I’m going to leave at the crack of dawn the next day.
I own 10 tanks so if I want to go diving/camping up the coast to a remote location for several days where there there is no dive shop or air fills I have plenty of tanks for several days.
I also have tanks I can loan friends.
Life is better with tanks.
Plus then you can obsess over them and also join in on the breeding tank threads on SB where tanks somehow seem to multiply.

 

[rjack321]

So there isn’t really any good reason to own a tank or any other piece of gear except convenience

Tons of various gear is impossible to rent. A 2L steel O2 bottle with a top post valve? Forget it.

 

[Still Kicking]

In addition to what everyone else said, renting vs owning tanks is one of the dividing lines between those people who like to go for a dive on occasion when the opportunity presents itself and those people who are on the slippery slope toward sacrificing all their free time, garage space and disposable income to the gods of scuba.

We know who we are.

 

[lexvil]

Tons of various gear is impossible to rent. A 2L steel O2 bottle with a top post valve? Forget it.

Do you suppose someone who can’t understand owning a tank should be looking for a 2L O2 bottle?