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

[Eric Sedletzky]

Amigos in cave country is 24/7 self-service fills of EAN32, air, O2, and helium

Oh my god!
I’d think I died and went to heaven.

 

[landphil]

108° at home, now at 0145 it’s 79°, projected hi in Monterey today 68° it should be a good dive day. When I get home to rinse my gear I’m guessing a very short dry time.

You’ll definitely cool off- it hit 48 degrees down below 40’ (but almost 60 in some patches above 20’)

 

[lexvil]

You’ll definitely cool off- it hit 48 degrees down below 40’ (but almost 60 in some patches above 20’)

Only hit 51 but a good 60 shallow

 

[BabyLitigator]

Was 52 degrees off Los Angeles at 40' yesterday.

Tanks should probably be the last thing you buy, but once you have all the other gear it's not a huge additional cost, does save a bit on fills, etc., and offers some convenience (though from LA the shore diving isn't great, so you can have some warning and plan accordingly).

I have two dive shops within 2 miles of my house, so the logistics don't hugely matter. I own my own deco tanks, but am renting my doubles, at least for now.

 

[tursiops]

Oh my god!
I’d think I died and went to heaven.

I'm not cave diving anymore but while I was Amigos was the go-to place. Dealing with local fills where I live is painful enough that I'm about ready to load all my tanks in my SUV and drive to Amigos just to fill them.

 

[Dapper Dan]

For me it's the freedom that when my buddy calls and says, "I got the boat loaded up, let's go diving today" every week, I don't have to say, "let me go by the dive shop and rent some tanks".

I just throw my junk in the truck and I'm at the ramp in 30 minutes. My cylinders are sitting in the garage filled, waiting on me, not me waiting on them. Plus I don't want to be bothered to have to be back before the dive shop closes, or stand in line behind other divers to return rental tanks.

I have five cylinders. They cost me $16x5 for a hydro every five years. That's $16 bucks per year "ownership cost".

My two local shops
TANK RENTALS:
"Steel tanks (limited availability) ~~~ $21"
"Aluminum or Steel 100+ cf (EAN) $21.00"

It costs me more to rent a tank one time than it does to own one and dive with it all year.

But yeah, if you dive once or twice per year, rental is the way to go.

 

[DanBMW]

I don't get why I'd want to own my own tank(s). There has to be a reason, but I'm failing to see it. Right now, I go to my LDS, rent the tanks, bring them back. Its two trips to the shop. If I buy tanks, I still have to bring them to the LDS to fill them (and then I need to wait for them to fill them), so I save one trip to the LDS, but then I need to add regular inspections. It seems like it isn't worth it, especially if you fly somewhere where you are likely to rent tanks (and weights)... but I must be missing reasons that you all prefer to own your own tanks -- so fill me in! Is it because you really want a very specific tank material, size etc. and can't usually get them at the shop? Are you obsessed about making sure nobody touches your stuff? What is your reason?

It all depends on where you live, the type of diving that you do and how often. I haven't read most of the comments, but I'll add a few of my own. When I had my own boat, living in Florida near the water, it was very convenient to have 4 of my own bottles. After selling the boat, I kept one for filling tires on assorted vehicles with a long hose I fabricated to fit on a first stage regulator. It comes in very handy. Our diving now is on charter boats that always have bottles.

 

[Litefoot]

Several reasons for me. I’m 3.5 hours from the nearest shop and they don’t even rent HP100’s. Of course my location is a bit of a one-off in this discussion. Also, owning your own tanks allows you to do thorough checks, cleaning, and maintenance of your regs before and after diving.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have five cylinders. They cost me $16x5 for a hydro every five years. That's $16 bucks per year "ownership cost".

But yeah, if you dive once or twice per year, rental is the way to go.

Dang! Hydros are only $16? VIPs down here, where I go are $14/year per tank, and Hydros on steel, run about $50 every 5 years. The place I get my air fills runs a special 1/2 price up to two tanks Monday-Thursday. So there is some foresight when dive planning to take advantage of the deal. I have 5 tanks (4 steel 80s, 1 AL67) . Still a cheaper alternative than renting.

 

[Dapper Dan]

Dang! Hydros are only $16? VIPs down here, where I go are $14/year per tank, and Hydros on steel, run about $50 every 5 years. The place I get my air fills runs a special 1/2 price up to two tanks Monday-Thursday. So there is some foresight when dive planning to take advantage of the deal. I have 5 tanks (4 steel 80s, 1 AL67) . Still a cheaper alternative than renting.

I have a special arrangement with the hydro shop. My dive buddies love me. The dive shops charge $45 for a hydro/vip. The dive buddies I like get a hydro and VIP for $16. The ones I don't like I send to the dive shop. LOL