Gas Switching Methodology

[Colliam7]

Colliam, it sounds like any full bottle is up front on your chest (up to 3 or 4)? But you sometimes put empties/used ones back on your hip?

Yes. With 'sometimes' perhaps being the operative phrase.

So you don't use (or need) a leash for a full bottle on the hip and "bring it forward" a bit before you want to breath it. Do you use a leash to stow empties or just use the nose boltsnap? Just curious how the details of your system works for you.

Good question. I hope others jump in here, as I by no means consider myself an expert on this, only someone who can relate what they have done and do. Personally, I do not use a leash - not because I have a preference for using the nose boltsnap to clip to a waist D-ring based on trial and error, but because that is the only 'hip clip' arrangement I have used.

Having said all this, I also find it easiest to use AL40s (or 30s) as my deco bottles, and two fit nicely on a side, with chest / waist clipping. In that case, I don't bother to move an empty to a hip position. With 80s, I find it gets a bit crowded, and moving a used bottle to a hip position makes life a bit easier.

I probably should also add that I only dive back-mount doubles at this point, so I can't offer any experience with sidemount configurations. (But, SM is on the training list for this Spring)

 

[rjack321]

I agree that the smaller bottles are quite nice compared to al80s. I don't use steels they are too heavy and I don't want deco bottles as part of my ballast.

I have nose clipped a bottle to my hip a couple times, but with any kind of glove at all or with an al80 I can't stand it and use a leash instead. Anytime I use up an al80 I prefer to stash it behind me on the leash where its out of the way even if I only have one 80 and one 40 on at the time.

If you want to try it, my leash is a 4.5" long (roughly) loop of cord with a fixed boltsnap in it. Add a little bit if you're a big guy (or gal). The leashed bottle should ride on your butt, trust me its a royal pain when they slip off constantly.

Anyway, not so much a RRLL kinda thing, mostly just a way to clean up your front as you use bottles.

 

[Rainer]

What a pleasantly civil discussion!

Thanks, Colliam for posting.

 

[AzAtty]

What a pleasantly civil discussion!

Thanks, Colliam for posting.

The thread is only a couple days old. Give it some time to fester properly.

 

[Blackwood]

The thread is only a couple days old. Give it some time to fester properly.

I'm crossing my fingers that it will be more of a "here is what I do and why" thread than a "here is why what you do sucks" thread.

Hopefully it will also put to bed some of the myths about the perceived limitations of one strategy or another.

But yah. Time will tell.


Thanks guy/gals

 

[Colliam7]

I agree that the smaller bottles are quite nice compared to al80s. I don't use steels they are too heavy and I don't want deco bottles as part of my ballast.

Agreed. Part of my bias is that I have AL30s, 40s, and 80. Part of it is that I am already negative from my double steel 120s.

I have nose clipped a bottle to my hip a couple times, but with any kind of glove at all or with an al80 I can't stand it and use a leash instead. Anytime I use up an al80 I prefer to stash it behind me on the leash where its out of the way even if I only have one 80 and one 40 on at the time.

Question, what size bolt snap are you using on your rigging kit? The Dive Rites are bigger than the Halcyons, and a little easier to manipulate with gloves (or, so it seems to me.) Without gloves, I prefer the smaller Halcyons. I have also started wearing thinner gloves (Warmers, that I bought from REI) instead of the usual neoprene gloves, as a result of the difficulties of manipulating the bolt snaps. I thought it was just me and my (older) fingers.

If you want to try it, my leash is a 4.5" long (roughly) loop of cord with a fixed boltsnap in it. Add a little bit if you're a big guy (or gal). The leashed bottle should ride on your butt, trust me its a royal pain when they slip off constantly.

Neat idea. I will definitely try a leash to see how I like it. Where do you attach your leash (to you)? Now, I guess this is the part where we start to vehemently disagree, and start calling each other names, right? Nah, I enjoy learning from others, and you have provided some good ideas. Thanks.

 

[rjack321]

Agreed. Part of my bias is that I have AL30s, 40s, and 80. Part of it is that I am already negative from my double steel 120s.Question, what size bolt snap are you using on your rigging kit? The Dive Rites are bigger than the Halcyons, and a little easier to manipulate with gloves (or, so it seems to me.) Without gloves, I prefer the smaller Halcyons. I have also started wearing thinner gloves (Warmers, that I bought from REI) instead of the usual neoprene gloves, as a result of the difficulties of manipulating the bolt snaps. I thought it was just me and my (older) fingers.Neat idea. I will definitely try a leash to see how I like it. Where do you attach your leash (to you)? Now, I guess this is the part where we start to vehemently disagree, and start calling each other names, right? Nah, I enjoy learning from others, and you have provided some good ideas. Thanks.

I have tried various size bolt snaps. We all seem to have different names for big and small etc. so I stole some images from Nix dog collars (Nix Dog Collars) to illustrate what I found has worked well. I am not sure if mine have followed the exact dimensions shown - the pics are mostly to explain what I found works for me.

These "medium" ones

Have a tidy profile but the ring is too small to stick my finger through. I rely on sticking my finger through the ring to unclip the upper snap with one hand and attach the bottle to my leash. Or to hold the new bottle securely while attaching it to my chest ring.

These

have a nice big ring. But the actual clip is ginormous and I can easily double clip the dring+ my backup light snap and a maybe the bungie holding my power inflator... Basically its easy for me to make a mess with these.

The last one

Has a big ring for my finger but a standard/medium sized gate+hook. They work the best for me.

Last Saturday I had on 3 bottles. I started with the AL40 of O2 on the leash on my left dring and an AL80 of bottom gas and an AL80 of 50% also on my left.

I breathed the 80 of bottom mix first and stowed the reg. I left the bottle on no sense in delaying the dive on the bottom. At the 70ft stop, I switched to the 50%. Then once we were settled I unclipped the lower snap of the bottom stage. Then removed the leash with its O2 bottle. Took the bottom stage off with my right hand and clipped it to the leash. Took teh O2 off the leash and clipped the nose to my chest. Put the empty bottom stage back on my left hip. And lastly clipped the tail of the o2 bottle to my hip.