Has anyone tried this for AL80s?

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I already described the triangle method with the double ender or boltsnap and bungee. That is actually what I am currently using. That method can be improved on. It also allows what I consider excessive slop.

Double thickness would probably be even better.

The point of using the upper bolt snap ring for the leader snap is ease of accessibility although it doesn’t really matter where you secure it. Anthropmetrically, it is easier to clip something at shoulder height than at your waist with sidemount tanks. Particularly if you are sitting on a boat or dock bench with the tank next to you. There is not enough leverage also on the waist unless you cross over to the other side which then becomes encumbering and possibly painful across your stomach.

As I stated earlier, the advantages are, you don’t have to move anything and you keep good trim thruout the dive. An additional advantage of not having to move anything is less potential interference with anything else like deco bottles. I don’t want to have to mess with the bolt snaps or drings once a dive starts, I want decent trim, and I don’t want anything to interfere with my deco bottles. Not a skills limitation issue, it’s a potential advance in gear setup.
 
Wouldn't adding weight on the tail of the tank be the simplest solution that meets your requirements? Tanks stay negative, nothing to move, minimal extra hardware, no bolt snaps or drings.
 
Wouldn't adding weight on the tail of the tank be the simplest solution that meets your requirements? Tanks stay negative, nothing to move, minimal extra hardware, no bolt snaps or drings.
I use steel tanks so I don't have that problem but putting weights on ali tanks is not the done thing...apparently.
I'm going to try the "triangle" thing but more to keep my tanks pinned when I roll sideways or upside down or whatever :)
 
I already described the triangle method with the double ender or boltsnap and bungee. That is actually what I am currently using. That method can be improved on. It also allows what I consider excessive slop.

Double thickness would probably be even better.

The point of using the upper bolt snap ring for the leader snap is ease of accessibility although it doesn’t really matter where you secure it. Anthropmetrically, it is easier to clip something at shoulder height than at your waist with sidemount tanks. Particularly if you are sitting on a boat or dock bench with the tank next to you. There is not enough leverage also on the waist unless you cross over to the other side which then becomes encumbering and possibly painful across your stomach.

As I stated earlier, the advantages are, you don’t have to move anything and you keep good trim thruout the dive. An additional advantage of not having to move anything is less potential interference with anything else like deco bottles. I don’t want to have to mess with the bolt snaps or drings once a dive starts, I want decent trim, and I don’t want anything to interfere with my deco bottles. Not a skills limitation issue, it’s a potential advance in gear setup.
i think its worth experimenting with if you do take some vid to show us
 
Used to use a bungie method to control the tank tail through the entire dive. I found that once I started using deco/stage bottles it was a PITA. Now I just clip them up front when they get floaty. This doesn't just apply to AL tanks, I have to move my LP108s during the dive as well.
 
Wouldn't adding weight on the tail of the tank be the simplest solution that meets your requirements? Tanks stay negative, nothing to move, minimal extra hardware, no bolt snaps or drings.
I've seen a few people do this and an old dive buddy and not one complaint. If I was to ever dive ALs I would either add weights or have to move the attachment point when and if tank gets too light. Most likely would add weights forst considering I would have to add them anyway due to using ALs and not steels.
 
Wouldn't adding weight on the tail of the tank be the simplest solution that meets your requirements? Tanks stay negative, nothing to move, minimal extra hardware, no bolt snaps or drings.

I've seen a few people do this and an old dive buddy and not one complaint. If I was to ever dive ALs I would either add weights or have to move the attachment point when and if tank gets too light. Most likely would add weights forst considering I would have to add them anyway due to using ALs and not steels.

I have 2 AL 80s. I got them right after I got certified. I started sidemounting with them because they were what I had. I also wanted to be accustomed to diving SM with AL 80s because I figured that's what I'd have most readily available on boat trips. Now I am comfortable with them, but wondered what I'm missing with steels.
I still don't want to fork out the cash for steels, so here's what I am doing. A couple of weeks ago found one of the wife's old pots that has a diameter of about 7 inches. I melted down some extra lead weights and used the pot as a mold to make lead disks of 5 pounds each (I need 18 pounds in my drysuit). They fit inside a tank boot and slip onto the bottom of my AL80s. Only adds about an inch to the height (disk and boot). The tanks go from -1.4 full to -6.4 full and +4.4 to -0.6 empty. Plan on diving them this weekend for the first time. I am hoping to have "steel like" buoyancy in the water with my AL80's, only cost me $12 (only had 1 boot so I had to hit Amazon for another one), and I won't get made fun of by the "YOU DON'T PUT WEIGHTS ON AN AL80!" crowd. I wasn't really worried about that, but I was concerned that putting the weights on a cam strap would add one more variable to the tanks weighting (improper weight placement leading to the tanks torquing as the weight settled to the lowest point). By adding the weight in a mostly uniform disk, the weight is more evenly distributed.
When I come across a good deal on some steels, I'll still probably pick them up. Until then, I hope this little experiment does the trick.
 
Yeah to yourself, not your tanks :D
What does it matter where it goes?

I can tell you by an advid user of steel tanks it's nice to not use something that is butt light and floaty. My tanks are part of my ballast. I dive FL caves so that may be a biased thing but I'd much rather my tanks be negative. I'm also of the wider persuasion so my bands have a leash that would suck with a positive tank.
 
When I come across a good deal on some steels, I'll still probably pick them up. Until then, I hope this little experiment does the trick.

Not sure where you are at but one local cave shop had a killer deal on several steel rental tanks. Posted yesterday and all gone in less than 24hr. The deals are out there but go so fast.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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