How do you clip your gear off?

[jewelw]

Im a new diver and have a Hollis ATS BC. I bought a few brass clips one double end and a couple of regular clips with a closed loop on one end.

How do you use the clips. Do you zip tie one end and leave the other for clipping off?

 

[battles2a5]

I use SS bolt snaps, attach them to gear with cave line, and then clip the gear to my d-rings. Depending on what piece of gear we are talking about, I might also use some inner tube to hold it down against my harness (e.g. back-up lights).

 

[vladimir]

A zip-tie, a zip-tie and an O-ring combined, or tie it with #24 line, usually called "cave line" among divers. Think about how you would detach it in an emergency and how crucial it is that it remain attached otherwise; that will help you decide how to best attach it.

DiveRite (and later, Divegearexpress) used to have great instructions on their website for attaching clips. Now they sell "hose clip retainers" instead. However you decide to attach them, don't use DiveRite hose clip retainers. They are the only disappointing product I've bought from them--and expectations aren't very high with a $3 product.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Zip ties will work fine. Personally, I use different clips for different things. My console comes under my left arm and is clipped to a retractor on my right shoulder strap. Easy to find, easy to use and the retractor keeps it from hanging and banging. My camera is on a coil retractor clipped to the right side of my waist. Same idea. No danglies. My SMB and finger spool are clipped to my left hip with a double ender. My EMT shears are clipped to my left shoulder strap with a single ender attached to the case.

Just make sure that however you attach, you can reach everything important and free it for use with either hand.

 

[Blue982]

Many people tie boltsnaps to gear, hoses or really anything that dangles. You may want to wear gloves with brass snaps, as they can cut fingers that have softened underwater. If they do not have stainless steel springs, you'll want to rinse them out after diving so they don't seize up (good practice even with stainless steel snaps.)

Zipties work well to secure gear, but can be a little fragile. You can usually tear them away if you pull hard enough. Remember to use black ones as white ones are vulnerable to UV (sunlight) damage and can deteriorate rapidly. Make sure to cut the excess tail off.

Another option is cave line, which is a fancy way for a diver to say a bit of nylon string. Most any will work, thicker is obviously a bit stronger. If you're ordering it special, #24 braided nylon line is a good choice. Using nylon line usually requires a knife to cut away.

This website has a great tutorial on how to tie a boltsnap to gear.

The benefit of using a nylon line or a zip tie is that, if entangled, the gear can be cut free. This is a major issue in technical diving, but is a nice feature in open water.

Some objects, like lights, can be stowed using a boltsnap and a bit of rubber inner tube from a bicycle. These can usually be obtained for free from a bike shop - they'll have a hole somewhere but that doesn't really effect the other 95% of the tube. Here is a fantastic post on the many uses of inner tube.

 

[FireInMyBones]

I use SS bolt snaps, attach them to gear with cave line, and then clip the gear to my d-rings. Depending on what piece of gear we are talking about, I might also use some inner tube to hold it down against my harness (e.g. back-up lights).

...+1

 

[scubafanatic]

brass sux! Go stainless!

 

[TSandM]

Just a quick point . . . most people call the ones with a clip at one end and a closed loop at the other a "boltsnap". The ones with clips at both ends are called "double-enders". Double-enders are used for temporary stowage of something (eg. clipping off a light while doing something else) but they aren't very secure for any kind of long attachment. Boltsnaps are used for things that are expected to stay in place, like backup lights or primary regulators which are not in use.

 

[Straegen]

Zipties work well to secure gear, but can be a little fragile. You can usually tear them away if you pull hard enough. Remember to use black ones as white ones are vulnerable to UV (sunlight) damage and can deteriorate rapidly. Make sure to cut the excess tail off.

Only if you use cheap zip ties. Look for ones with a 50lb or higher tensile strength. Tyraps are a great alternative but they use SS in the locking mechanism which means a little extra care is needed. Not sure the black/white thing either. Plastic is usually not bio-degradable it is photo-degradable and I would assume a black or white will degrade at nearly the same speed. If anything one would think white would outlast black as white reflects IR better.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Zipties work well to secure gear, but can be a little fragile. You can usually tear them away if you pull hard enough. Remember to use black ones as white ones are vulnerable to UV (sunlight) damage and can deteriorate rapidly. Make sure to cut the excess tail off.

If you like zip ties (I do) and are worried about them breaking under pressuer or deteriorating from sunlight, use these. I have a ton of them in my garage. Advantage of being a gearhead.

Mr. Gasket 6328 - Mr. Gasket Inferno Shield Wire Ties - Overview - SummitRacing.com