Labelling your gear

[Avic7]

I learned a valuable lesson on my second dive, and recently received an invaluable advice to one of my posts. This advice will help others save money and enjoy your dives even more. What is this advice you might ask? :06:

LABEL YOUR EQUIPMENT.

On my 2nd dive I lost my brand new diving knife that had only seen the water twice. I lost it at Ansel, which is a dive site in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. If only I had put my name on it.

Anyways I wonder if anyone can give advice on the types of methods they use to label their stuff? Brand of markers? Branding? Tape? etc...

 

[Kat]

I don't think any of my gear is labeled. I can't think of one piece that is. It can be confusing on the dive boat when all the fins are in a heap. Most of my gear is a little older, so I don't have the duplication problem that some divers have. I don't think putting your name on your gear would be enough to get it returned. You'd need a ph# and/or an email as well. I figure even with proper labeling, that it's more than likely, gone for good.

 

[Kat]

I think my dive light has my initials. That's only for identification on the dive boat, as there are many divers with the same dive light as me. I wrote it on with a Sharpie & it has held up.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I use a silver Sharpie on most of my gear and it has held up so far.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Charlie99]

Fins sometimes end up in a pile after the first dive. Some sort of identifying mark makes it alot easier to find yours. Felt tip paint markers work good, as does the new metallic ink sharpy.

Same for integrated weight pouches. Sometimes you hand them up before boarding into a small boat, and sometimes you need to leave them out of the BCD if the tank rack holders are wimpy.

If you choose to just paint a single big letter on your gear, consider using just the first letter of your first name or nickname. Way too many people have wondered why Charlie has a big A on his gear.

I inadvertantly marked my BC a few weeks ago when tie-wrapping the corrugated dump hose back on. I only had brightly colored tie wraps available, so it's pretty easy to spot my BC with yellow and red tie wraps on it. You could do the same with a colored tie wrap on the regulator mouthpiece to distinguish your gear if you and buddies all dive the same reg.

Charlie Allen

p.s. Yes, I know that not all colored tie wraps are UV protected.

 

[616fun]

Get a white paint pen from a fabric store. I usually put my name somewhere where it isn't obnoxious, like the inside of the BC pocket, the underside of the reg, inside a groove inside the foot pocket of a fin, etc.

The Paint will not come off easily. If it starts to lighten up, just run over it again.

 

[Firebrand]

I use a catchy, symbol with my initials in it for quick identification. It looks like a shark fin, and my initials are printed inside the bottom of the fin. I used a paint marker to do it. I also wrote the weight of my soft pouches (only for quick reference because the sizes are different) below my little identification symbol.

 

[Tom Winters]

I got some pens that write on metal. They're good for tanks - amazing how they all start looking alike in a shop. Fins and lights are good too. Nothing writes on delrin, but who is going to drop an HID light and not kill themselves?
One is a "Brite-Mark" paint marker from mark-tex in Englewood, NJ; the other is a Sakura Solid Marker. Lots of colors, and they last.
http://www.dykem.com/Products/MarkingSystems/IndustrialMarkingPens/britemark.htm
http://www.durablesupply.com/saksolpainst.html
These don't work well at all for marking your kids so don't bother. Just stick to tattooing them instead.

 

[Giggi]

Sharpies are great for labeling just about everything.

P. Sherman
42 Wallaby Ln
Sydney

 

[StSomewhere]

P. Sherman
42 Wallaby Way
Sydney

:lol: