Mares Air Lock

[Albion]

So am I, and I don't bother with a slinged pony.

Slung slung slung, or i will be slinging people up

The argument about how do you know if the pony is still full and that is hasn't leaked is a bit poor, how do you know if manifolded doubles are leaking, cos you can hear them. Agree full doubles are better, but i dont see the issue with IGO's setup, its certainly safer than most people use.

The airlock does seem a bit tartish, but it is a problem for some people, and pre soaking and stretching cam bands to make sure they dont slip is all well and good but why cant we have something which you just fit and your tanks doesnt slip

 

[RichLockyer]

The argument about how do you know if the pony is still full and that is hasn't leaked is a bit poor, how do you know if manifolded doubles are leaking, cos you can hear them.

They are both hooked to the same SPG. Assuming that you are familiar with your consumption rate (and you should be if you are doing the type of dive that requires this level of redundancy), then even if your buddy DOESN'T tell you about the bubbles, you will be aware of the decrease in gas supply.
If the pony leaks and your buddy doesn't notice, you're screwed.
If it leaks and he DOES notice, how much gas have you lost? You don't know. You have to now assume that it is empty, and continue (or abort) the dive as appropriate. If it is so unimportant that you decide to continue the dive, then why did you have it in the first place if you didn't need it to continue the dive?

Agree full doubles are better, but i dont see the issue with IGO's setup, its certainly safer than most people use.

Again... how safe is "safe enough", and at what cost? When diving with a buddy, "safe enough" certainly does not require the pony.
It could be argued that the use of the pony increases air consumption.

pre soaking and stretching cam bands to make sure they dont slip is all well and good but why cant we have something which you just fit and your tanks doesnt slip

I've never done the pre-soak/stretch, even after making my own bands, and have not lost a tank since my OW checkout dive. I used a BC with a single band for the first year and then switched to a backplate with dual bands. We do have something that has always worked fine for 99% of us. There's no reason that it won't work for 100%.

 

[igoRluse]

There's no reason that it won't work for 100%.

That's a nice thing to believe, but reality is that it doesn't. I am 6.4ft, weigh 115kg and have played defense in ice hockey since I was 15 so strength certainly isn't the problem. I wet my strap and use the rocking technique to tighten. And once in a while (1 dive out of 5 maybe) while I'm scrambling back up the beach, my tank slips out. So if someone proposes a solution to my problem without adding any weak points to my kit, I'd be stupid not to use it. It may be expensive, but if it works for me, it'll certainly be one of the best investments I have made towards my gear.

Now someone mentionned it may be a good idea to try retightening my strap after 10 mins, and this is a very good suggestion. Problem is it my not always be possible.

 

[mempilot]

Regular camstraps work fine for 99.999% of the divers out there.

Scubaroo,

I checked the data myself and found your statistic to be off just a little. Actually, regular camstraps work fine for 99.9999% of the divers out there.




Now if I could just find an 'air system' to tighten my drysuit neckseal!

 

[mempilot]

I don't think that it a matter of strength it’s more a matter of technique.

The problem is worse on new straps as they are not “stretched” yet.

First, get the strap wet.

Secondly, tighten it with a rocking motion on the cam to pull it tight. This is hard to describe but easy to demonstrate.

Third, after it has sat for a while, say 10-15 minutes and the strap has stretched, retighten it. The third step is the one most often missed; but if you think about it for a minute it makes sense.

I’ve never seen the tank slip on a diver that has followed these three simple steps.

As to the pony, stages sling it.

Mike

After reading all of the posts, getting a good laugh, and then scratching the chin a little,

Mike's tips are the best post I've seen in this thread. Most tanks come lose from their band/bands due to improper technique. Getting the bands wet is essential. Retightening the cams after stretch is essential. Especially after the rig is moved to the second tank. If you don't adjust the band in the buckle, you run the risk of losing the tank.

As for single vs. double straps, I've dove both. A properly mounted tank (see above technique) will not come out of either. The single works fine for lighter or shorter tanks such as HP 80's. The double strap is nice for longer or positively bouyant close to empty tanks. The doubles will keep a light tank from floating up at the base putting torsion on the strap and loosening it further.

Check your buddies equip and have him do the same before you enter the water. Remember Diving 101? You can alleviate this problem from a good equip check pre-dive. If you dive solo, do a thorough check and think about double camstraps.

Don't use toys to overcome poor technique. Proper adjustment and mounting solve this issue without the use of a gadget.

My two cents and if you beat me up, I'll ask for change!

 

[mempilot]

I wet my strap and use the rocking technique to tighten. And once in a while (1 dive out of 5 maybe) while I'm scrambling back up the beach, my tank slips out.

How old is your camstrap? Make sure it is threaded properly. I assume your not spraying anything on it postdive. You want the friction high. Some manuf.'s cams are better than others. Try a SS cam if you haven't already. If the strap is old, replace it. Old bands with all the stretch gone don't secure as well. A little stretch, once wet, is good for getting a good cinch.

In the end, do what your comfortable with. If you are doing mostly shallow dives, dealing with a loose tank is easy and good practice. Remember, we all had to take off our BC's underwater during our OW cert. If your doing deeper dives, I'd not recommend any added gadgetry. Instead, try to figure out what is really causing the loosening of the strap and find a simple solution that doesn't require more gear.

 

[Tygh]

For me, the simpler the better. A camstrap is simple.

 

[igoRluse]

Well, I've got myself an airlock and had a dive with it this weekend. Here are my observations.

Quality seems to be what you can expect from Mares. Nothing to say from this point of view, it is heavy, sturdy, and has that unbreakabke feel to it (if you see what I mean).

Installation on my BCD was very simple as it is just like threading any old strap.

Use is extremely simple. You simply slip the preadjusted strap over the tank, install your regs, connect the low pressure hose to the airlock, pull a small ring on the airlock and that's it. Your tank is tighter then ever with no effort whatsoever. You can then disconnect the low pressure hose and put it on your inflator. The airlock uses the air pressure to tighten the strap, but the strap is then held tight by a simple ratchet system.

I said in an earlier post that if something was to go wrong with the airlock that I would simply use it as a standard cam strap until I can get it fixed, but I was wrong here. I had assumed by something I read about it that the strap was a standard cam strap with an extra airlock, but it isn't. If the airlock was to malfunction, your dive is over. There is no way you could tighten the strap enough by hand. If you're on an island and can't get the airlock fixed, well you could just go back to a standard cam strap (or have a spare strap in your kit with your spare mask strap, fin strap and o-rings).

I have only done 1 dive so far, so I can't say if it has solved my tank slipping problem yet, but I am quite confident as the strap is pulled extremely tight. I really like the fact that there is no more effort involved in strapping up your tank as this is never something I enjoyed. On boat dives it will be handy too for switching tanks. Strapping up the second tank on the boat's bench while the crowded boat is rolling in the waves isn't much fun. With the airlock it won't even be necessary to take the second tank out of the tank holder.

In conclusion I think the airlock is expensive but handy, just like an wireless air integrated computer that doesn't work any better than an equivalent console but adds to the diver's comfort. I don't think it is adding any failure points to my kit as it seems to be a well deisgned and built piece of gear. I'd say if the price isn't an issue for you and you strapping up your tank is a PITA, then it's worth it.

 

[Tygh]

Tak a look at Apollo's new Bio-Tank lock. Seems to be a logical improvement on the cam strap.

 

[Boogie711]

If the airlock was to malfunction, your dive is over.

But then, you say:

I don't think it is adding any failure points to my kit as it seems to be a well deisgned and built piece of gear.

So - I guess you're unclear as to the concept of a failure point? In any event, I still maintain the airlock is highly unnecessary, and a solution to a non-existent problem.