Multiple Stage Bottle Positioning for Cave

[WhiteSands]

When carrying 2 bottom stage bottles for a cave dive, do you breathe down:

1. the stage bottle furthest away from you first, or
2. the stage bottle nearest to you?

I can think of pros/cons for each.

#1: Pros
If you breathe down the one closer first, the heavier outer stage will press down on the lighter inner one forcing it to keep in trim.

Maintains continuity with tech dives, where stages cannot be dropped and this order is what is used in T2 dives.

#1: Cons
As the stage is on the inside, it's harder to unclip for the stage drop. Hose storage will also be harder I guess (have not tried it).

Stage verification will be done on the surface before descent, so I guess stage switching (harder to see the sticker) isn't that big a problem.

#2: Pros
Much easier to unclip to drop on the line, and to restow the regulator hoses since it's on the outside.

#2: Cons
Breaks continuity/muscle memory with T2 level dives.

Which do you prefer & practice, and why?

 

[PfcAJ]

In an ideal world whatever is lighter is on the inside.

In the real world I don't care and it doesn't matter. Sometimes I breath the inside one, sometimes the outside one.

 

[johnkendall]

Where possible I try to only have one up front. However if I have to have two upfront, then I breath whichever one I need to
I generally think more about the order that I am going to be dropping or picking up bottles (as its easier to drop/pickup to the inside position) rather than the order that I might breath them.

 

[rjack321]

I almost always use the outside one first as I am able to stow the reg much quicker with dry gloves when the light one isn't smashing into the heavier top one. Barehanded the reverse is sorta slicker but I'm a bit of a CF with two stages up front regardless.

 

[RTodd]

Assuming no mix, so heavy when full, second bottle is nose clipped when scootering and both are chest clipped when swimming. If both are chest clipped, breath the outside bottle because in a cave unless some complex circuit are are going to drop it at your 1/2 + whatever mark (or move it to a nose clipped position in the rare case you aren't dropping) once it is breathed down. Plus as you breathe it it will lighten up a bit and rise more comfortably off the full bottle.