recommendations on securing equipment

[tinesthai]

I have some questions on better ways to secure my equipment.

I currently have an atmos XT BC.
I have some scissors and a whistle in the pocket, and a knife secured to the BC itself.
Everything else like light, goody bag, sausage, reel, etc. are all attached to D rings with brass clips.

I am hating this...it is a pain dealing with all this dangly stuff on the boat, and I have to be super careful swimming horizontal to insure I am not dragging everything.

I was leaning towards alice clips, but I am worried about having gear slipping off eventually.

I am not too sure about Xshorts either...I can't see how a loaded down pair wouldn't slide off at depth.

Do you guys have any tricks you use to keep gear tight on your person?

p.s....I am a big fan of zip ties


thanks!

 

[devolution365]

I don't mean to hijack, but I'd be interesting in hearing about this as well. I'll be doing my first ocean dive in January and plan to bring along:

• an SMB
• wetnotes
• small flashlight
• whistle
• camera

The challenge is that I'll be renting all my gear, so I have no idea what I'll have for pockets or D-rings or whatever...

Any specific ideas about carrying a camera? -I'd like a way to clip my camera to my BCD or something since it's use will be secondary to trying not to flail around like a total n00b. (I've actually got my buoyancy down quite well in the quarry, but w/ rental equipment in the ocean I suspect it'll take a little while to feel comfortable.)

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[MikeFerrara]

Most bc's place drings in what I call disconnected places for lack of a better term. For instance, I clip backup lights to a shoulder dring. However, I don't let the other end dangle. The other end (the end with the bulb) is under a piece of bungie or rubber and lays flat along the shoulder strap. To deploy I pull on the bulb end which slides the bungie up and I turn on the light before unclipping from the dring...if I even need to unclip it. turning it on first helps insure that,you can see it if you drop it. The problem with the drings on bc's is there's no shoulder strap for the light to lay against. there's usually a quick release or something in the way.

Wet notes, I put in a pocket on my thight and that's a good place for a wistle too.

for a primary light, I use a canister light and the canister mounts on my right side on the belt. Most bc's dount leave you anyplace to mount one like that though.

Some divers put SMB's in a pocket but I have mine bungied to the bottom of my plate in the small of my back. The spool lives in...you guessed it...in a thigh pocket.

The bc manufacturers just don't seem to get the dring thing. They put them in the strangest places and not even the manufacturers have been able to explain why when I've asked. They put them where you either dangle things or you just don't use them.

Brass clips...
We used to use them. My wife was getting cuts in the thumb of her EXPENSIVE dry suit gloves and we couldn't figure out how. One day I went to oporate a brass clip bare handed in the shop and sliced my thumb wide open on the sharp edges of the slot where the latch is. I took a stone to it to dull those edges and a while later cut myself again. Those soft brass clips will sharpen themselves and bite you.

 

[J75]

I try to minimize the danglies as mush as I can. I also don't like to have a lot of stuff in my pockets and have to worry about them when I unzip them underwater. I used zip ties to secure my shears, singaling mirror and whistle to my BC. I used grommets to attach my knife to my BC. My slate is attached to a D-ring on my BC with a brass fastner and tucked into a pocket, this way it can't fall out when I open the pocket. I usually attach lights to my tank bands. So far it's prevented me from getting tangled in anything, but keeps my gear within easy reach.

 

[Ishie]

I don't actually have pockets yet, which is a pain if I forget to take the lens cap off my camera.

For my camera, I use the sold lanyards where you have a clip and then the telephone cord like extension. Since I'm usually doing photography, I tend to further reduce the danglies by holding onto the camera as well, since that adds protection.

My BC has a crotch strap and a scooter ring. If you can add that to your BC, the scooter ring makes a very nice place to clip gauges, reducing danglies, and enabling you to check your air and depth by simply looking down (though it's not in the "triangle of life".

I use the velcro octo holder since the ball proved useless, and I run the hoses for both gauge and octo UNDER my arms rather than over. They have the same access, but further minimizes my trim. My backup light (which I almost always carry) is on a retractor and doesn't really dangle.

Except the goody bag, how badly does the other stuff dangle? It seems like the rest of the things you mentioned would barely hang down at all? Do you bring your goody back on every dive?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I try to minimize the danglies as mush as I can. I also don't like to have a lot of stuff in my pockets and have to worry about them when I unzip them underwater. I used zip ties to secure my shears, singaling mirror and whistle to my BC. I used grommets to attach my knife to my BC. My slate is attached to a D-ring on my BC with a brass fastner and tucked into a pocket, this way it can't fall out when I open the pocket. I usually attach lights to my tank bands. So far it's prevented me from getting tangled in anything, but keeps my gear within easy reach.

Careful of the zip ties they break pretty easily especially if they get twisted.

To keep things in a pocket from falling when I open the pocket a put a loop inside the pocket and clip individual items to the loop so it's like a key ring. Open the pocket, pull out the ring and unclip the item you want. Then you don't have to worry about droping things when you're working by feel. I don't know about bc pockets but some aftermarket dry suit pockets come already set up this way.

 

[partridge]

My whistle is on one of the many clips on the right waist area. I can unclip it if needed. This way it does not need a long line to reach my mouth. I may loose it because of this but that is a trade off I am willing to live with. The octo is on this tri glide also. The hose is also secured to my rear right D ring with a clip. I cut this clip off at the base and zip tied it on the ring as the clips you buy are too long and still flap around.

My gloves go in my right pocket. I dont put them on unless the current really rips and I need to hold on. My SMB goes in behind my right weight pocket. Nice and out of the way. My folding knife goes in the front waist pocket and the shears in a DIY sheath go where the factory grommets are, right on top of the knife.

My SPG is on a shorter than normal hose and goes through me left weight pocket. This way it does not dangle and is really close to my body.

My camera is clipped onto my left shoulder ring with a line adn the camera goes into my left fold-out pocket. Out of the way until I want it.

One of the greatest joys of owning your own BC is customizing it. Same with cars and bikes I guess. I have a Black Diamond now and I am very happy with how everything fits. One of the problems with this is it is very difficult to change BC because you have to start from sctratch again.

I have a Scout that I have not used extensively because of this very reason.

 

[tinesthai]

I don't actually have pockets yet, which is a pain if I forget to take the lens cap off my camera.

For my camera, I use the sold lanyards where you have a clip and then the telephone cord like extension. Since I'm usually doing photography, I tend to further reduce the danglies by holding onto the camera as well, since that adds protection.

My BC has a crotch strap and a scooter ring. If you can add that to your BC, the scooter ring makes a very nice place to clip gauges, reducing danglies, and enabling you to check your air and depth by simply looking down (though it's not in the "triangle of life".

I use the velcro octo holder since the ball proved useless, and I run the hoses for both gauge and octo UNDER my arms rather than over. They have the same access, but further minimizes my trim. My backup light (which I almost always carry) is on a retractor and doesn't really dangle.

Except the goody bag, how badly does the other stuff dangle? It seems like the rest of the things you mentioned would barely hang down at all? Do you bring your goody back on every dive?

It feels like it dangles The goody bags don't always go with me, and I can live with them. The light and sausage are brass clipped to the bottom of the BC. In the water I don't think it drags, but it sure clanks around everywhere else. The computer is on a retractable clip, and sits perfectly, so there is no issue there.

As I said before, I have an Atmos XT with that one dinky pocket. It has barely enough room for a sausage, but If I do that, I lose the place for my scissors. Hopefully increased gym time will free up some space in the weight pockets...hehe

I would love to customize the BC, but I am a coward I am fearful of goofing and putting a hole where I shouldn't. If I could, I would put elastic/bungie loops somewhere to hold sausages and SMBs..

thanks to everyone for your layouts...It gives me new ideas to ponder.

as for zip ties, I always tighten them, and I always double up....if it takes 1, I use 2...if it takes 2, I use 4