Safety Sausage

[NJMike]

Another thought here, applying what I think is a DIR idea: the cheaper the piece of equipment, the more likely you are to let it go rather than do something stupid because you don't want to lose an expensive item. Not that any of these are expensive, but I'd give up a 10' (as long as I didn't need it) long before a $40 one.

Can you give us the info on your 10' tube (the taller the better) that rolls up small (the smaller the better) and fits into a BC pocket? Make and model? Where did you get it? Thanks.

 

[Rev. Blade]

Another thought here, applying what I think is a DIR idea: the cheaper the piece of equipment, the more likely you are to let it go rather than do something stupid because you don't want to lose an expensive item. Not that any of these are expensive, but I'd give up a 10' (as long as I didn't need it) long before a $40 one.

Can you give us the info on your 10' tube (the taller the better) that rolls up small (the smaller the better) and fits into a BC pocket? Make and model? Where did you get it? Thanks.

The plastic of this tube is really thin... like a plastic bag. It you don't let this go to the surface long before it's full, it will tear itself apart. Although it might hold enough air to be a 75 pound lift, it would burst if you tried to use it as anything other than a surface marker.

Disclaimer aside, I like mine. http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQUS...l&AdvSrchSortField=Relevance&SortDesc=0&Hit=1 I happened to buy mine at the LDS when gearing up for my first dives after OW class, but as you can see in my link, they're available online. Most people look at my tube, and say it not worth one fourth the price of the other tubes. They say they wouldn't carry a piece of trash gear. I've used it though, and there's no denying that it's bigger than most, and smaller when closed. ...but it's only small when folded because the material it's made of, is so flimsy!

 

[Scott T]

I just bought one of these from Leisure Pro. And then, I was in the local Sport Chalet and saw the same one for $7.45 and that is without the $11+ I had to spend in shipping. Oh, well, I'll pick one up for a spare.

And Rev. Blade you are right on on this one. I did some weighting experiments in my pool this weekend and practiced getting the thing out of my oh-too-small pocket and getting it deployed and the simplicity is great. Thanks for the heads up.

Scott T

 

[BKP]

I just bought one of these from Leisure Pro. And then, I was in the local Sport Chalet and saw the same one for $7.45 and that is without the $11+ I had to spend in shipping. Oh, well, I'll pick one up for a spare.

And Rev. Blade you are right on on this one. I did some weighting experiments in my pool this weekend and practiced getting the thing out of my oh-too-small pocket and getting it deployed and the simplicity is great. Thanks for the heads up.

Scott T

Scott, you might want to try something a little more substantial, if you're betting on it's dependability to get you picked up on a long drift dive...

 

[Scott T]

Scott, you might want to try something a little more substantial, if you're betting on it's dependability to get you picked up on a long drift dive...

Why do you suggest that? I looked at different options and this looked like a simple, no-nonsense fix. It's huge (about 6ft long by 5" in diameter), it is super easy to inflate, I did it with my octo, then did it manually (about 10 big breaths) and nothing to fail. It is also compact, which works with my NightHawk, which is limited on pockets and you can't beat the price.
I'm not trying to argue, being a newbie I would definitely welcome more information, but aside from other Sausages having the ability to hold air even if the bottom is out of the water, having whistles, having handles or different colors, I really don't see that much difference in the things.

Scott T

 

[BKP]

Why do you suggest that? I looked at different options and this looked like a simple, no-nonsense fix. It's huge (about 6ft long by 5" in diameter), it is super easy to inflate, I did it with my octo, then did it manually (about 10 big breaths) and nothing to fail. It is also compact, which works with my NightHawk, which is limited on pockets and you can't beat the price.
I'm not trying to argue, being a newbie I would definitely welcome more information, but aside from other Sausages having the ability to hold air even if the bottom is out of the water, having whistles, having handles or different colors, I really don't see that much difference in the things.

Scott T

Fair question.

The sausage you've referenced is < $10 for a reason. It folds up nice and compact because the material is a thin flimsy vinyl (as Rev Blade mentioned). It doesn't appear to have a one way flapper valve on the bottom, or an exhaust port, so if the bottom comes out of the water, it deflates.

If you're doing your 15 ft. hang on a drift dive, you can't deploy it to the surface without babysitting it, since it'll flop over if the bottom breaks the surface. So, the boat doesn't know where you are, until you're actually at the surface (unless you have exceptionally calm conditions for them to spot your bubbles, and it's not a night dive).

It certainly won't double as a lift bag, given its feature set. However, if that's not important to you, than this point is irrelevant.

If you're OOA at the surface, blowing into an open ended tube, like a fat balloon, doesn't seem as efficient as an SMB with both regulator fill, and an oral fill tube.

I know it's much more expensive, however, my choice was this (lower price at LP):
http://www.carterbag.com/personalfloat.html

It's a 400 denier material, so I know it's not going to come apart.
It has both oral tube fill, and reg fill, with a one way valve at the bottom, so the air can't release on it's own, even if it falls over.
It has a vent port, so you can't overexpand, if you deploy from a safety stop.
It can double as a lift bag.
It comes in multiple sizes/lengths/capacities.
It's folds up larger than yours, however, it's easily shock corded to the bottom or back of your BC - BP/W, where it doesn't take up a pocket.

Perhaps it's overkill. However, one of my *only* fears in diving, is not being spotted/picked up by the dive op, because my piece of s%$t balloon/SMB crapped out for one of a multitude of reasons... (If you don't think a dive op would ever split without you, talk to Don Janni, on this board).

Good luck with whatever you choose...