Switching back and forth between E7 & E8 tanks with same BC strap

[diverrex]

I dive a HP E7-100 tank with a Seaquest Balance BC. I keep thinking of adding the HP E8-130 tank for more air on deep dives or for Nitrox dives. But I'm not sure it makes sense to switch back and forth, constantly adjusting the BC strap. Does anyone else do this? Any solutions to using to those two tanks and not having a hassle with the strap adjustment? I can't see only diving the 130, for instance with a buddy only taking an 80 I may as well stick with my 100.

 

[deepstops]

I dive a HP E7-100 tank with a Seaquest Balance BC. I keep thinking of adding the HP E8-130 tank for more air on deep dives or for Nitrox dives. But I'm not sure it makes sense to switch back and forth, constantly adjusting the BC strap. Does anyone else do this? Any solutions to using to those two tanks and not having a hassle with the strap adjustment? I can't see only diving the 130, for instance with a buddy only taking an 80 I may as well stick with my 100.

It only takes me about 2 or 3 minutes to adjust both cam straps so it's not really a hassle.

 

[Kamchatka]

I feel your pain. On a slightly different tack; I hated turning the headlights of my car on to drive at night. Then I found a car that had "auto" headlights. (No pun intended.) I bought it and driving at night has been hassle-free ever since. Maybe you could go on boats that have DMs. They could adjust the straps for you.

 

[Wayward Son]

it's a minor annoyance. more so if the boat is in rough water, but the change is generally done quickly. still, if you don't want to mess with it you can get e7-120 tanks.

 

[diverrex]

I feel your pain. On a slightly different tack; I hated turning the headlights of my car on to drive at night. Then I found a car that had "auto" headlights. (No pun intended.) I bought it and driving at night has been hassle-free ever since. Maybe you could go on boats that have DMs. They could adjust the straps for you.

Not really the effort that concerned me, perhaps the word "hassle" was ill used in my original post. The way my strap weaves in and out of it's buckle I am more concerned about the "memory" of the strap bends and whether in moving it back and forth any of the "memory" creases in the strap would interfere with getting the strap positioned just right to maintain a tight tank. I guess I'm just over thinking this and it's no big deal, just wanted to hear from some others that do this to confirm it's no big deal.

 

[Wayward Son]

I use a Zeagle backplate. The bands on it use buckles with the strap threaded through, likely exactly the same as yours. I pull the strap out of the last slot in the buckle, use the buckle to cam it over & stretch the band. Get it good & tight, then thread it back through & clamp it down. Takes maybe 30 seconds to a minute for each band. I mostly try to use the same size tanks just to keep it simple, but when I have to mix it up I'm not bothered by it.

 

[jiml]

I switch between 8 inch and smaller tanks all the time. It's not a hassle at all provided the strap is threaded properly, but I have seen some divers use straps that weren't. Otherwise it's a quick adjustment. It would be a hassle (for me anyway) with the straps that Scubapro used to use on their BCs. I don't know if they still use that kind.

 

[The Kraken]

For me it's not even an annoyance.

All one has to do is to remove the tank strap band from the last slot in the cam buckle, loosen or close the strap, reposition the strap in the buckle and close it down. Takes a minute or so.

No big deal.

Do it all the time.

the K

 

[Charlie99]

Not really the effort that concerned me, perhaps the word "hassle" was ill used in my original post. The way my strap weaves in and out of it's buckle I am more concerned about the "memory" of the strap bends and whether in moving it back and forth any of the "memory" creases in the strap would interfere with getting the strap positioned just right to maintain a tight tank. I guess I'm just over thinking this and it's no big deal, just wanted to hear from some others that do this to confirm it's no big deal.

I have a Seaquest ProQD. Switching between 7.25" and 8" tanks is painless and reliable. 3/4" difference in diameter. You should be able to go from E7-100 and E8-130 easily.

My only problem is that I have a permanent kink at 7.25" and when going to a 6.9" tank (such as AL50 or AL72), it is close enough to the 7.25" kink that if I'm not careful the strap will slip back to the 7.25" position before I have cranked over the camlock. Only about 1/3" difference. I just check the setup closely and redo it if I'm not absolutely sure it is a firm grip.

 

[Hoosier]

Been there done that

Easy solution. Get Apollo Bio Tank Lock.