Tiny Doubles...

[chrpai]

Actually I'd say his writing style is half promoting the concept and half recognizing it's not for everyone. I'm just pointing out it's not for most people, IMO.

That said, sure, I'd dive a set if I had access to them. I won't deny some of their valuable attributes. There is a lot of toys I wish I had access to that I don't due to that last factor: $$$.

 

[thez_yo]

Oh, that's what I'm doing! I have a back injury and am not allowed to lift/carry more than 20lbs, so sidemount small doubles makes it so I can dive at all. There's a shop near me which has 40's in its rental fleet, so I just pay them a small amount of cash to go pick up 40s whenever I need to go shore diving (on the boats I just have them drop an 80 into the water for me). The extra redundancy is an excellent side-effect of my need to cut down on the weight I'm carrying.

 

[Rich Keller]

I had a set of triple 30s that I broke down to make doubles out of and they work great. I mainly use them for shore diving surf entries where the low profile is a huge advantage. The diameter of the tanks is only 4.87" and rest against my back with a DIY harness I made for them. They also trim out very well and are reasonably light weight. I am now looking at attaching them to a back plate so the plate can also act as the bands without increasing the profile much more then it is right now.

 

[scubameg]

Yeah, Megan loves her tiny doubles... So do I. They're great.

If you're going to be in Pompano, you can ask us to lend you a set (we - the collective we - have 5 sets) to see for yourself (if you want)

I second that! Let's all go diving!

 

[Paladin]

I have a set of baby doubles that I like to dive with. I have them connected by a traditional center post manifold. They look classy with my double hose regulator!

 

[Tossil]

I have a set of baby doubles that I like to dive with. I have them connected by a traditional center post manifold. They look classy with my double hose regulator!

Love your VDD's (Vintage Double Hose)!

When I was around 5 years old I asked my grandfather "Where there cars when you were my age?". My grandfather, who was born in 1913, said "Yes, there were cars when I was your age". I quickly replied "Wow, those must have been some OOOOLD cars!". He kind of snickered and said "Well... they were new at the time." I miss my grandfather =(

Ok... back on topic... Unfortunately I only have experience with back mounted HP130's and HP120's so I can't comment on how smaller back mounted doubles would feel but I can tell you that the most comfortable diving configuration I've ever dove with was with a pair of side mounted AL40's in Bonaire.

Disclosure: I'm referring to my experiences only and I'm to saying you or anyone else should go out and buy a set of AL40's or to switch to side mount diving... or am I? Muhahahhahha!

 

[Akimbo]

I prefer them. May fav are AGA 324s but they don't have isolation. For isolation I use dual Faber LP-45s. Both are worn valve-down.

 

[fdarden]

I guess I should throw mine in on the pile too! These are Faber 50cf tanks, with bands that I bought from Northeast Scuba Supply. OMS used to make bands for this size cylinder, but it seems that they have discontinued them. John was the one who first showed these to me. I have converted exclusively to this tank style for non-technical diving. I love these tanks! Great profile in the water, and I only have one set of gear to deal with on the boat now, since everything I dive is now doubles! They also stack nicely in a vehicle, dont roll around, and are a little less cumbersome to deal with than a large single steel cylinder. If you notice, the spacing on the bands make these accept any standard manifold. They also work very well with a doubles wing because of this.

 

[Boiler_81]

What is the diameter of the Faber 50s?

I guess I should throw mine in on the pile too! These are Faber 50cf tanks, with bands that I bought from Northeast Scuba Supply. OMS used to make bands for this size cylinder, but it seems that they have discontinued them. John was the one who first showed these to me. I have converted exclusively to this tank style for non-technical diving. I love these tanks! Great profile in the water, and I only have one set of gear to deal with on the boat now, since everything I dive is now doubles! They also stack nicely in a vehicle, dont roll around, and are a little less cumbersome to deal with than a large single steel cylinder. If you notice, the spacing on the bands make these accept any standard manifold. They also work very well with a doubles wing because of this.

 

[fdarden]

What is the diameter of the Faber 50s?

They are 5.5 inches in diameter.