Using a Bum Bag/Fanny Pack for SMB?

[PugHugger]

Come on, get ingenious! Google “ scuba pocket” and pick something....

Lol - at risk of pointing out what might be obvious it was that course of action that led me to the bumbag!

 

[mnscuber]

I did something similar on my last warm water trip... attached this to my back plate with two quick links. It worked fine and I could deploy the smb fine. It is a minor nuisance when setting up on the boat because it lies down about were you're going to sit. Now I just clip it to a hole in the back plate.
Mesh Carry Pouch

 

[CuzzA]

Just have your husband just hold your smb for you. Bam! Problem solved.

 

[Diver0001]

Morning/Afternoon/Evening to wherever you are in the world!

I am a recreational diver. I like to stick to tropical water and flat out refuse to dive in anything less than 23C/74F with a strong preference for 28C/83F and above! I have a ScubaPro LadyHawk and on our last trip my SMB was annoying me a bit being clipped on my BCD.

I saw on ASOS of all places that there are neoprene bum bags/fanny packs that are apparently fashionable at the moment... what I was thinking was to buy one of these to place my SMB in (and possibly a couple of other smaller items as I accrue things).

Is this a completely silly idea (apart from fashion wise... I expect the husband to laugh me out of the ocean)? I really like my BCD and have no intention of changing it given it has less than 50 dives on it but would like a better solution for storing my SMB... In Australia we are a bit more limited with what brands and items we can access at our LDS...

Any thoughts or views would be welcome and thank you all

Actually that strikes me as being a pretty clever idea.

R..

 

[Diving Dubai]

@PugHugger, I'm not familiar with the ladyhawk, so my comments are based on googling some images..

Option 1, would be to buy some neoprene dive shorts with pockets and chcu the SMB and reel in there. I have a pair, I'm not a fan of using pockets on my thigh but in summer water temps pf 30 - 38C they can be a necessary evil.

Option 2, it appears that it might be possible to stow the SMD on the side of your BCD (assuming the small D-rings below the weight pockets are some you version and the you don't just want to clip it to those side D-rings.

My (hypothetical method for this would be to have a large loop of bungee attached to this D-ring. Wrap it around the weight pocket (up the inside, down the outside) and with a bolt snap on teh loos end, clp back to the d-ring. this should hold the SMB (which I'd also clip to the Dring for safe keeping)

As for Bum bags. I'm disturbed that you say they're coming back into fashion. I have photographic evidence of my shame, wearing one the first time they were out - never again

 

[johndiver999]

If you are not wearing a weightbelt, then you could add a utility belt which would be a weightbelt with no weights and a few pockets which are already available on the market.

 

[maj2]

I dive a Scubapro Knightwawk, so it should be similar to tour setup.
At the bottom of the plastic backplate in the BCD are several holes.
I tied a loop of bungee through one of the holes in the backplate, and simply clip my SMB to the loop. End result has my SMB clipped off my right buttock and easy to reach.

 

[Storker]

I dive a Scubapro Knightwawk, so it should be similar to tour setup.
At the bottom of the plastic backplate in the BCD are several holes.
I tied a loop of bungee through one of the holes in the backplate, and simply clip my SMB to the loop. End result has my SMB clipped off my right buttock and easy to reach.

Just a tip: it can happen that the spool starts unravelling, without you (general "you") noticing it before you've got a few 10s of meters of line trailing you. I prefer to put the dSMB/spool assembly in my DS pocket or clip it off to one of my shoulder D-rings. There's virtually no risk of the line unravelling in my pocket, and if it hangs on a shoulder D-ring I think I have a chance to discover it earlier. I thoroughly dislike loose line and believe that any piece of loose line has a mind of its own and an unstoppable urge to entangle me.

If you (general "you") prefer to butt-mount a dSMB/spool assembly, it might be an idea to wait with clipping it in place until you're in the water. That way you don't have to worry that much about the splash loosening the assembly without you noticing it.

If you (general "you") carry the dSMB and the spool/reel disassembled this may be less of a concern.

 

[PugHugger]

Actually that strikes me as being a pretty clever idea.

R..

Why shucks - who would have thought the return of bum bags would be something that could ever be lumped in as clever!

@PugHugger, I'm not familiar with the ladyhawk, so my comments are based on googling some images..

Option 1, would be to buy some neoprene dive shorts with pockets and chcu the SMB and reel in there. I have a pair, I'm not a fan of using pockets on my thigh but in summer water temps pf 30 - 38C they can be a necessary evil.

Option 2, it appears that it might be possible to stow the SMD on the side of your BCD (assuming the small D-rings below the weight pockets are some you version and the you don't just want to clip it to those side D-rings.

My (hypothetical method for this would be to have a large loop of bungee attached to this D-ring. Wrap it around the weight pocket (up the inside, down the outside) and with a bolt snap on teh loos end, clp back to the d-ring. this should hold the SMB (which I'd also clip to the Dring for safe keeping)

As for Bum bags. I'm disturbed that you say they're coming back into fashion. I have photographic evidence of my shame, wearing one the first time they were out - never again

Thanks - I did look at the shorts with pockets but I dive in some pretty spectacular mermaid leggings and bright pink fins so I'd hate to mess up my stunning underwater look Seriously though - I have put them on he possible solution list - but I love my leggings so much!

Just have your husband just hold your smb for you. Bam! Problem solved.

Tee hee - if I'm going to be perfectly honest he does deploy his SMB most of the time. In fact to be perfectly honest I've only ever deployed mine when I have to show I can on a check dive! I need to carry my own though - firstly it's required in both Australia and the Maldives and even if it wasn't I'd carry it!

If you are not wearing a weightbelt, then you could add a utility belt which would be a weightbelt with no weights and a few pockets which are already available on the market.

Yes I did see these and was initially going to get one - it was seeing these that made me think of the extra room a bum bag has. My spool and SMB are not small and given the small Australia market the utility belts available are limited. The ones I saw online which I did some brief measurements on looked like they'd not hold my spool/SMB easy.

Just a tip: it can happen that the spool starts unravelling, without you (general "you") noticing it before you've got a few 10s of meters of line trailing you...

This in fact did happen to me on a dive. Luckily the boat boys were able to help me put it together afterwards and as mentioned Mr PH tends to do our deploying but I confess I like the idea of the spool being more contained as the loose line was annoying and of course potentially dangerous to me or the reef.

 

[JohnnyC]

Neoprene pocket shorts are the best. If you don't want to cover your leggings, you can buy the small pockets and sew/glue them on yourself. You could get one and it would minimize the amount of fashion statement that you would have to cover.

Shorts beat anything dangling every day of the week.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Scuba-Diving...8&qid=1540425179&sr=8-8&keywords=scuba+pocket

Sewing to stretch fabrics like leggings can be a pain, but a small pocket is one of the most useful things around.