Josh the diver
Contributor
What tanks do people choose to sidemount in for cold freshwater drysuit diving? I personally use faber HP 100s. I'm wondering if I should switch to LP steels?
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
ONLY use LP tanks if you can get them cave filled. If you choose to dive LP tanks and you aren't getting cave fills, I am sorry but you're a dumba$$. There is truly no polite word for it.
IF you can get LP tanks cave filled *at least to the same pressure that the HP tanks would be filled to*, then LP tanks may make sense. I personally use Faber LP121's as my primary sidemount tank. They're enormous and heavy, but in the water they get quite floaty when they're empty and are very similar to an AL80. I am big enough to use them comfortably though.
Since you are diving FX100's I assume you're looking at LP85's since they're siblings. With the LP's, you'd be 3lbs lighter per tank that will have to be replaced with lead assuming you are neutrally weighted. The only advantage in the water is when you are handling the tanks in front if you where the more neutral they are, the easier they are to deal with. Unless you're doing serious wreck penetration or squeezy cave ****, I wouldn't bother looking at LP tanks.
where I fill my tanks the shop does not fill past 3000psi but I get free fills. I was looking at the LP 104s
doesn't fill anything past 3000psi? That's garbage. Why are you looking at 104's?