What SMB do you have?

[dkramer]

I used to fly with the Civil Air Patrol & have done my share of SAR missions. I reccomend using an orange smb as opposed to the yellow. Hunter orange is the only color which does not occur naturally in the wild & easier to spot.

 

[TSandM]

I think we have five or six different ones. I started with one which I think is made by Trident. It's fairly broad, and the inflator is only for oral inflation, and requires that you push on it with your teeth to get air in. It was a PITA in cold water.

After using my buddy's, I bought the Halcyon 3' bag. It has a nice inflator which will work with LP hoses as well as orally, and I could get air in it with cold lips. It has a standard dump valve as well. I liked it a lot.

Peter bought the Zeagle bag, but it's bigger and requires more air, and has one of those oral inflation valves you have to push on. I didn't like it.

I'm currently carrying Tobin's SMB. It's a 3' bag, with a tapered shape, and it's delightful how little air you have to put in it to have it full and visible on the surface. The inflator is oral, but you don't have to do anything fancy to it to get air in it, and it's big and round and easy to get cold lips around. The dump is a flexible slit in a round soft plastic window, and I'm still ambivalent about it, but it does work, and it certainly works well as an overpressure valve. At any rate, this is my current favorite.

 

[chris408]

Thanks all for the continued suggestions. Very much appreciated.

 

[taliesin58]

XS Scuba 2 meter SMB. It also doubles as a lift bag, self sealing, and has an over pressure relief valve. The only bad aspect is that it always manages to get some water in it, and, due to it's self-sealing, is a pain the rear get it dry.

As far as colour. I read some studies and tests that show that yellow is by far the easiest to spot and stands out the most. However, be sure to notify the boat that you use yellow, since, for many places, it is used for emergencies.

 

[fdog]

<snip>As far as colour. I read some studies and tests that show that yellow is by far the easiest to spot and stands out the most. However, be sure to notify the boat that you use yellow, since, for many places, it is used for emergencies.

It's purely anecdotal, but boat captains I've spoken with swear a yellow lift bag is more visible than a 6' orange SMB.

Absolutely agree with taliesin's point, make sure that you aren't communicating something with the color; I've seen that dive ops either don't make a distinction regarding color, or, if you shoot a yellow bag, be prepared for a splash followed by an offering of a oxygen bottle....

All the best, James

 

[D_B]

I have one from TDL, 5' long bright yellow. doubles as a lift bag ... http://tdl.divebiz.net/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=101476 was on sale at the time and I put my initials DB on it
... as been said, discuss your equipment/color with the crew

I figured out a way to mount it to my BC with 2 bungee's like the ones I've sometimes seen on a BP&W ...


Why did I go with yellow? ....
... A very good, if long, read on rescue trials conducted in real world conditions in the Scapa Flow ... How far can you see me? ... http://www.jeanelaine.co.uk/diveraids/intro.htm

Another very good read .. Surface Survival Primer ... http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html

 

[Spratman]

I have the same bags as D_B. They are excellent! They can hold a tech diver with the works on the surface. I'm sure many of the other SMB's are equally as good, but I'll stay with these....www.techdivinglimited.com

 

[nereas]

I have one from TDL, 5' long bright yellow. doubles as a lift bag ... http://tdl.divebiz.net/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=101476 was on sale at the time and I put my initials DB on it
... as been said, discuss your equipment/color with the crew

I figured out a way to mount it to my BC with 2 bungee's like the ones I've sometimes seen on a BP&W ...


Why did I go with yellow? ....
... A very good, if long, read on rescue trials conducted in real world conditions in the Scapa Flow ... How far can you see me? ... http://www.jeanelaine.co.uk/diveraids/intro.htm

Another very good read .. Surface Survival Primer ... http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html

I prefer not to have it double as a lift bag. Too big.

I keep my lift bag stuffed into my heavy duty goodie bag, and that on a caribiner clipped to my right hip D-ring, when and if the dive mission calls for a lift bag.

 

[nereas]

I think we have five or six different ones. I started with one which I think is made by Trident. It's fairly broad, and the inflator is only for oral inflation, and requires that you push on it with your teeth to get air in. It was a PITA in cold water.

After using my buddy's, I bought the Halcyon 3' bag. It has a nice inflator which will work with LP hoses as well as orally, and I could get air in it with cold lips. It has a standard dump valve as well. I liked it a lot.

Peter bought the Zeagle bag, but it's bigger and requires more air, and has one of those oral inflation valves you have to push on. I didn't like it.

I'm currently carrying Tobin's SMB. It's a 3' bag, with a tapered shape, and it's delightful how little air you have to put in it to have it full and visible on the surface. The inflator is oral, but you don't have to do anything fancy to it to get air in it, and it's big and round and easy to get cold lips around. The dump is a flexible slit in a round soft plastic window, and I'm still ambivalent about it, but it does work, and it certainly works well as an overpressure valve. At any rate, this is my current favorite.

Yes, exactly, this is why the smaller SMBs are perfect, since they use less air, are easier to handle, and don't clutter up a lot of space when not yet deployed.

 

[Hemlon]

I have an Akona SMB like the one below.