Where do you store your gear?

[Going The Distance]

Its always been stowed in the boat. Never had a problem, 15 years of it being in the boat bathroom and I finally had to toss the bc for a small leak in the bladder.. As long a you clean everything and dry it well it should be ok.

 

[Bratface]

After seeing Grateful Diver's gear storage twice, I'll have to say, I'm pretty jealous.

 

[ClayJar]

Ok, why would you keep the latex and neoprene away from furnaces and hot water heaters? thanks....

Furnaces and water heaters (basically, anything with a flame) as well as electric motors (basically, anything with a spark) and copy machines and laser printers (basically, anything with coronal discharge) all produce ozone. Ozone is highly reactive and will oxidize the neoprene and latex (basically, think of it as *very* strong, but rather dilute, bleach).

The higher the concentration of ozone, the more rapid the deterioration of the neoprene and latex (and other things, as well, but those are the most obviously affected materials). Storing the gear away from any sources of ozone means you have the least exposure, which means the gear will last as long as possible.

(If you have a membrane nitrox system, I guess you could use the relatively oxygen-depleted "waste" side to provide a storage atmosphere with reduced oxygen concentration, or you could simply store your gear in a pure nitrogen atmosphere, as the lower oxygen concentrations would keep your neoprene and latex in pristine condition even longer, but that's probably going just a bit overboard. :biggrin

 

[ianw2]

So rapid changes in temperature and humidty are bad for Scuba gear?

Dang...Southern California diving in summer is out then, I guess. Jumping from the deck of a boat at +95ºF and humidty in the low 20% into water that is about 65ºF-ish and, well, HIGH humidty must really wreck havoc on the gear.

I agree with Clay...

...(Don't store your gear around) anything with a flame...(or) anything with a spark...(or)anything with coronal discharge...(because they) all produce ozone. Ozone is highly reactive and will oxidize the neoprene and latex (basically, think of it as *very* strong, but rather dilute, bleach).means you have the least exposure, which means the gear will last as long as possible.

Ian

 

[b1draper]

I keep all my stuff in this with the exception of my wetsuits (in a hall closet) weight belt and tanks in my garage.

Real Deep See Excursion Roller Backpack reviews in Gear Bags - Buzzillions.com

 

[SlowRain]

All of my stuff is indoors. I live in Georgia and during the summer the humidity is through the roof on many days, and then in winter it can get very cold (as it did this winter some days) so I don't put it in the garage (not climate controlled). Wet suits and dry suit are upstairs in an open closet not exposed to sunlight and away from any sort of "ozone producer". BC and BPW hang in the same place. Booties, gloves, etc are in a soft travel bag on the closet shelf. The rest of the gear I keep in travel bags. Tanks are kept upstairs as well.

 

[TravisD]

During the diving season, our gear has been living in the garage. North side of the house, with a gable and ridge vent so it never gets too hot in there. I put up a hanging bar for suits.

For the winter, I took a surplus 4-shelf "baker's rack" and zip-tied a piece of wooden clothes-rod to the top -- suits hang from either end, enough space for 3 hangers worth so one of the boot/glove/hood hangers plus two suit hangers on each end. The racks are where everything else goes, including the rubbermaid bins we use to transport things locally. The bins also work great to catch runoff water from the suits when hanging then up after washing. The rack currently lives in the (finished) basement.