View Full Version : Chris's Kit Stage 2
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/chrisareid/st%20abbs/IMG00084.jpg
Not a great shot (I am the one in the red and black), but you can see main (silver) DV over right shoulder, Octopus (yellow) under my right arm and my Pony (black) DV on right side attached to necklace.
I put all three on the right as I always know where to go for my air then, no matter which one I am going for!
You can see a Pressure gauge attached to my right side, that was for the pony, but I replaced this with a button not long after this photo was taken
Quick Gord , get back at him with the 'mask' jibe :O)
Lizardland
02-06-08, 14:21
As the original idea was to get at the thinking behind each set up, I'll play devil's advocate with a couple of questions...
Why three second stages?
Both you and your buddy are wearing computers or bottom timers, why carry a big console with a depth gauge?
Don't worry, I'm going to Gord's pic now to nit-pick :D
Lizardland, thanks for the critique, here is my response:
Point 1
The three second stages are basically as follows:
Main mouthpeice from main tank
Octopus from main tank for buddy (if required) or me should I need it.
Other DV, from pony for me only as a bail out.
I have pondered the thought of reducing this but can see no real justification for removing the octopus from my kit.
Point 2
Yes we have both Computers and bottom timers, Charlie (the other one in the picture) is not my regular buddy, however my regular (used losely) has similar set up. Again no real reason for the large console, its the console I bought with my first kit set-up and just kept it, I probably dont need the depth gauge, but its always been there. My diving watch also has depth so in reality I have three depth gauges, and again something I have given thought to but not a great deal as it doesnt get in the way and having had duff read-outs from my computer once, I like to have an old fashoined depth gauge just in case
Where's the photo :confused:
Lizardland
02-06-08, 14:43
The reason I ask about the 3 regs is that that is pretty much the way I set up my pony when I dived it. One of the reasons I went to a twinset was that I couldn't figure out any other way of dropping the third reg, I didn't want my buddy to be on my pony (partly because it's my bail out and partly because it wasn't much air for a stressed diver to be on) but if my buddy went for the main cylinder reg then I didn't want to be dealing with the situation on a titchy three litres of wind. But then I couldn't get comfortable with us both being on one 1st stage in cold water and risk end up being in a buddy breathing situation on the pony.
As for consoles, I've always hated them :D
Where's the photo :confused:
Must be you, its a simple photobucket link.
Good points Stuart
hmmm, I'm working remotely in someone else's office ... they must have such links blocked ... :o
hmmm, I'm working remotely in someone else's office ... they must have such links blocked ... :o
Hack it and go round their back door.
I see it now.
I like the way your torch has a mini-me thing going to match your suit!
Yogi Diver
02-06-08, 18:19
I see it now.
I like the way your torch has a mini-me thing going to match your suit!
B*gger Safety! If you are going to go, go colour coordinated.:D:cool:
Im not nick picking just curious as to why you swapped your pony pressure gauge for a button gauge that you cannot read? When i used a pony i had a "normal" pressure gauge, i did think of a button gauge when i side slung the pony bottle though.
Im not nick picking just curious as to why you swapped your pony pressure gauge for a button gauge that you cannot read? When i used a pony i had a "normal" pressure gauge, i did think of a button gauge when i side slung the pony bottle though.
Two reasons, first was that the extra hose became another possible snag/tangle, and secondly the pressure gauge stopped working, and I thought, streamline the set-up buy a button.
I have been thinking about twins for a while now but just cannot justify the extra cash or any real need for twins for the diving I do.
Colour co-ordination...Oh yes!:D:D:D:D
I would have the pony reg hose coming over my shoulder instead of under it (that could be a hinderance when you need it).
This was how i rigged my pony before moving to a wing
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t145/loudy331/?action=view¤t=capers5.jpg
I agree totally loudy and sometimes I do that, sometimes I dont. More often than not Its over the shoulder. I think that photo was only about my second or third outing with the pony and I was just getting used to things. Interesting that you have the pony clamped to the left but route the hose round to your right, any particular reason for this?
Thanks for the pointers.
Out of interest, in that picture...the stream of bubbles is that a leak or from your suit dump??
i see you have a 'lucky-bag' carribena on your pony gauge.
i hope you discarded that when you removed the gauge.
perhaps you gave it to peter...;):D
Im not nick picking just curious as to why you swapped your pony pressure gauge for a button gauge that you cannot read? When i used a pony i had a "normal" pressure gauge, i did think of a button gauge when i side slung the pony bottle though.
I put a button gauge on my pony as well, one less dangly thing and my principle was that it was accurate enough to tell me before the dive whether the cylinder was full or not and once I'm in the water if I'm on the pony then I am going up, no matter what the gauge says, looking at a gauge wont give me anymore gas so therefore no point worrying about it...
If one has a gauge that says you have, say 200 bar in your pony, you might be tempted to faff about or delay heading for the surface, bad things on a 3l cylinder, if you can't see the gauge then you know you need to be leaving *now* ;)
Lizardland
03-06-08, 18:59
I put a button gauge on my pony as well, one less dangly thing and my principle was that it was accurate enough to tell me before the dive whether the cylinder was full or not
Always have a check that the button gauge reads zero before you put it on the cylinder, I had a couple of Apeks button gauges on stages and the needle on both ended up sticking in the full position even when not connected. I had a couple of dives where I ran low on deco gas which I couldn't understand because the gauge was reading 150bar. Turned out the needle had probably been stuck there for weeks. In the end I gave up on them and either used proper SPG's or none at all depending on what I was using them for.
I normally test a button gauge by breathing the hose empty then switching on and checking the reading. Also gives you a quick check that the air/gas tastes ok and you know the hose/reg has been pressurised before entering the water.
i see you have a 'lucky-bag' carribena on your pony gauge.
i hope you discarded that when you removed the gauge.
perhaps you gave it to peter...;):D
Whats wrong with my lucky bag carabina , I used to use it as a key ring, used it briefly as spotted (well done Stewart) no idea where it is now, maybe Peter has it, must check :D
More often than not Its over the shoulder.
Nothing like a little over the shoulder number - ps I don't hae your karabiner
I agree totally loudy and sometimes I do that, sometimes I dont. More often than not Its over the shoulder. I think that photo was only about my second or third outing with the pony and I was just getting used to things. Interesting that you have the pony clamped to the left but route the hose round to your right, any particular reason for this?
Thanks for the pointers.
Out of interest, in that picture...the stream of bubbles is that a leak or from your suit dump??
Your bang on Chris i had a wee hole in my suit that day :( (where my bcd strap had been rubbing) having that picture made it easy for me to find the hole when fixing it :).
If i had the pony on my right hand side the reg hose was far too long that's the only reason.