AL or steels for sidemounting

[piikki]

Are you planning to dive them in BC, Canada? That's not warm water, right. Unless your location isn't that I would say that forget about Al:s and concentrate on which steels. I doubt you dive wetsuit or t-shirt under your drysuit in BC.

I dive SM in cold water and it's no fun with AL tanks because you will need lead, and sometimes even re-clipping with butt-light issues (never need extra of that with drygloves). With steels you are golden even with heavier exposure because you only need a little bit of extra weight, mostly for trim issues.

 

[TheWetRookie]

Are you planning to dive them in BC, Canada? That's not warm water, right. Unless your location isn't that I would say that forget about Al:s and concentrate on which steels. I doubt you dive wetsuit or t-shirt under your drysuit in BC.

I dive SM in cold water and it's no fun with AL tanks because you will need lead, and sometimes even re-clipping with butt-light issues (never need extra of that with drygloves). With steels you are golden even with heavier exposure because you only need a little bit of extra weight, mostly for trim issues.

All cold water and dry suit diving here

 

[ASPDiving]

Hello,

Both steel and aluminum tanks have their place for sidemounting. I will start off talking a bit about steel tanks. I have dove everything from Faber LP 45 to worthingtons LP108. From everything I have experienced it doesn't matter what sidemount harness I am using when I have used Worthington tanks, no matter the size I was always feet heavy, I wear Dive Rite fins which are just a tad bit negative. I 6' 200 lbs wearing a trilam drysuit and 200g thinsulate undergarments. On the contrary when using faber tanks my trim is almost always perfect, faber tanks are just lighter on the bottom end making them ideal IMHO for sidemounting. My favorite tanks to sidemount are faber LP 45's, they are great. When cave diving I prefer the Faber LP85's as long as I am not doing anything to serious. For more serious dives when more gas is called for faber 120's are the way to go. I should also note that when wearing heavier undergarments I need additional weight with faber tanks and no weight with worthingtons tanks.

As for aluminum, I love using them for the quarry/lake casual open water dives. If you can help it I would shy away from placing tank weights on the aluminum tanks. I prefer to clip them on the butt d-ring when full/negative and the hip d-rings when they start to become positive. You will find that luxfer tanks will be more floaty than their counterpart catalina.

Best bet is just to try out as many as you can to see what is right for you.

 

[DaleC]

Mike, are you thinking of this because of the calf issue?

 

[TheWetRookie]

Mike, are you thinking of this because of the calf issue?

Yes and no.

Yes in that I am concerned about injuring my leg again so if this makes it a bit easier getting out of the water, being able to drop tanks at the shore then carry them up one at a time I might go for it. Not sure though if I will but the thought has crossed my mind.

The other reason is just more learning and more options for diving.

Just and FYI, Greg at Ocean Quest is looking at bringing in a side mount instructor later this year as he wants to learn more about it also. No dates are set yet.

 

[mikeb663]

A 120 is actually lighter than a 95 in the water,and has excellent bouyancy characterisitics. All too often I know people who will chose 85s,which may not have enough gas for the dive,so they put on a stage. This extra tank will add more drag,and then the SAC rate goes up. Sidemounting itself causes more drag than backmounting tanks,and a 120 will expose more surface area due to length,and diameter,but I don't think the gain in SAC,makes the gain in gas a loss for me.

So you are saying that using the same tanks properly rigged you will have more drag in sidemount than backmount? If this is the case I believe you may be mistaken. There is SIGNIFICANTLY less drag in sidemount if properly rigged.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

So you are saying that using the same tanks properly rigged you will have more drag in sidemount than backmount? If this is the case I believe you may be mistaken. There is SIGNIFICANTLY less drag in sidemount if properly rigged.

I noticed no difference myself, no better, no worse. I'm guessing its just a matter of perception.

 

[ucfdiver]

I noticed no difference myself, no better, no worse. I'm guessing its just a matter of perception.

That was my conclusion as well, and I'm far from a SM fanboy who would be subject to the placebo effect...

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

That was my conclusion as well, and I'm far from a SM fanboy who would be subject to the placebo effect...

I think thats the keyword here... and I'm a BIG fan of sidemount at this point. It just makes way more sense for the types of dives I'm doing and the environments I have to do them from. Streamlining was never one of the qualities that I based my decision for changing from BM to SM for... The difference has never been apparent and I think with high flowing caves, any differences would be quite obviously pointed out.