SMB Question

[guyharrisonphoto]

Thanks Mike (both of you) for the info. Just ordered the Carter 35 personal float.

 

[stuartv]

I bought the DAN one recently after looking at a bunch of options. I chose the DAN one over the XS Scuba (my number 2 choice) because the DAN one has a strip of radar reflective material up the inside. I was feeling paranoid about being lost on the surface in low-viz conditions with a current. It may just be Marketing hype, but I like the idea of being visible on radar, even when I'm not visible to the naked eye. I never heard of Carter SMBs, so I obviously I did not succeed in doing an exhaustive market search. But, the DAN one is the only one I saw that mentioned the radar strip.

I've owned my Dan version for years (almost 10) and have no issues keeping it inflated at the surface and have never seen it "Leak dye" - I'm not even sure how that is possible. Did that happen to you?

Mine has leaked pink every dive so far. It even has a note printed on it warning the user that it will leak pink the first few times you get it wet, especially when taken into warm water. I rinse it off and let it dry after each time I dive with it. It has not stained any of my other gear yet and I expect it will eventually stop leaking pink. I'm guessing the current ones are different than your 10 year old one.....


Side note: My instructor trained me to inflate my SMB using gas exhausting out of my reg as I exhale. I think he's old school paranoid about not "wasting" any gas to inflate your SMB. So, the issues regarding oral inflation or inflating with a LPI hose aren't really of much concern to me....

 

[mick allein III]

I ordered a Carter bag 35. The radar reflective tape seems intriguing but I am wondering if DAN has tested these. Any bend or orientation change in the smb would change its radar profile. I'm wondering how noticeable a 6 inch strip of radar reflective tape is in OW. Maybe another diver a lot smarter than me could chime in?


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---------- Post added July 30th, 2015 at 02:16 PM ----------

6 foot strip sorry


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[stuartv]

I don't think it's even a 6 foot strip. I think it's just a couple of feet long, up at the top.

Even if it just "flashes" on the radar, as it bends and/or turns, that still seems like it would be better than nothing.

Anyway, it was also less expensive than the XS Scuba one I was looking at, by a couple of bucks... :-D

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I like the option of inflating from the LP hose or with my reg through the bottom, which is a one-way valve so won't leak out at the surface. I also like the flag. Where I dive, lots of drift diving and sometimes the boat is far away when you surface. Having the flag makes you "legal" and is a signal to boaters that divers are present, unlike a plain marker, which might mean anything.

I dropped a tank on my Halcyon and broke the inflator, so this looks like a good replacement. Should arrive next week and I will report then.

 

[Russoft]

I ordered a Carter bag 35. The radar reflective tape seems intriguing but I am wondering if DAN has tested these. Any bend or orientation change in the smb would change its radar profile. I'm wondering how noticeable a 6 inch strip of radar reflective tape is in OW. Maybe another diver a lot smarter than me could chime in?


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---------- Post added July 30th, 2015 at 02:16 PM ----------

6 foot strip sorry


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It may be resonant at the frequencies used by primary radar. Think retroreflective material (reflectors) like you find on safety vests but for radio waves. I'm not sure, just guessing. Radar isn't my specific area of work.

 

[mscott556]

I've owned my Dan version for years (almost 10) and have no issues keeping it inflated at the surface and have never seen it "Leak dye" - I'm not even sure how that is possible. Did that happen to you?

When deflating and/or rinsing after use the water was pink and the dye still ran after a year of use. The bag started fading after only a few months of use. Also, I would fully inflate it at the service and it still wouldn't stand up by itself. The Carter bag is far superior than the newer DAN bags.

Mike, to the Carter's allow inflation from your LP hose? I see that you can fill them with your reg . . .

Yes, that's how I inflate mine.

 

[WhiteSands]

All, I'm interested in purchasing a long, high quality SMB. Size matters. Do any double as a lift bag? Alternate buoyancy? Suggestions.


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This is the best one I've found. Long enough to be seen even in very choppy seas, yet slim enough that you can fully inflate with one breath.

https://www.extreme-exposure.com/product/3871

 

[FinnMom]

In the great lakes I would carry at least two SMBs, one of which is darn long and 1 or both of which remains sealed. Big waves, big water, cold water - real nice place to visit but I'd really hate to unexpectedly have an extended stay in that water.

 

[stuartv]

This is the best one I've found. Long enough to be seen even in very choppy seas, yet slim enough that you can fully inflate with one breath.

https://www.extreme-exposure.com/product/3871

It's 6' long. The DAN one is also 6' long and bigger around and with a wide Solas stripe that runs most of the length of it and with radar reflective material inside.

I'll expend the extra couple of breaths it takes to inflate it....

---------- Post added July 31st, 2015 at 08:46 AM ----------

Also, that Halcyon one appears to be a closed cell? So you cannot inflate it using your second stage reg? Deploying it from depth seems like it would be slightly more of a PITA than one that can be inflated using second stage exhaust (or by purging your octo).