Surgical tubing vs Bungee?

[wgw04024]

So the last thing I'm doing upgrade my bpw is staging my safety sausage. I have room and am thinking of putting it on the right side of my waist strap. I don't want it to hang or dangle, and I don't want it out of sight in case it were to come undone. Thinking I'll put two pieces of either bungee or surgical tubing around the strap, then just slide it over each end of the safety sausage. i see both products on DGX, and am wondering what applications each one is used for, and why one over the other? Thoughts?

TIA

 

[Johnoly]

, and why one over the other?

Many different types of tubing & bungie. In general, bungie is made up internally of multiple rubberbands so if one single internal band breaks, there are others that will still hold. Latex tubing if "nicked" will usually tear immediately to failure at that nick point. I carry 2 fish floats and one main smb float. All of them are secured with bungie and not tubing. IMHO bungies also last longer than even rubber tubing.

 

[Brett Hatch]

I think what you are suggesting will work, but it does not sound very streamlined to me. If you do try this, I'd think bungees would have better results than any kind of tubing. It's got the right stretchiness, and like Johnoly says, it's tougher.

A lot of divers use a boltsnap to attach their DSMB / sausage on the butt D-ring at the rear of the crotch strap. This lets the buoy sit just after your tank and wing, so it's very streamlined. It'll be pretty secure there, out of the way, and easy to reach when it comes time to use it. This is my preferred way to do it.

Another good option is a thigh pocket. These can be stitched or glued to a wetsuit or drysuit pretty cheaply. There's also the notion of "Tek shorts", which are just neoprene shorts with pockets that you wear on the outside of your regular wet/dry suit. Highland, Apeks, Mares and others make these products, they all seem to cost around $150 or so. DGX used to make a set of these for around $50, but I don't see it on their website... maybe they have discontinued it.

 

[Centrals]

I used to use surgical tube but the trouble is the cleaning of the inside after diving. No such problem for bungee.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Surgical tubing over time will start to break down. It will get crumbly and fail. Bungee will stretch out over time, but doesn't come apart like tubing. I've found it to last longer.

 

[Akimbo]

I used to use surgical tube but the trouble is the cleaning of the inside after diving. No such problem for bungee.

Another advantage of bungee is the failure mode. Bungee rarely totally fails without warning.

 

[kensuf]

Don't trap the long hose by putting unnecessary things on the right side. You need to be able to donate gas to a buddy in the only true diving emergency.

As others have said, surgical tubing rots and breaks. Bungee simply stretches. If you're looking for a semi-permanent solution, I'd say butt mount the thing.

 

[gbf]

A long long time ago, before there was a parking lot at Devils Eye, we used surgical tubing to "stuff the long hose". It melted and turned into a gloopy mess. I guess it was sunlight. I almost never got that stuff off my hose.

Bungee.

I put bolt snaps on each end of a piece of bungee rolled it up in the middle of the dsmb. Clipped it to two holes on the side of my plate. Out of the way, secure - 2 attachment points, easy to get at.

 

[halocline]

Don't trap the long hose by putting unnecessary things on the right side. You need to be able to donate gas to a buddy in the only true diving emergency.

I don't remember the OP saying anything about diving with a long hose.

But, I still would rather put the SMB on the backplate, it's not that hard to get to and you don't need to re-stow it in the water.

 

[Nemrod]

In this photo my sausage is stowed on the rh side of my plate using bungee.



The rear D ring is a good place also.

James