Cannister light placement

Can anyone tell me why the DIR placement of the cannister is on the belt? My cannister weighs in at 16 lbs dry and is 6 lbs negative underwater. I found this to be very uncorfortable.

I contructed a bracket, and use a cam strap to clamp the cannister to my single tank. The cable entry and switch are positioned at the bottom. I can easily reach back and switch the light on or off. I have a D handle on the lid that doubles as a switch guard, and carrying handle.

My buddy alternatively has two quick links at each end of his cannister and connects to his backplate.

The cannister is about 5 inches in diameter, and lays nicely next to my backplate wing and the tank. The cross section of the cannister could add some additional drag.

I considered the possible need to ditch the weight, but we already carry over 18 lbs (dry suit divers) of ditchable weight.

The jpeg attached shows a metal cam strap, but I have since switched to a standard 2 inch nylon tank cam strap. (its easier to pack.)

I would be interested hearing opinions on the Pros and cons.

The cons I see to your setup are:

Metal to metal (appears to be) connection. If the light became entangled someone, and had to be ditched, you have no way to cut it loose.

Streamlining. In your setup, when horizontal, you have added a wider frontal area to cut through the water and cause drag. On your waist belt, it is in the area already covered by your arms.

The cannister light serves as a place to hold your extra hose that is routed down and around your neck. If this was dove with a 7foot hose, you would have no way of doing that.

Also, if carrying stages (I know this will not be done with your single setup) the extra weight on that side is balanced out by your stage on the left side.

No metal-to-metal connections in DIR, so both of the options listed are bad if you get keyholed. In addition if you need to inspect it, with it on your bely you slip it off, look at it and put it back on.

Very quick to ditch if you have no ditchable weight (I don't carry any excpet the light when diving double 104s, standard SS backplate and a TLS350).

I don't know mine is even there when I snug it up against the backplate and hold it in place with a buckle, wet or dry.

Roak

Thank you for the input.

"Keyholed" a very good point.
I haven't done any cave diving, and my wreck penitration dives have just been into very large easily accessible areas.
The risk of becoming wedged or key holed has not been an issue and that's why I hadn't considered it.

I now understand the need to be able to cut away gear, if entangled, or wedged inplace.

No metal to metal connections: understood!

Hose routing: I do understand your point, but I have never experienced a problem. My 7 ft hose routes just as easily down my backplate, under my arm up my chest and around my head.
Being able to tuck the hose under the canister, may be a bennifit, but certainly, not a nessessity. (does DIR assume you're diving with a cannister all the time?)

Mike D

(does DIR assume you're diving with a cannister all the time?)

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...but you usually are for signalling. It is hard to do light signals with a small/backup style light. In the event you are canisterless, you just tuck the extra long hose into your belt webbing where you normally tuck the extra canister light cord.

O-ring bubbled," no, but you usually are."

Sorry to contradict, but you are presuming incorrectly.
I am USUALLY NOT wearing a cannister light.

I usually have a small hand held light for day light dives, and only carry my cannister light during night dives or planned wreck dives.
This would be only about 25 -30% of the diving I do.

I do use a seven foot hose, however, frequently with students on deep (100 fsw) dives.

Mike D
:blfish:

Sorry to contradict, but you are presuming incorrectly. I am USUALLY NOT wearing a cannister light.

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I am usually wearing a canister light and I think most of my buddies that have them are usually wearing theirs. It is just too easy with signalling and the fact that you have to wear less (or no) weight on your weightbelt that makes them so attractive. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly...perhaps not, that the standard DIR config usually specifies a canister light...even in open water, light conditions. Light signals are just too effective to not carry one... especially after you spent all that money on it

I have a cannster light and i do wear it 98% of the time, it is easy to signal with, not in the way, part of my weight system and hose routing.

part of my weight system

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I am so used to not wearing a weightbelt now that I forget one more often than not since I am used to having the light there as weight. After forgetting my weights on a dive in Carolina Beach a few months back I just gave up and decided to make the canister light a permanent part of my kit.

I don't think I would ever travel with it (too heavy), but I like having it on most dives since even when I think I won't use it I invariably find some hole or crevice to peer into with it..

I wear soft weights, 24 lbs with my viking drysuit, normally two 12 lb bean bags in a zippered belt.
I have a 2nd 12 lb belt, (2 x 6 lb bags) I wear when I'm using my OMS twin 98 steel tanks. I always bring both belts.
My cannister is 6 lbs negative.
So when I wear the cannister, I just swap a 6 lb for a 12 lb bag on the right side of my weight belt or If I'm using the OMs steel's I just drop a 6 lb bag from the right side of my 12 lb belt.

Mike D