Stowing stage bottle regulator

I was flipping through JJ's Fundies book and it seems like the pictures have several different methods of securing the second stage on the stage bottle. A Google search provided some images, but no real information. In some cases, it seems that the hose is stuffed in the restrictive bands with no further attachment. Some images show the second stage with a bolt snap, and in one image, this bolt snap is jammed (not clipped) under the restrictive bands as well. However, other images show the second stage without a bolt snap at all. I'm sort of curious about the discrepancy.

Also, I noticed a lot of the stage bottles had Yoke regs on them. I can sort of understand that minimizing overhead contact is less of a priority for stage/deco bottles, but wouldn't it be preferred to have the same connection on all regulators for interoperability? Or is it because aluminium stages might often be rented and therefore equipped with Yoke already?

Cheers. I'm sure I'll get some "ask your Fundies instructor" responses, but these seem sort of beyond the scope of Fundies, and not all that terribly important anyway.

A good question IMO...

some people put clips on the stage regs and some don't. they'll give you different reasons. some like it for doing gas switches on the trigger to keep from stopping too long at stage drops. some like them for clipping that reg off during gas breaks on deco so you don't have to futz with the rubber bands. you can just clip it to the bolt snap on the stage rigging.
I like the clips on mine.

back in the day they used to use yoke regs on stages. you don't see that as much any more but some of the old school guys will still have a few in the fleet. they also used to color code bottles for the MOD. things change over time

I use the snap to clip off the stage reg to my necklace bungee while on the surface. Keeps it in check when I'm doin other stuff. Other than that and gas breaks, it rarely gets used.

Stages need to be DIN (like everything else) for the interchangeability/ reliability issue, and because a yoke valve right next to a valve handwheel looks the same, feels similar, yet have very different functions. Two rubber bands on your stages to cover you if one breaks, and clipping the reg off to the top boltsnap can keep everything a bit cleaner if you can only use one band.

Disclaimer: The GUE standard is no clip. I find a distinct advantage to having it, and a not many downsides (potential longhose confusion is the main one), but the pro's outweight the cons as far as I'm (and my regular dive team is) concerned. If I did more ocean diving, my position on this might change.

I don't have a clip on any of my deco/stage regs. For the OW dives I do, I haven't seen a need. Everyone I dive with has standardized on DIN regs/valves.

On the yoke screw, it's REALLY REALLY difficult to turn a yoke screw once it's pressurized... I dive yokes on my stages just because that's what I had but I found it also made routing a little better for the hoses by keeping the reg out a bit farther. I have knobs that are radically different on my tanks vs my regulators as well, but haven't had any problems with them

I use yellow second stages on my deco bottles for the most part to keep the separate regs for back gas and deco bottles. I dive sidemount so there's a lot of hoses running around. They also happened to be the octo's that came with my XTX's when I bought them used, so that was convenient since I had nothing else to do with them.

I don't use clips either and have two bands on mine. I use the ones from diverite that are bungee straps with tabs on them to pull em up easily. I don't know what I'd clip it off to personally The bungees keep the second stage tucked in really nice. I have longer HP hoses because I haven't gotten around to getting shorties yet, but they run outside of the regulator hose so I can pull the reg out without the SPG and that has a clip on it that clips to the neck ring.

Not DIR by any means, but was what I had so it worked out quite nicely. Will eventually get a 9inch spg hose for them but it's low on the priority list right now

You're in the DIR forum, Sax

PfcAJ:

Disclaimer: The GUE standard is no clip. I find a distinct advantage to having it, and a not many downsides (potential longhose confusion is the main one), but the pro's outweight the cons as far as I'm (and my regular dive team is) concerned. If I did more ocean diving, my position on this might change.

Click to expand...

For Cave2, Danny required us to have a bungee-cord loop where the clip would go, and a double-ender.

I think the official policy is the bungee loop OR two rubber hose retainers (aka wheelbarrow/bike innertubes

Since the rubber retainers seem to corrode much quicker in fresh than salt, and due to the longer dives/horizontal distance covered, the loop makes a lot of sense in a cave, and is less critical in OW.

I have the loops on all stage regs.

I refer you to GUE General Procedure Technical Bulletin 091401‐001, Stage Management – Clips, for the real deal GUE stance.

I've thought about the double ender/ loop thing, but having to dig for a double ender just cuz a stage rubberband broke doesn't jive with the dives I do.

ya I know, was just voicing another opinion. GUE doesn't state you have to use DIN on stages... Other than the hose I think I was fine, but need to get a couple shorties for em... Then again it doesn't state any hose length so long as they are bent back so you can see them without moving the SPG. Says "Short pressure gauge" so...