Argon bottle placement with SM?

Effervescent · Apr 5, 2014

Im looking to get into deco and recreational trimix soon and was wondering if there were any experienced cold water SM divers that dive with an argon bottle for deeper dives. If so, where do you end up placing the bottle (perhaps near the can light)? There is a similar thread a few years back but wanted to see if there were any new ideas.

Also, generally speaking, are there many deep SM divers out there that do high flow or significant drift dives in cold water where you cant drop off stages and have to carry all your gasses (and different mixes) the entire dive? It seems the more people I talk to locally, there is a higher propensity for people to prefer BM in these situations (especially once you start adding a travel gas, etc.) but that may be because SM is still gaining traction.

Thanks!

mulla · Apr 6, 2014

Just pump your 50% into your drysuit? Less equipment to contend with.

KodyWalley · Apr 7, 2014

Effervescent:
I’m looking to get into deco and recreational trimix soon and was wondering if there were any experienced cold water SM divers that dive with an argon bottle for deeper dives. If so, where do you end up placing the bottle (perhaps near the can light)? There is a similar thread a few years back but wanted to see if there were any new ideas.

Also, generally speaking, are there many deep SM divers out there that do high flow or significant drift dives in cold water where you can’t drop off stages and have to carry all your gasses (and different mixes) the entire dive? It seems the more people I talk to locally, there is a higher propensity for people to prefer BM in these situations (especially once you start adding a travel gas, etc.) but that may be because SM is still gaining traction.

Thanks!

Yo dude

In Vancouver I know of a few! In fact soon there might be more deep side mount divers than back mount divers!

I have never tried using argon to inflate a drysuit but I want to agree with Mulla and suggest using a gas you are already carrying for the dive. It's difficult to argue how it could be worth the extra equipment (especially if you are concerned about drag)

If you are concerned about feeling cold turn that argon bottle into a better thermal, reduce the amount of helium in the mix, exercise and improve circulation and hydrate and eat and sleep well before a trimix dive. Just saying, I wore a wetsuit on a 400fter!

Kody

Dive-aholic · Apr 8, 2014

The best place I've found for an inflation bottle is snugged in between your sidemount bottle and your torso. I tried hanging mine similar to my can light battery but it was too heavy there. It worked better for me having it clipped off similar to a top mounted stage cylinder. I also do a fair number of "open water" sidemount diving and all cylinders stay with me. I top mount stage bottles but deco cylinders almost always get bottom mounted. I just add a 2nd bungee to snug it up closer to me so it stays streamlined throughout the dive. I don't believe in top mounting deco cylinders because it makes it nearly impossibl to confirm the gas you're about to breathe, at least for my less than flexible body.

TracyN · Apr 11, 2014

Why go through the trouble of recreational trimix? Just go for normoxic and it covers all bases up to 200 ft. With the cost of trimix classes that would seem the most cost effective.

Omisson · Apr 11, 2014

Effervescent:
Im looking to get into deco and recreational trimix soon and was wondering if there were any experienced cold water SM divers that dive with an argon bottle for deeper dives. If so, where do you end up placing the bottle (perhaps near the can light)? There is a similar thread a few years back but wanted to see if there were any new ideas.

Also, generally speaking, are there many deep SM divers out there that do high flow or significant drift dives in cold water where you cant drop off stages and have to carry all your gasses (and different mixes) the entire dive? It seems the more people I talk to locally, there is a higher propensity for people to prefer BM in these situations (especially once you start adding a travel gas, etc.) but that may be because SM is still gaining traction.

Thanks!

Depending on the harness set up, you can clip it like a can light - on the Hollis SMS 100 there are three sets of mountable clips. I would recommend it being high enough to be reached to shut down in case of a freeflow. A reasonable alternative is clipped off a waist dring or slung as a stage bottle. A little more crowded ....

It's important to be able to shut it down in freeflow -

Colliam7 · Apr 16, 2014

Dive-aholic:
The best place I've found for an inflation bottle is snugged in between your sidemount bottle and your torso. . . . I top mount stage bottles but deco cylinders almost always get bottom mounted. I just add a 2nd bungee to snug it up closer to me so it stays streamlined throughout the dive. I don't believe in top mounting deco cylinders . . .

When you bottom mount your deco bottles, do you still place the inflation bottle next to your torso?

shoredivr · Apr 16, 2014

Another vote for using 50% bottle as drysuit gas.

Argon bottle placement with SM?

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