Tank height strap for backplate?

[stuartv]

A lot of integrated BCs have an adjustable strap loop at the top that goes around the tank valve to hold the BC at a specific height while the user is cinching down cam bands.

Having my BP/W slip down a bit as I'm mounting it on a tank has been annoying me. I think I would like to have a tank height loop strap on my backplate, like what those integrated BCs have.

Do any of you know of anyone that makes such a thing? I'm thinking it could attach in the middle of the BP channel, using a sex bolt, or just a bolt and wingnut.

Or some other way of accomplishing the same task?

I suppose I could do it just using a piece of cave line tied into a loop, but that wouldn't be as convenient if I happen to be switching between 7.25 and 8" tanks.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Perhaps you can get a length of 1" webbing and a buckle and fashion one? Punch a hole in it and attach it with a sex bolt to the center hole like you stated. Seems like a solid idea.

 

[stuartv]

Thanks. I was already thinking that, as my last resort. I just figured it would be easier/more convenient if someone already makes one. And with all the other specialty items I've seen for scuba, I thought surely someone must already make this.

 

[tbone1004]

do you have grip pads on the cam bands? Those help quite a bit. I've never longed for a height strap on my single tank rigs since I support it with the shoulder straps until it's at the right height and it usually takes a bit of jiggling to get the tank straps onto the tank with the grip pads. Halcyon sells their Octogrips separately, as do others. Tobin sells a wedge pad thing that does the same, but says for non DSS products, so might be worth sending him a note asking about. If your cam bands don't have any sort of grippy pad on them, that's your real problem and is better solved with getting grip pads or new cam bands....

What you're referring to is actually something most divers cut off of rigs that have it *transpac comes with one, and it is often the first thing to go*

 

[stuartv]

My cam bands are, as far as I know (bought my BPW used), the stock DSS cam bands, with the delrin buckle. No grip pads. But, they are hard enough to slip down over a tank. I'm not sure I want to add anything that "grips" more.

The problem seems to happen when I'm doing the little ratcheting kind of move on the cam to get it tight before snapping it down. That usually causes the BP to twist around the tank just a bit and when it does that, it also slips down some.

Maybe more practice will cure this for me. But, the few bucks for what I'm taking about seems like it would be worth it - at least in the meantime. I know. I know. Trying to solve a skills problem with gear. Again.

Anyway, what's the beef with the tank height strap? Why do people cut them off? With an assembled rig, it would be around the valve and pulled tight, so it doesn't seem like it would get in the way.

---------- Post added March 23rd, 2015 at 11:22 AM ----------

ps. Looking at the DSS tank pads, they do look like a worthy purchase. I will probably get some, at some point.

Do I need to put 2 on 1 cam strap? Or is just 1 per cam strap the norm?

I have XS Scuba weight trim pockets on one cam band and I'm not sure there's room on that cam band for both of those and 2 tank pads. I think that would leave me with not enough strap-to-Velcro contact patch to hold the strap down.

 

[Colliam7]

I want to be sure I understand what you are doing when you assembler your rig:

The problem seems to happen when I'm doing the little ratcheting kind of move on the cam to get it tight before snapping it down. That usually causes the BP to twist around the tank just a bit and when it does that, it also slips down some.

Are you frequently changing cylinder sizes? The bands really should not need any 'ratcheting' between dives, unless you are changing the sizing. Size them as snug as you can, so that you have to 'work' them a bit to get them to slide down on the cylinder. Position the plate properly on the cylinder. The plate should stay in place, wherever you position it, if the bands are already snug enough - without any pads.

You might then close one of the bands - it may not be Loc-Tite snug, but it should be snug enough to easily hold the plate in place. If, for whatever reason, you need some 'ratcheting', then 'ratchet the other band, and close it. Then, go back and do the same for the first band. I admit, I am having some trouble understanding why this is needed on a regular basis.

I have XS Scuba weight trim pockets on one cam band

And, you are assembling the unit without weights in the pocket, right? If you have the weights in, it may make it more difficult to hold the plate in place, particularly if the bands aren't already snug before you slide them down over the cylinder.

Trying to solve a skills problem with gear. Again.

Well, since you mentioned it: Yes, you probably are. Most of us go through that phase as a newer diver. I certainly did. It is part of the learning process.

Maybe more practice will cure this for me.

Yes, it will. That is probably a much better solution than rigging a strap.

 

[tbone1004]

one per strap.

The issue with them is the actual reason they exist is to allow poodle jackets to use a single cam band and keep the tank from rocking on the back of the diver. As you reach back without one, the valve runs away from you, so that strap is not only height adjustment, it is used to keep the valve closer to your head. With two cam bands this doesn't happen so it is a nonissue. There should be no ratcheting of the cam bands, and you should always get the cam bands wet prior to use. Once you have them adjusted, you MIGHT need to snug them between dives, but otherwise unless you are changing tank diameters, *back to making wise decisions on which tanks you're going to use regularly*, you shouldn't have to touch them. If you do have to snug them down, just get the rig where you want it, lock one of them down so it doesn't move, tighten the other one, then swap.

 

[stuartv]

I want to be sure I understand what you are doing when you assembler your rig:Are you frequently changing cylinder sizes? The bands really should not need any 'ratcheting' between dives, unless you are changing the sizing. Size them as snug as you can, so that you have to 'work' them a bit to get them to slide down on the cylinder. Position the plate properly on the cylinder. The plate should stay in place, wherever you position it, if the bands are already snug enough - without any pads.

You might then close one of the bands - it may not be Loc-Tite snug, but it should be snug enough to easily hold the plate in place. If, for whatever reason, you need some 'ratcheting', then 'ratchet the other band, and close it. Then, go back and do the same for the first band. I admit, I am having some trouble understanding why this is needed on a regular basis. And, you are assembling the unit without weights in the pocket, right? If you have the weights in, it may make it more difficult to hold the plate in place, particularly if the bands aren't already snug before you slide them down over the cylinder. Well, since you mentioned it: Yes, you probably are. Most of us go through that phase as a newer diver. I certainly did. It is part of the learning process.Yes, it will. That is probably a much better solution than rigging a strap.

So far, I have only used 7.25" tanks. I normally put the rig on the first tank, the put the weights in the pockets. But, for the switch to the second tank, I normally leave the weights in the pockets.

I would wet the straps before first install, if I could. But, so far, that would have meant trying to hang over the side of a moving boat and reach the water with my rig. I have elected not to attempt that. So, most of the time, I'm putting the straps on the first tank dry.

I'm probably also guilty to trying to get them tighter than they need to be.

Also, I have often actually loosened the bands some beyond just opening the cam all the way, in order to get the rig to come up and off the first tank. So, putting the rig on the second tank usually requires more than just slipping it down and closing the cams.

I have been doing things more or less as tbone described - lock the first one, then get the second one tight and lock it, then go back and tighten up the first. But, somehow, it seems to always take me doing and re-doing it a few times because the plate gets twisted and I have to undo/redo to straighten it out, and then it will often end up with the valve not exactly perpendicular to the back plate, and in the process of fixing that the plate slips down a little bit when I loosen the tank bands and turn things.

I always get there, and it doesn't take THAT long. It just seems like it would be quicker and easier if a tank height strap were eliminating one variable in the process.

And I would still like to know what it is about the tank height strap that bothers people enough to cut them off a rig that comes with one. Is it just an image thing? Someone wants to look like a pro, so they remove a part that is "for newbs"?

 

[Colliam7]

Also, I have often actually loosened the bands some beyond just opening the cam all the way, in order to get the rig to come up and off the first tank. So, putting the rig on the second tank usually requires more than just slipping it down and closing the cams.

Ah, that may be a specific contributor to your situation! Don't do that. There shouldn't be any need to loosen the bands in order to switch cylinders if they are properly adjusted - just opening the cam bands should release just enough tension to allow you to remove the plate. For changing cylinders, try opening the bands, and just 'working' them a bit to get the plate off the cylinder - i.e. don't loosen them. The problem you are experiencing may disappear completely.

, , , for the switch to the second tank, I normally leave the weights in the pockets.

While the amount of weight in your trim pockets is modest (I presume), the more weight there is on the rig, the more likely it is that you have to hold it in place with one hand, while closing the cam bands with the other. You might try pulling the weight out when changing cylinders as well. I don't find a need to do that with my rig, but I have gotten the bands to the point of proper sizing (for me), and they hold a 6lb SS plate in place easily, even before I close the bands. At worst, I just close one band at a time.

And I would still like to know what it is about the tank height strap that bothers people enough to cut them off a rig that comes with one. Is it just an image thing? Someone wants to look like a pro, so they remove a part that is "for newbs"?

I don't necessarily pay membership dues to a 'cut them off' society, so I can't answer for all. And, maybe the comment was intended as a somewhat facetious assessment of the utility of straps. One issue is using a strap when you dive cylinders of different height, where you want to adjust the position of a different cylinder between dives. A strap that is adjusted too short is one that you have to 'futz' with, and that's an annoyance. A strap that is too long, and therefore loose, is a potential entanglement hazard, as is a strap that is not slipped over the valve at all and just floating out behind the diver's back. I have a strap on a jacket BCD that I use for pool work, and use it every dive - why not? It is set for the position I want, the jacket only has one cam band, slipping the strap over the valve during assembly until it is taut is pretty straightforward, and having the cylinder height strap in place makes it a wee bit easier for me to assemble the rig. I also have one on my original BCD (Zeagle Ranger) bought 15 years ago and use it as well, on those rare occasions when I still dive the Ranger, primarily for sentimental reasons or to illustrate 'tacoing' to students. With both units, I adjusted the strap length at the very beginning and have never done anything else with them. I guess if I found that I had to ever adjust the length of either strap again, I would probably just cut it off - it isn't at all necessary and I don't want to have to waste time with it. I don't have straps on any plate, soft or hard, and have never felt the need to add one. But, that's just me.

 

[stuartv]

Ah, that may be a specific contributor to your situation! Don't do that. There shouldn't be any need to loosen the bands in order to switch cylinders if they are properly adjusted - just opening the cam bands should release just enough tension to allow you to remove the plate. For changing cylinders, try opening the bands, and just 'working' them a bit to get the plate off the cylinder - i.e. don't loosen them. The problem you are experiencing may disappear completely.

While the amount of weight in your trim pockets is modest (I presume), the more weight there is on the rig, the more likely it is that you have to hold it in place with one hand, while closing the cam bands with the other. You might try pulling the weight out when changing cylinders as well. I don't find a need to do that with my rig, but I have gotten the bands to the point of proper sizing (for me), and they hold a 6lb SS plate in place easily, even before I close the bands. At worst, I just close one band at a time.

It's not that I HAVE to loosen the band to switch cylinders. It's that it often seems to be quicker to just loosen them a bit and lift the rig right off than to futz with working the two cam bands up the cylinder to get them off.

My normal weight loading is 2 x 4# weights, 1 in each trim pocket that I have mounted on one of the cam bands. I plan to change that to just having 2 x 4# bolt-on weights attached to the back plate. But, that will still mean my rig weighs 14 # (plus rigging and any lights that are still clipped to the shoulder straps). I have thought about changing to using a weight belt to carry my weights, but I really like simplicity and less parts.

Yes, I could stick with the current arrangement and remove the weights and the lights before moving the rig to a new tank. But, it seems like having a tank height strap would be a lot easier, quicker, and simpler than removing weights and lights (now that I have one, I will carry at least one light, even on a normal reef dive, to shine in holes and under ledges), moving the rig, getting the height just right, then re-adding weights and lights.