What's in Your Pockets

[Michael Guerrero]

So, I'm starting to do some cave training and I'm thinking about what I want to carry in my pockets. I'm normally configured for open water, and I expect my right pocket to mostly stay the same (spare mask, slate, extra knife, extra double ender). I'm expecting to move my extra spool to my left, and can't see a need for a lift bag and smb. I think I will have my arrows/cookies on a bungee on my light for easy access.

So what do you carry in your pockets for cave diving?

 

[j2s]

Where are your pockets ??...If they're on your legs your instructor will tell you to get rid of them....Streamlining (getting rid of potential entanglements) is a basic necessity in cave diving....Your reels/spools should be carried between your legs on a 'D' ring attached to your crotch strap about the base of your spine, small knives on your harness, slates on your arms and spare mask tucked between your bp and torso......"Don't need no stinking pockets" !!!!.........What's a double ender ??

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Lol, well, my instructor is going to be disappointed then because I'm not getting rid of the pockets on the thighs of my drysuit . And I'm not putting anything between my back and bp.

 

[OtherHalf]

Considering the DIR standard is one pocket on left thigh and one on right i can't imagine anyone asking him to remove them. What agency did you dive that had you remove pockets. My intro to tech taught me to remove all the extra hanging stuff from my BP and harness. No hanging spools, SMB, etc. Knife is in a simple sheath hung on the belt. Extra cutting tool in the pocket...

 

[PfcAJ]

Yea, leave the pockets on your thighs. They're streamlined because they end up in the slipstream of your shoulders.

Spools need to go in a pocket, they have a tendency to pop off the double enders. I typically have a few small spools in my left pocket along with my cookies and arrows, plus wet notes. Sometimes I put stage leashes over there. Arrows and cookies are prone to snag on loose line so they need to be stowed when not being used. On longer dives I'll pt a spare primary light head in a pocket, too.

Right pocket gets my backup mask, safety spool, spare double ended, spanner, multitool, and any other tools I might need for the specific dive. My spare knife is one of those little Tekna Extra Edge things and it's on the goodman handle of my light.

 

[decompression]

Agreed with AJ, I'm hesitant to have reels/spools on a d ring I can't see, in the pockets they go.

 

[boulderjohn]

I am as mystified as some others by the admonition to remove pockets. Pretty much everyone I know has thigh pockets.

One question for discussion is the mask. When I took cave training, my instructor said it was up to me. I had been taught in my previous tech classes that I must always have a spare mask in a pocket. My cave instructor said he had been diving caves for 35 years and had never heard of anyone losing a mask. It was a risk he was personally willing to take in order to carry other stuff he thought was more likely to be needed. For example, he had lights out the wazoo. I know people will think that is terrible, but that was his decision. Me? I usually carry an extra mask, but not always, and when I don't, it doesn't bother me a lot.

So far no one had mentioned wet notes, which go in my right pocket.

 

[victorzamora]

I think a good starting point is to figure out what GUE teaches, and find out what your future instructor suggests. My instructors didn't teach anything in pockets except for a spare mask and wetnotes. I've done a bunch of full cave dives with nothing in my pockets. I've also done a bunch of dives with different amounts of stuff in my pockets. I've come to the conclusion that, for me, anything I know I'll need stays out of my pockets, just because sidemount tanks make it harder (but not impossible) to get stuff out of them. Non critical backups (mask, wetnotes, extra lights, cookies if dive doesn't require it) go in pockets. My safety reel will never come off of my butt until it has to save my it.

 

[PfcAJ]

My safety reel will never come off of my butt until it has to save my it.

Or until the lockdown screw loosens a bit and you have a trail of cave line dragging behind you.

 

[victorzamora]

Or until the lockdown screw loosens a bit and you have a trail of cave line dragging behind you.

Haha, Yup. That happened once (and I think Edd did it on purpose). No fun. Since then, I've started checking out pre dive and it hasn't happened since. Only embarassing moment wad a spool fell off of me on a boat in mx. Since then, I've found a different methods of rigging them and it's been great.