Improved tank cam-bands

[raftingtigger]

Problem: tank cam-bands stretch when wet, so you need to wet them before first securing them.

Solution: Purely because I had the material available I made a set of tank-cam bands using seat belt webbing and a standard tank cam buckle. After over 100 dives I am very happy with them. The material does not stretch when wet, so when putting them on the tank dry they stay snug.

This was reinforced when I used a set of standard web cam bands the other day (secured VERY tight dry) and had them loosen noticeably after the getting wet.

Making them is very easy if you have access to a sewing machine. Just use a cam-band you have as a template.

 

[nimoh]

sounds like a great idea, although I do wonder why BC manufacturers never figured that one out

 

[tracydr]

I wonder how a stretchy cam band would work? Any body ever try rubber or other stretchy material?

 

[ams511]

Why reinvent the wheel when Tobin has you covered for $10. https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=43

 

[Akimbo]

Impregnated webbing (stiff weightbelt style) has even less stretch than unimpregnated according to data sheets (neither of which is very much). I suspect what you are observing is greater resistance to sliding (grabbing power), plus a little more stretch of soft webbing. The stiff webbing does get more slippery (less surface tension) when wet than soft. More stretching would actually be an advantage.

This doesn’t really change your conclusion, only the reason for it. I suspect the reason that impregnated webbing is used is it doesn’t absorb as much water, which reduces the amount of dried salt that imbeds itself in the fibers over time. Thanks for sharing your experiment.

Some friends and I did some testing in preparation for writing the Cam Band Assembly Instructions in this link. We found that a lot of materials used in BCs have a “memory” that slowly relaxes under tension. This can incorrectly be interpreted as stretching of the cam band. For that reason we recommended that new BCs be attached to a cylinder and periodically retightening the cam bands until the BC is fully relaxed.

Adding high-friction resilient pads to the band is suggested in the “Accessories” section of the instructions, which also helps.