How do you "sidemount" rental tanks?

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Johanan

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My tanks have modular valves with a longer lug on the opposite side of the handwheel. It is easy to put the bungee loop over it.

I wonder what to do with rental tanks which do not have such valves? They also do not have right and left hand valves. How do you fix the bungee loop when renting tanks? Many thanks for your wisdom!
 

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Thanks, I considered that, but have not yet tried and do not know whether the shops will be willing to change the valves for me. Somewhere on SB I saw a photo with the bungee loop wraped around the valve neck and over the handwheel but could not find it.
 
Left side: yoke nut out, handle to the left, reg inside, bungee is looped around the yoke nut.

Right side: same, loop bungee around yoke nut or handle.

Easy peazy lemon squeezy !
 
Dive-ops like Truk Stop Hotel/Truk Lagoon Dive Center will set-up your modular Left & Right Handed DIN Tank valves & kits just the way you want it.

Other much larger dive-ops, like Sams Tours Palau, you might have to just use the standard DIN valves and set-up/break-down the sidemount kit straps yourself for each dive day; it's too easy for gas blender personnel to "lose track" your custom Left & Right Handed tank valve set-up in a warehouse size area full of AL80/11L tanks waiting to be filled in such a large scale operation.

I usually bring both my modular valves for my Z-sidemount system when traveling, but now I'm getting used to & have set-up my regulators for using standard left hand valves for both tanks of a double-cylinder sidemount configuration.
 
It's easy to dive with rented tanks - I'm surprised that such issues wouldn't be covered in your sidemount training.

Carrying your own valves isn't very practical in many parts of the world and, to be honest, I could imagine many diving centers just laughing at you if you asked to swap out valves. In most Asian destinations, for example, you've got a choice of AL80 or Al80, that's all. Any tank you want, as long as it's an AL80.

'UTD Style' knotted/fixed bungees don't work well. You need a bolt-snap to detach and 'wrap' the cylinder neck with the bungee. You have a choice to position the right-side valve inwards or outwards. Inwards protects the regulator - an issue if diving in confined spaces only. Outwards offers better security/more straightforward stowage. You can also 'double-wrap' both the cylinder valve handle and cylinder neck.
 
The problem with rental tanks during vacation did cross my mind while I am thinking about learning side-mount. I got a question though, instead of worrying about rather the resort have the necessary type of din valve for your regulator, why is it I rarely see a side-mount diver using Yolk Valve? Can't we just screw on a Yolk valve regulator?

Also, while the top is secured with a bungee cord, the bottom of a sidemount tank is usually secured with SS hose-clamp, is it not? So, what do people usually use to secure a rental tank?
 
The problem with rental tanks during vacation did cross my mind while I am thinking about learning side-mount. I got a question though, instead of worrying about rather the resort have the necessary type of din valve for your regulator, why is it I rarely see a side-mount diver using Yolk Valve? Can't we just screw on a Yolk valve regulator?

Also, while the top is secured with a bungee cord, the bottom of a sidemount tank is usually secured with SS hose-clamp, is it not? So, what do people usually use to secure a rental tank?
Open water Sidemount with yoke/A-clamp first stages might not be an issue; but in an overhead Cave or Wreck, DIN tank valves & reg combinations are preferred for their better more secure connectivity.

For travel, instead of a SS hose clamp, I use a standard tank cam-strap to secure the bottom of the cylinder strap/bolt-snap kit in place. More convenient to quickly assemble/disassemble than the SS hose clamp, but not as secure (i.e. cam-strap at times will loosen & slip a bit; you have to keep re-tightening it to firm up the entire tank strap/bolt-snap kit). . .
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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