OP
Worthington LP85.
Double AL80 or LP85
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Scared Silly
Contributor
Here is the bit you need to look at with LP85. If you were to have a BCD failure at depth could you swim your rig to the surface?
With a steel plate and a wetsuit you are not going to have any weight that can be ditched. At depth you are going to be at least 25 lbs negative.
If you are using AL80s and an Al plate it is more like 15 lbs negative which is manageable to swim up for many people.
With a steel plate and a wetsuit you are not going to have any weight that can be ditched. At depth you are going to be at least 25 lbs negative.
If you are using AL80s and an Al plate it is more like 15 lbs negative which is manageable to swim up for many people.
sea_otter
Contributor
Unless you have a very fluffy body composition, I'm guessing that you're likely already overweight in that configuration. Steel doubles (plus bands, manifold, a second reg) will make that problem worse, potentially dangerously so.
In a 3mm wetsuit, I'll dive AL80s with an AL backplate and no lead. LP85 tanks, while they can hold more gas, would not be a safe configuration for me. (That said, I dive LP85 doubles exclusively with my drysuit and fluffy undergarments, and I love them.)
1Ata? 33ft of water? why even bother with doubles, a single at those depths is going to last way over an hour
OP
OP
Conclusion: Each system has its own merits. We use our tools as part of a bigger picture.
CT-Rich
Contributor
For the warm water I would say use the AL tanks. The steel tanks and BP/W are going to make you negative with no ditchable weight. If your BCD has a problem you are overweighted with nothing to ditch. If you were in a dry suit the steel tanks would be the better choice.
OP
85's any day of the week, 3300lbs + massively superior.
lv2dive
Formerly known as KatePNAtl
Im a bit late to this topic but I will throw a few pennies towards the conversation.
If I were in your fins, I would keep them both - I had the same situation and ended up breaking down the 80’s for use as stages/ deco bottles.
One thing to note about ocean dives... if you are in a drysuit, you are likely going to be adding weight to the 80’s. I’d rather get that weight from overfilled steel tanks with more gas, than add a v-weight to dbl AL80’s. In a drysuit, you’ve got a solution for backup buoyancy, in a wetsuit, you should personally test your ability to swim either set of tanks up, with appropriate weighting.
I heard the argument for AL80’s from a NE instructor who was adamant the only solution for OW diving is aluminum tanks, if you need more gas, bring a stage. I’ve heard equally strong perspectives from other instructors in support of the 85’s. As others mentioned and you concluded, it’s really a matter of personal preference.
If I were in your fins, I would keep them both - I had the same situation and ended up breaking down the 80’s for use as stages/ deco bottles.
One thing to note about ocean dives... if you are in a drysuit, you are likely going to be adding weight to the 80’s. I’d rather get that weight from overfilled steel tanks with more gas, than add a v-weight to dbl AL80’s. In a drysuit, you’ve got a solution for backup buoyancy, in a wetsuit, you should personally test your ability to swim either set of tanks up, with appropriate weighting.
I heard the argument for AL80’s from a NE instructor who was adamant the only solution for OW diving is aluminum tanks, if you need more gas, bring a stage. I’ve heard equally strong perspectives from other instructors in support of the 85’s. As others mentioned and you concluded, it’s really a matter of personal preference.
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