Gear purchases you DON’T regret

[AniMaL Diver]

Honestly, my top no regrets purchase is a pair of scuba socks. Blisters and sores don’t heal if you are constantly in salt water and even my most broken in boots will chafe bare skin. The socks also help get my feet through the glideskin ankle seals, so they help keep my nice wetsuit from tearing.

I have ones from a company called Sewgnar which has lots of cool prints. They hold up well. I have hundreds of dives on them and have only had to replace when one took a solo dive off they boat when I made the mistake of taking them off during a surface interval. Best 25 bucks of gear in my kit.

 

[undrwater]

• Boat Coat
• White's Fusion
• Freedom Plate {thanks Eric}
• HOG Regs (anything self-serviceable {thanks Chris})
• Tight beam lights
• Diveable Beaches (I didn't buy the beach, but I did but the parking permit)

Did I cheat?

I've never felt the desire for dry gloves, but I dive (more or less) in the same waters as @MaxBottomtime, so I suppose someday I must try.

 

[happy-diver]

I don't regret ordering a Freedom Plate but I do wonder where I'm going to put 20lbs of weight

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Weight belt. If you hate weight belts, there are also weight harnesses, tanks weights, attachable harness pockets...

 

[Princess Chris]

I've never felt the desire for dry gloves, but I dive (more or less) in the same waters as @MaxBottomtime, so I suppose someday I must try.

I never thought i needed dry gloves until i tried them, changed my life! As did spring straps.

For times when i wasn't in a dry suit my Hollis neotek semi dry is easily the best purchase i have made. Feels like it was designed for me. Makes me feel like sexy flanders.

 

[undrwater]

I don't regret ordering a Freedom Plate but I do wonder where I'm going to put 20lbs of weight

A trick taught to me was to fill a length of hollow climbing tape with shot lead (from a soft weight perhaps?), close it at both ends, wrap it around the plate (I believe the new iteration has a bar that goes up and down its length?), and zip tie it in.

I think I got about 4 pounds that way.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The large plate weighs 4 lbs. (5 lbs. with a rail attached). Stuff a 4 lb soft weight under the rail bars at the bottom and maybe another 2 pounder higher up. I can make an extra tall rail bracket for that although it will set the tank further out.
String a couple 4 or 5 pounders on each side of the waist strap back by the plate (non ditchable). String a couple more on the upper or lower cam bands. Make up the rest in a couple pouches further forward on the waist belt for something to toss if the need ever arises.
No weightbelt.

Or just get a weightbelt like I do.
I have about 4-5 weightbelts all set up for different suit/tank combinations.
I also have a one-off 1/4” thick (6.5mm) stainless FP that weighs over 10 lbs that I’m really starting to like. I’m afraid if @lexvil ever sees it and tries it I’ll never get it back.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I see a special order in my future.

 

[Subcooled]

Two 7L 232 bar steel cylinders. Not good for all depths but a joy to use (for cold water sidemount diving).
My 7L 200 bar steel stage cylinder is great for casual open water no-mount diving.
All Apeks regulators have been good and serviceable in my country.

_________________
ps. European cylinder sizes; volume (7) times pressure (232 or 200 ATA) equals gas capacity (which then has to be converted to cubic feet)

 

[socaljohn]

Rolling cart, basically a Milk crate on wheels. Gets stuff to boat and stows under bench.
2nd HP100 makes setting up for 2nd dive so much easier than old LP72 that was my 2nd tank.