What tanks for Doubles? 100s or bigger?

[Kirby Pollard]

I forget sometime that you are not all from the Pacific Northwest. The bottom temp is still 46 degrees here, up from 44 last week. When you dive here, you dive dry with heavy undergarments so must carry lots of weight anyway. It is better to carry it as breathable gas than as useless lead. When I dive a single aluminum 80 it takes 37 lbs to be neutral on an empty tank, 32 on a steel 100, 4 on my dual 100's with a steel backplate. You have to pay the piper somewhere. I have had during a dive complete 1st stage blowout (improperly rebuilt reg... another story), 2nd stage free flow (a lift bag misadventure, yet another story), A BC inflater hose completely break, a suit inflater free flow, and brought 4 people in on my octo from 80-160 ft, been tangled in line form 5 minutes at 290 ft (that was scary). I have never complained about the weight of my dual tanks or came to shore with less than 500 psi in them after one of these adventures.

 

[TSandM]

GTRio, if you have taken Essentials and are heading for Tech 1, you're already hooked into better guidance than you're likely to get on a bulletin board

Have fun with the 100s. If I were going to get another set of doubles, that's what I'd buy, too.

A female tech diver with a lot of experience told me, before I went to doubles, that I'd eventually prefer diving them, and I scoffed. But she was right. They're lovely in the water. They're just a PITA on land.

 

[GTRio]

The doubles dives were pretty cool, took a bit of getting used to though. With a single tank I only used my drysuit for buoyancy on the bottom but I found that the weight of the doubles was better offset with my wing and then just used the drysuit inflater to remove the squeeze. Easy on the way down, fun on the way up. Really see what people mean about the stability of them, staying in trim was a lot easier and I haven't moved any weight around yet. I checked to see if I could reach my valves and it seams like just barely. That will take some practice.

Cheers!
Brandon.

 

[clifftondiver]

It seems this post has morphed into everyone cheering for their doubles. I've been in my double 119 ft3 for about 4 weeks. I weigh in at 216 pounds. In my gear, I'm pushing 370. Yes, they are HEAVY on land, but in the water I like the feeling of swimming around like a tanker truck! If one is in good enough physical shape and have the skills to manage ones gear, give naysayers the finger as you take off in whatever doubles you want!

 

[Trimix2dive]

I am about to buy a pair of steel 100s to double up with plans to take the tech 1 course based on the advice of one dive professional, but the shop I am planning on buying the tanks from insists that I should get the biggest tanks I can if I am going to go tech. I am an average diver with an average SAC rate. we do a lot of shore diving and hiking with our tanks.

Any thoughts before I make my purchase?

Thanks

Heiser 190s or 140s