Sometimes for a smidgen more gas than an AL 80?
Anyone use LP85's as stages? Thoughts?
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They are heavy. My LP 85s are Worthingtons (XS), and they are like carrying anvils. If you are the kind of person who goes around carrying your spare pig iron and own an enormous wing maybe it's OK, but for me, I am so overweighted with my steel doubles and other gear that I am looking to shed any weight I can.
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@Mindset a smidgen? no point in carrying them if they aren't cave filled, then they're 1.5x an al80. at that point they get so heavy you need a pair of them to sidemount or you'll be doing your dive sideways. I'd argue that 3x 80's are easier to deal with than doubles and a pair of 85's. At least in an emergency you can ditch the stages. The 85's have to be part of your buoyancy calculations and as said above, they have to go in pairs
bamafan
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I had the thought that lp 50's cave filled would be more streamlined than al80's gir stages. Even these were too heavy.
PfcAJ
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No.
Steel stages are too heavy.
Steel stages are too heavy.
Michael Guerrero
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What about Fabers? My Faber LP85s are +2.5lbs empty whereas an AL80 is +4-ish.
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not quite. Your fabers are 2.5lbs positive without the valve. An AL80 is +4.4 with a valve and valves are about 2lbs depending on which ones are on there, so your Fabers are functionally neutral.
Now, the capacity at working pressure is useless, so assuming you cave fill, the problem is the starting negative buoyancy with the fabers being about 9lbs negative, and the AL80 only about 2lbs negative
OP
Thank you, I was sitting here having a beer looking at my wall of tanks, I have a lone Faber LP85 and was just thinking aloud.
Never tried an LP85 but I have tried other steel tanks.
My conclusion? Steel stages are stupid. We tried that in the 90s briefly (both 72's and 95's) and concluded that for deco gas, they're OK, but for anything else, a luxfer 80 has better buoyancy characteristics.
My conclusion? Steel stages are stupid. We tried that in the 90s briefly (both 72's and 95's) and concluded that for deco gas, they're OK, but for anything else, a luxfer 80 has better buoyancy characteristics.
LiteHedded
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aluminum tanks for stages
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