Do you have either of these tank straps?

[merxlin]

I would say easily. The attached photo is on a 6.9” diameter steel 72. Larger diameter tanks have even more room.

Unrelated to merxlin’s question:
I tried to get a photo of the Highland band’s latch with the tank in the horizontal position. It is hard to see, but notice that I can latch it one-handed. I can be done vertically, but one-handed takes more skill than I have.

Thanks Akimbo. Looks like DSS will be getting a few more $ from me.

Regarding the Highland bands- once you hook the cam into the metal loop, do you have to take slack out of the band and tighten it up before closing the cam buckle? My issue was that if they are tight enough to hold the tank, they are not loose enough to unhook from the loop. The advantage of the Scubapro style is that they are set for size, you just unlatch them, and when you replace the tank they are already adjusted for that tank.

 

[Akimbo]

I just saw Akimbo's fix for securing the end of the camband strap involving the DSS product.

If people are having issues with the Velcro wearing out on their camband straps, I have an alternative inexpensive solution. Cut a small length of bicycle innertube (same stuff you use to secure backup lights on a BP/W harness) and thread it onto the camband strap behind the cam buckle. If you position the innertube carefully, after clamping down the buckle (while setting up your rig) you can slip the very end of the Velcro strap underneath it.

Good point, that definitely works as a strap keeper. You can also make a DIY protector pad and keeper from sheet rubber or heavy-duty truck inner-tube (mainly to prevent marring of Aluminum cylinders).

I use the DSS pad because it increases friction and reduces minimum tension required. Functioning as a strap keeper is a bonus. The inside is domed in the opposite direction as the cylinder so the tangent point sees a lot of compression and acts as a "spring" to take up any relaxing of other materials under tension.

 

[Akimbo]

...
Regarding the Highland bands- once you hook the cam into the metal loop, do you have to take slack out of the band and tighten it up before closing the cam buckle? My issue was that if they are tight enough to hold the tank, they are not loose enough to unhook from the loop. The advantage of the Scubapro style is that they are set for size, you just unlatch them, and when you replace the tank they are already adjusted for that tank.

The disclaimer here is that there is some variation between cylinders and different BC/packs have different friction so your mileage may vary... but that is what they are designed for and it works very well for me.

The DSS pads effectively gives any band a wider acceptable adjustment range, but this actually makes the Highland band a little harder to latch than without them because the "spring" action of the pad sucks up a little of the slack.

I mentioned previously that the Highlands don't adjust as well as some other cams (plastic and investment cast stainless). The cams are stamped/formed from sheet stainless. The positive side is you are much less likely to lose the adjustment when swapping tanks, the bad side is they are a little harder to adjust initially. Overall, I like the combo much better than conventional bands, especially when the seas get sloppy. Definitely the best option in confined spaces like aboard inflatables or huddled in the back of a camper.

 

[Akimbo]

... My issue was that if they are tight enough to hold the tank, they are not loose enough to unhook from the loop. The advantage of the Scubapro style is that they are set for size, you just unlatch them, and when you replace the tank they are already adjusted for that tank.

Another thought just occurred to me. Notice the photo I posted above of the Highland bale and the hook overlap. I see no reason why you couldn't shorten the hook, thus increasing clearance... providing you don't care about warranty.

I just put a caliper on the band and the straight part of the hook extends 0.390" past the top quadrant of the bale. You could cut 3/8"/0.375" off the hook getting what I would estimate to be about 4x the current hook clearance. The bale is 0.223" diameter so you could cut an additional 0.1" (the radius) off and still be above the centerline quadrant.

Where's my hacksaw and files?

 

[Akimbo]

Highland band hook modification images attached.

Layout.jpg shows the cut mark layout at 0.39". The red is a lacquer based layout fluid that really helps scribe marks show up.

Cut.jpg shows the hacksaw kerf started, note the strip of metal to protect the rest of the hook and webbing.

Before-After.jpg shows how much was cut off.

I hooked it up and plan to take the saw to the second one. What more can I say? As estimated, 3-4x more clearance over the bale than with approximately the same tension as before. I still plan to lay the bottle down most of the time though. Easier is better.

 

[bygolly]

Hmmm... So is it poorly designed?

Somewhat....but now I see akimbo has a great solution....well two actually if you include the DSS tension pads. Off to the shop. Thanx y'all

 

[divin'dog]

Somewhat....but now I see akimbo has a great solution....well two actually if you include the DSS tension pads. Off to the shop. Thanx y'all

Yeah, I like it too. Was wonderin' if cutting 316 SS was a chore?

Also, do you think it's possible to just order a ScubaPro tank band and buckle or don't they do that sort of thing?

 

[Akimbo]

.... Was wonderin' if cutting 316 SS was a chore?...

300 Series stainless is fairly soft and cuts pretty easily with a hand-held hack saw. A good sharp blade helps a lot. Stainless is gummy and slow to machine, but careful saw strokes makes short work of the job.

 

[merxlin]

Yeah, I like it too. Was wonderin' if cutting 316 SS was a chore?

Also, do you think it's possible to just order a ScubaPro tank band and buckle or don't they do that sort of thing?

You can from a Scubapro shop= but they are pricey. I think they are $50-460 each. I got two old style Scubapro straps from a shop for $20 for my dive box.

 

[Akimbo]

Does anyone have a photo of the ScubaPro buckle? How does it compare to the Highland other than the length of the hook?