johndiver999
Contributor
It’s really not hard to do. I’ve had to remove a LP inflator from a buddy who’s was leaking air while diving. I popped it off and popped it back on. Took all of maybe 5 seconds. Very easy.
Based on personal experience of sending a lot of smb's to the surface, I doubt you will find this (disconnecting and connecting) an optimal way to inflate. It will take three hands and what if you are holding a camera or something else on ascent?
If you want to use a hard connection from a LPI hose, then just add an additional hose that is dedicated to this function. I know a lot of people who do this, but it is adding an additional hose, o-ring and is a potential source of failure. Is the convenience worth the complexity and added failure mode? Something you get to decide.
The option of just orally inflating the smb is really pretty simplistic and doesn't require fiddling with hose connections.
Venting from the BC to the smb seems like it would work, but I doubt I normally have enough air in the BC. So I don't know that I ever tried it. You can press the deflate and inflate button simultaneously on the bc and inflate that way, but I don't know that I have ever tried that either.
Using an octopus to inflate an open bottom smb seems pretty simple, but it could get caught in a strap and take you for a ride.
I generally just orally inflate or take the primary from my mouth and press the purge under the open bag. This too could take you for a ride if the primary second stage gets caught on the smb.
Lotsa options, but disconnecting and reconnecting a LPI fitting would be at the bottom of my bag of tricks.