SMB - Lift Bag Choices

[RTodd]

There have been a million threads on this. Sorry for the repeat request. Time for a new "easy tropics dive" SMB. Criteria:

1) I prefer the opened bags that self seal, don't want to mess around with the inflator hose ones. But, lets get all of the recommendations out there.

2) I have the Carter 10' massive overkill bag. And, it is almost perfect. The problem with the 10' bag is that you have to put a lot of weight on it to actually make it stand up so it sucks in actual use. I want something with much less lift that only takes a slight tug to do this. 6' would be the ideal length but a shorter one works for this application. Has anyone tried the slightly smaller 7' carter bag. Not sure this solves the issue, but if they do work I would prefer the carter.

Is there anything in a much smaller size similar to the Carter lift bags out there?

 

[KMD]

The 3' closed circuit bags are nice for calmer days which you can get in tropical waters. I have used and like the Halcyon bags. They only require a few puffs of air before they are full enough to release.


The 6' closed circuit halcyon bags are okay but one really needs to use an inflator hose to fill them at depth as its usually too much lift otherwise.

 

[Scott L]

I use the 6' Halcyon SMB which takes about 4 breaths at 90-100ft to be fully inflated at the surface. Halcyon has backed-off on recomending using the inflator hose due to entanglement and reconnection of hose concerns. I have heard of divers running a parallel inflator hose dedicated for this purpose. Frankly, I was a bit unnerved using the inflator hose method due to the entanglment posiability as you have the spool or reel immediately next to yourself then boom up to the surface it shoots with great speed and momentum....

 

[rjack321]

Someone must have some enormous lungs.

I have used these little do dads on my deco bottle's reg. Basically an LP hose without any hose. You need to remove the collar and ball bearings. It won't lock onto the straight non-locking inflator nipples, but the collar will need to be held back to insert the nipple into the schrader valve. Which is silly, so just remove the collar on the quickshot, its held in place with a SS cir-clip.

Allows me to get a large SMB fully inflated from moderate depths. Practice first, its not very hard to keep the spool away with your left hand and shove the lp nipple into the schrader valve with your right hand. One quick burst and you're done.

I use it to inflate 4.5ft halcyon bags which are ok. That still falls over without alot of tension on the line. I really like the halcyon surf shuttle, its light weight, lower volume, with a high surface area (= more visible in my typical conditions). I bought the surf shuttle used and I like it.

 

[HenrikBP]

Halcyon have a 3.8' "Semi Closed DAM" on their website. It looks like a nice combination of size and inflation options:

Diver Alert Markers | Halcyon Dive Systems

Lift Devices Comparison | Halcyon Dive Systems

Edit: I misread - that one is bottom inflate only.

I own a Zeagle 6' SMB with the duck bill valve in the bottom, in addition to the oral/inflator hose option. Nice bag and good quality build. One quip is that they use a velcro strap to keep it rolled up. I would have preferred a bungee loop.

Henrik

 

[RTodd]

rjack, that is a neat device for a stroke. Actually it is kind of an interesting solution. If I am rigged out for a deco dive and diving dry, using the inflator hose isn't really an issue. I just think it is an unnecessary entanglement hazard and since I often pass the bag to a less experienced dive partner to make them practice on open water dives, want to avoid it if possible. I feel like the semi closed reg inflate bags are a better solution if I can find one that isn't huge.

My first T2 dive with JJ, they handed me a rolled up life raft just messing with me and said here, use this. Everyone was laughing when I pulled the thing out and shot that monster to the surface. It obviously is a poor choice. Does the surf shuttle stand up pretty well?

HenrikBP, I generally hate the Halcyon bags but that 3.8 looks promissing. I may try that. Cut off the velcro strap and create your own bungee loop. I have done that in the past. Does the Zeagle take a bunch of tension to keep it up or is it low lift?

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Keep them coming.

 

[StreetDoctor]

The DSS 3' is nice if it isn't to small for your application. Takes about a half a breath to fully inflate at 30'

 

[rjack321]

rjack, that is a neat device for a stroke. Actually it is kind of an interesting solution. If I am rigged out for a deco dive and diving dry, using the inflator hose isn't really an issue. I just think it is an unnecessary entanglement hazard and since I often pass the bag to a less experienced dive partner to make them practice on open water dives, want to avoid it if possible. I feel like the semi closed reg inflate bags are a better solution if I can find one that isn't huge.

My first T2 dive with JJ, they handed me a rolled up life raft just messing with me and said here, use this. Everyone was laughing when I pulled the thing out and shot that monster to the surface. It obviously is a poor choice. Does the surf shuttle stand up pretty well?

Well its stupid cold for an hour+ of deco up here. I actually have a slightly longer than usual argon hose to my suit inflation but I found that everything (spool, bag etc) was still in my face and a possible entanglement so I decided to try the lp port thing. Its low cost made it a cheap experiment. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier not having any hose flopping about made shooting the bag. And prefer not disconnecting my argon since with cold hands it can be hard to reconnect. Realistically I can't orally inflate a 40+lb bag, I'm a windbag but not that bad!

The surf shuttle takes some tension to stand up straight of course. But not being all that tall its less than on my 5ft bag. It tends to wave around in the breeze a little depending on how its oriented. Visibility-wise it makes up for height with width. We don't really have "swell" where height is a true requirement. I can also put it in a drysuit pocket which for me is alot easier to access than the MC pack (have one, didn't really like that).

Damn I have never one of the "life rafts" I want video of that!

I have tried the semi-closed bags but didn't really like or trust them to stay inflated. Holding my primary reg under one seemed like a huge entanglement issue for me, with the V of the cord below etc. Although maybe I just needed more practice.

 

[RTodd]

Well its stupid cold for an hour+ of deco up here. I actually have a slightly longer than usual argon hose to my suit inflation but I found that everything (spool, bag etc) was still in my face and a possible entanglement so I decided to try the lp port thing. Its low cost made it a cheap experiment. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier not having any hose flopping about made shooting the bag. And prefer not disconnecting my argon since with cold hands it can be hard to reconnect. Realistically I can't orally inflate a 40+lb bag, I'm a windbag but not that bad!

The surf shuttle takes some tension to stand up straight of course. But not being all that tall its less than on my 5ft bag. It tends to wave around in the breeze a little depending on how its oriented. Visibility-wise it makes up for height with width. We don't really have "swell" where height is a true requirement. I can also put it in a drysuit pocket which for me is alot easier to access than the MC pack (have one, didn't really like that).

Damn I have never one of the "life rafts" I want video of that!

I have tried the semi-closed bags but didn't really like or trust them to stay inflated. Holding my primary reg under one seemed like a huge entanglement issue for me, with the V of the cord below etc. Although maybe I just needed more practice.

Well, there is your problem, you are diving in cold water. Launching the raft is funny, it sort of unfolds on the way up and breaches the suface before it flops over. Holding onto the thing while getting enough air in it isn't easy.

My 10' carter flops over and doesn't lose a drop so I have never had an issue with the semi open design. The problem is that, it flops over unless you make yourself a dead weight on it and you typically don't have enough weight on a 3mm suit warm water dive.

Reg inflate is far less entanglement prone than inflator because you can hold it out from your body. With the inflator fills, you are forced to pull the line in close to you. I don't know the officially taught method anymore, but I just put a drab of air in the bag to hold it up, unspool a little line and hold the spool and bag in my left hand and inflate with the reg in my right. This way, I pull the reg out of the way before releasing the bag.

 

[TSandM]

My husband has the Zeagle bag. It's quite visible. It takes a fair amount to fill it, but not too much tension to keep it upright. You really can't pull it back down and reshoot it for practice, though

I use one of the Halcyon 3 footers, but then again, we rarely have bad surface conditions here.