Spool for ~100' Dive? (looking on DGX Website)

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I'm no expert, but I take a spool when I'm not planning on having to deploy line (but it's still needed for my safety plan) and a reel when I think it's likely I'll need to. No way am I setting myself up to respool 200' of line on purpose.
 
I add my vote for an Apeks spool. You get what you pay for. It comes prerigged, (no need to take line off, etc.) and with its milled edges is easy to handle with gloves. Orange line is highly visible. Try dropping a tank on a delrin spool; but no problem if you drop one on one of these.
 
I'm no expert, but I take a spool when I'm not planning on having to deploy line (but it's still needed for my safety plan) and a reel when I think it's likely I'll need to. No way am I setting myself up to respool 200' of line on purpose.

I don't understand this. You either do or don't need 200 feet of line - whether it is to shoot a bag or to lay a penetration line. If you don't need to do that, you don't need to respool. If you DO need to do that, then you need it and not sure why you would not want to have the appropriate tool for the job.
 
I don't understand this.

I couldn't figure that post out either. He might be saying why bother carrying extra line on a reel when a spool holds less, so if it's used, you won't have as much to re-spool. If that's correct, then I would counter with, you're only going to deploy whatever string you need to get the SMB to the surface, and using a reel is much easier to wind the string than a finger spool anyway.
 
Not sure what your guys' definition of "lugging around" is. A reel is only going to be left on the boat if you leave it on the boat, just like a spool or anything else. I carry a 400 foot reel and unless I reach for it, I can't tell that it's there, so I'm pretty sure that most divers can carry a 200 foot reel without any problem - it's not that much bigger than a spool.

You take the amount of line you need to shoot a bag from depth, accounting for scope. You said you were doing a 100 foot dive. With significant current, 150 feet would be about right, so 200 feet of line is hardly excessive. Especially for that day when you do a 120 foot dive, or want to run a line anywhere it would help with navigation.

I don’t think I would notice a 200’ reel. I didn’t notice my 160’ reel the few times I brought that on dives and didn’t need/use it, so I don’t think a reel for 40’ of additional line is going to be a deal breaker for me.

My comment was directed at the larger reels. Ex. 400’+.

For the kind of diving that I’m doing, a smaller reel (~200’) would be plenty for my typical dives.
 
I don’t think I would notice a 200’ reel. I didn’t notice my 160’ reel the few times I brought that on dives and didn’t need/use it, so I don’t think a reel for 40’ of additional line is going to be a deal breaker for me.

My comment was directed at the larger reels. Ex. 400’+.

For the kind of diving that I’m doing, a smaller reel (~200’) would be plenty for my typical dives.

Gotcha... I think that I misunderstood what you were saying. 200 should be fine!
 
I don't understand this. You either do or don't need 200 feet of line - whether it is to shoot a bag or to lay a penetration line. If you don't need to do that, you don't need to respool. If you DO need to do that, then you need it and not sure why you would not want to have the appropriate tool for the job.
Again. Not an expert. I do not penetrate, cave explore, tech dive, etc. So take the following clarification for what it is worth.

"Need" is subjective when weighed against an infinite number of possibilities. Safety dictates we prepare for a subset of the most likely problems we face. Say I am diving off a boat and recognize a meaningful risk of drifting away, I take a smb and the means to deploy it. Because this is unlikely I opt for the smallest equipment set that I consider to meet the requirement I have set. For instance, selecting a spool over a bulkier reel.

If I were intending to deploy an smb as part of my dive plan, the convenience of a reel would be worth the bulk. Or any other piece of equipment needed by the dive plan.

I don't think this clarification furthers the discussion topic, but seeing as two people were confused here you go.
 
Again. Not an expert. I do not penetrate, cave explore, tech dive, etc. So take the following clarification for what it is worth.

"Need" is subjective when weighed against an infinite number of possibilities. Safety dictates we prepare for a subset of the most likely problems we face. Say I am diving off a boat and recognize a meaningful risk of drifting away, I take a smb and the means to deploy it. Because this is unlikely I opt for the smallest equipment set that I consider to meet the requirement I have set. For instance, selecting a spool over a bulkier reel.

If I were intending to deploy an smb as part of my dive plan, the convenience of a reel would be worth the bulk. Or any other piece of equipment needed by the dive plan.

I don't think this clarification furthers the discussion topic, but seeing as two people were confused here you go.

Sure, that all makes sense....

I was just saying that since (in my opinion) a reel is a better tool for shooting a bag than a spool, the small difference in bulk/weight seems to be more than made up for by the advantages. And since shooting a bag may be a contingency requirement outside of the dive plan, making the appropriate tool part of your standard gear configuration means that you are more likely to have it the one day that you need it.

As far as line length, this sort of sounds like the arguments about what the smallest possible pony is. People calculate their gas needs very precisely and work from that, not wanting to trade any bulk/weight for a safety margin. The OP is diving to 100 feet, to shoot a bag from depth you should have at least 150 feet (which is a lot for a spool). So then are we saying that 150 feet is reasonable but 200 feet is excessive? It's a one time purchase and addition to the OPs standard kit. Are we saying that they will never dive deeper than 100 feet?
 
It comes prerigged, (no need to take line off, etc.)

If you fail to pull ALL the line off your spool and VERIFY its tied off, you just might see your spool headed down and the untied end of your line headed the other way...
 
If you fail to pull ALL the line off your spool and VERIFY its tied off, you just might see your spool headed down and the untied end of your line headed the other way...

Not what I meant. I meant you do not have to remove line to be able to use an Apeks spool, nor do you have to create your own loop. The typical plastic spool must have maybe 20% or more of its line removed before it has any really use.

And yes, my wife and I took my spool out on the sidewalk in order to measure exactly how much line it had, and to ensure it was fastened to the spool-- it was.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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