Tank boots on or off

[XxDiveLifexX]

Hey guys got a question for u. I just got my doubles put together there faber lp108s and they came with tank boots "self draining" I'm recently certified intro cave through TDI so I'll be doing plenty of fresh water cave dives in the highsprings area of florida. So my question is do i leave my tank boots on or off? I get that over time they can cause corrosion but is there anything else I should worry about? I do see a potenial for a slight entanglement but u could also say that for reels and an spg. I like the benefits of being able to climb into my gear with ease and being able to attach my regs and hose placement with ease. I still have to lay it down to tighten up my stabilizing tabs. Just curious let me know what u think.

 

[kelemvor]

I used a dremel to round the top edge of my tank boots to limit entanglement. If you do this, make sure to leave a small lip somewhere to help you bang them off the tank later. It would be nice if manufacturers of boots would consider the issue.

However, when I embarked upon cave training the instructor (Reggie Ross) said no way - I had to remove them completely. I remove them before a cave dive and put them back on for everything else. My tanks just got their first hydro and there was some wear under the boots (from ocean diving/salt I think). It was easy to clean up.

I added a rubber mallet to my dive tool bag to ease them on/off.
What does your cave instructor say on the matter?

 

[lv2dive]

I can't think of anyone I know who lives in cave country and actively dives, who utilizes tank boots. Does that help answer your question?

 

[tbone1004]

I can't think of anyone I know who lives in cave country and actively dives, who utilizes tank boots. Does that help answer your question?

you must not get into the Peacock area very much as there are several long time instructors that still have boots on their tanks...

I personally don't have them because my sidemount tanks didn't come with them, but I would have no issue using them. I have them on several sets of my doubles and am not personally concerned with them in a cave environment. If you want them for convenience on land, then go for it. I find them more useful in sidemount than doubles in a normal cave environment since you can usually lean a set of doubles against something in one direction but finding a corner for sidemount tanks is a bear

 

[Doby45]

I only use boots if I am single tank diving on a boat. I was told by a friend of mine that has a boat that I have dived from that it was a courtesy to his gelcoat.

 

[decompression]

If they don't really serve a purpose vs possible hazards, why use them?

 

[elmo]

Tank boots have edges that could potentially catch line in an awkward position. But theres another safety issue. Imagine your jammed in a tight restriction and need to back out. The round base of a tank will "slide" against the roof. Tank boots will catch. Sure, you shouldn't have got yourself into that position, but people have and you don't want to risk getting stuck like that.

 

[lermontov]

Tank boots have edges that could potentially catch line in an awkward position. But theres another safety issue. Imagine your jammed in a tight restriction and need to back out. The round base of a tank will "slide" against the roof. Tank boots will catch. Sure, you shouldn't have got yourself into that position, but people have and you don't want to risk getting stuck like that.

thats a good point I hadn't considered that

 

[kensuf]

Tank boots are also great at trapping water and debris which can score the surface of a cylinder, causing rust. I've seen more than one set of steel tanks that had to be thrown out due to tank boots.

 

[Caveeagle]

There is absolutely no reason to have boots on a set of double 108s. That's what I dive mostly and I just lean them on my truck bed cover or one of the tank stands. If you don't have a truck, they will slide in/out of your trunk easier without the bands.

I do have boots for several of my tanks that get used for single tank or even sometimes in sm.

I have actually sanded down the inside edges on a few of my tank boots so they are easier to slide on/off. That way I can use them when it's convenient, but they don't stay on long enough to cause issues.