Tank Purchase Help

[tbone1004]

tbone speaks my mind. Tank wise the best choice would be an HP80 if that fits her well. The alternative is to gear up in the water. It is not necessary to switch to sidemount to do this. I gear up in the water with my ordinary backmount setup when I'm diving from a canoe. I use a BP&W, which makes it more difficult, a jacket BC is easier for most people.

I'll disagree with that last statement. BP/W is super easy but you can't put it on like a backpack. It's much easier to sit on the plate with the valve behind you and slip into it that way or more ideally get underneath it and slip up into it if you can get under it

 

[tbone1004]

Assume the OP's wife is positively buoyant as most people are, then she currently needs some added weight to dive. If she gets a lighter weight tank, whatever weight she saves from the tank swap, she will need to replace in lead to get back to (slightly) negative buoyant. She will still have the same weight load to deal with. So looking at alternative tanks wont solve the problem. One solution is to don and doff the inflated BCD in the water, on the surface. We've done this often for people with bad backs or bad knees. The diver in this case does not ever have to bear the weight of the unit.

only if the buoyancy characteristics are different. The HP80 is 7lbs more negative than an AL80, so you can cut 7lbs of lead off for buoyancy, and another 3lbs for weight on land of the tank which is a 10lb rig weight savings. Your comment was implying that the absolute tank weight matters, when it is irrelevant since an AL80 is 32lbs but needs 4.4lbs to sink, and a HP80 is 29lbs but needs 3.3lbs to float. 3.3+4.4=7.7lbs of buoyancy advantage, plus 3lbs of mass advantage =10.7lbs lighter total rig weight with the same amount of gas.
what you were saying is that even though the hp80 is 3lbs light, it also needs 3lbs of lead added back, which is not true.

 

[spoolin01]

If your wife is using an integrated BC and carrying any weights in the pockets, another thought would be to switch to a waist belt. Every time I help someone with their integrated BC, esp here in cold water country, I wonder why anyone would do that to their lower back.

 

[2airishuman]

I'll disagree with that last statement. BP/W is super easy but you can't put it on like a backpack. It's much easier to sit on the plate with the valve behind you and slip into it that way or more ideally get underneath it and slip up into it if you can get under it

I get under it and put it on and that's easy for me. Not everyone can do it. I have run into instructors (with tech backgrounds) who will not let people take OW in a BP&W because in their experience some people cannot demonstrate the skill of removing and replacing the BC in the water.

 

[Marie13]

The crotch strap does add an extra element to it. I practiced at home so I could do it just by feel.

 

[tbone1004]

I get under it and put it on and that's easy for me. Not everyone can do it. I have run into instructors (with tech backgrounds) who will not let people take OW in a BP&W because in their experience some people cannot demonstrate the skill of removing and replacing the BC in the water.

those instructors need to learn how to teach then. it's not a difficult skill and what they are doing there is a perfect example of one of @cerich 's favorite quotes. "equipment solution to a skills problem". They lack skills in teaching, and are compensating with by using an equipment solution that puts the students in inferior gear, and then by doing that perpetuate the myths that bpw's are for "tech" divers and that you should use a jacket because that's easier.

sorry, but that is 100% those instructors compensating for poor teaching vs an actual issue.

 

[scubadada]

Are steel HP 65s still available new? A steel 65 or 80 would be the best choice for this situation.

 

[tbone1004]

Are steel HP 65s still available new? A steel 65 or 80 would be the best choice for this situation.

no but Faber makes the FX71 which is 4lbs lighter than the FX80. Disadvantage to that is it is a narrower OD so you have to adjust the cam bands if you rent or borrow other tanks. Not a big deal, just potentially annoying.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Need to buy my wife a "light" tank...she has some lower back problems and I'm wondering if there is a lighter weight alternative to the kinda standard aluminum 80s that we use. I've found these with a search http://www.carbondive.com/en/single-cylinders but can't find any pricing info on them. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

Where do you dive? Maybe sidemount is an option with smaller tanks that can be transported in multiple trips. There are scenarios where this isn't ideal of course.

And how strong are you? My girlfriend who got me into diving was fairly petite (5'2, 100 lbs) and had back problems. When we went to cenotes in Mexico, I had my gear on my back and I carried her BCD in my arms down to the water.

 

[tr3a]

Depends on where you are diving, shore or boat? I agree AL 80's ugly to carry, as are all of the modern steel tanks.
Dividing the weight between tanks, weight belt, and either a BP/w or integrated works best at least for me. 3/4 of the battle is getting in and out of the water.
For me local shore diving old LP stl 72 is my choice. While traveling AL 80 is only choice, but then all you do is gear up and fall out of the boat.
This is coming from someone with a bad lower back.