What would you NOT store in an enclosed trailer?

[KY_BOB]

I'm considering buying an enclosed trailer primarily for my dive gear. If I do, it will be in my driveway when not being used. I'm not worried about theft, it will be locked and I life in a low crime area.

It would be subject to extreme temperatures, cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The contents should not be exposed to any sunlight. What items would you be concerned about due to the temp extremes?

The biggest space saver in the house would be getting all of the tanks out. I have 3 sets of doubles, a couple of singles, and a sling bottle but I'm a little concerned about my exposure suits both wet and dry and my regs.

I searched for an answer and didn't come up with a thread with anyone's input on this.

TIA,
Bob

 

[BoneCrusher]

I have a dive trailer that I keep my gear in. I live in Michigan so over the year it sees some pretty large swings in temperature. I have used it for the last 3+ years. I have had no problems with any of my gear being out in it.

Only thing I do in the winter, is after ice diving, I bring the equipment into the house to "de-ice" and to dry. Once dry, it goes back out into the trailer with no issues. One time I didn't do this in house drying process and found the wing inflator assembly was frozen solid from water left over from the previous ice dive.

This is just my practical experience, so YMMV.

Hope that helps,
Mike

 

[Kenny13]

With the climate here in South Louisiana I would be more concerned with extreme heat than with large temperature swings. I can't imagine that would be the greatest thing long-term for hoses, etc. However, your climate might not be as harsh to be a problem.

 

[joe8mofo]

My friend/instructor keeps all of his gear in a trailer as you describe and he has for years here in Georgia without any issues caused by storing equipment in said trailer.

 

[KY_BOB]

Thanks for the input. I wasn't 100% sure how well rubber hoses, reg diaphragms, o-rings, and neoprene (both wetsuits and my crushed neoprene drysuit) would stand up to high heat. I know sunlight is a killer to any rubber based product but I wasn't sure how much of that was the heat and how much was the light it's self.

In addition to freeing up some space in the house, it would make going diving much simpler to just hook up to the trailer and go, rather than having to pick what gear I'm diving and then carry it out to the truck. I wouldn't even have to decide what gear I was diving until I get to the quarry, since it would all be in there.

 

[Doc Harry]

What items would you be concerned about due to the temp extremes?

Any valuable soft items, rubber items and anything with an o-ring

Regulators
Hoses
Wet suits and other neoprene
Masks
Dry suits
Canister lights
Underwater camera equipment
Dive computers

 

[captain]

Unless the trailer ris well ventilated and parked under a cover in the shade so inside temperature couldn't exceed 95 degrees I wouldn't store anything but tanks in it. That's just me, I had some seldom used gear that didn't fair very well stored in a storage building that wasn't ventilated and got over 100 degrees in the summer.

 

[Peter_C]

I would recommend putting a small solar vent onto the roof. They work awesome!
West Marine expensive solar vent
Middle priced unit
More cost effective vent

 

[KY_BOB]

Any valuable soft items, rubber items and anything with an o-ring

Regulators
Hoses
Wet suits and other neoprene
Masks
Dry suits
Canister lights
Underwater camera equipment
Dive computers

That pretty much eliminates everything but the tanks.

 

[knowone]

Not the wife's pre-marital friends, nor the mother in law.

But a sandwich panel box with spinning circulating vents

would be real good

chained to a dog