Clipping off primary reg

[Lou]

I can see the potential for problems with not clipping it off. I guess my concern over hard-clipping something that you want access to in a second is that more than once I have had p-clips or double enders jam on me and require some serious manipulation to open again. So this "unclip and donate" sounds worrying to me.

Maybe I am doing something wrong with them, but I do try and maintain them, and work them all before I get in the water. This hasn't stopped it however. Any tips for that?

[Garf]

Originally Posted by Lou

I can see the potential for problems with not clipping it off. I guess my concern over hard-clipping something that you want access to in a second is that more than once I have had p-clips or double enders jam on me and require some serious manipulation to open again. So this "unclip and donate" sounds worrying to me.

Maybe I am doing something wrong with them, but I do try and maintain them, and work them all before I get in the water. This hasn't stopped it however. Any tips for that?

Do you alwas clip them off in exactly the same place, and just an importantly, the same way? We always "clip up" by running the boltsnap up the shoulder harness, with the open side of the boltsnap facing up. That way, you always know exactly which way the boiltsnap is facing, where the handle is etc. Only other tip I have about that is that some boltsnaps seem to be better than others. Some seem to stick and have to be forced a little, and some don't. It's well worth having a fettle in the shop befor eyou buy. You should be able to clip and unclip one handed in a smooth movement. This is trickier than it sounds and takes practice, practice, practice.

This is one of the things I work on every week in the pool

[Lou]

Hi Garf

It is the slider sticking. Had it happen to what was a perfectly good double-ended clip previously on Friday. Luckily it was only the one on my spool so it could be coped with by using the other end - which remains fine.

It is that spontaneous "failure" of a clip that gets me edgy. I always clip "backwards" on hip rings and down on shoulder rings. I think my shoulder rings are a little high to be honest so clipping up would be awkward. May be something to have a look at.


Lou

[Woz]

I always clip down on my shoulder D rings (cos they are bent) and my thumbs are in the correct position to do this naturally.

Woz Top Tip for boltsnaps- get a syringe with a needle (from your local junkie) and fill it with vegetable oil. Every now and then pop a drop into all of your boltsnap sliders and they'll be as smooth as butter. Plus if the oil leaks, it won't attach your seals as it's vegetable, not mineral.

[The_Ferret]

Originally Posted by Noel Johnson

I don't know if this will help Lou, but when I dived indies after some trials and tribulations I had both regs clipped off on either side on my pull down straps - and both on breakaways. That way both regs were exactly where I left them and could be grabbed at will.

I use indis, and that way works just fine for me too !!

same applies for my 15+pony !

john..........

[And]

Hi

As far as I know there is no specific requirement to clip up or down. Different people will choose different methods. I tend to clip up everything and only the backup lights are clipped down. Others will clip down for stage/deco bottles for example, and up for regs, lightheads. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, and depending on what is going on and what I am 'wearing' I may change, whatever is more convenient at the time. The point is that items which are not in use are clipped off or restowed correctly, with attention being made not to 'crossclip' boltsnaps or trap hoses, which may render an item unavailable.

Clipping off a reg which is not being used is tidy and efficient. There are occasions when you are not breathing the long hose, and it is simply tidied away so if/when you do require it you know where it is. Examples include breathing a deco gas, breathing a stage bottle, being the donee in an s-drill (swimming or scootering), sat on the boat, walking to the cave entrance, walking from the car park in Stoney Cove. Long hose regs which have not been clipped off can slip around the back of the shoulder and get 'lost', particularly when deploying and then restowing deco gasses, such as will happen when using oxygen and 50%. When scootering, a reg which is not clipped off can end up anywhere, flailing behind or even worse, freeflowing or catching in the prop (This also applies to stage bottle regs, not stowed properly or turned on whilst in transit).

Connecting a boltsnap to the reg hose is best done with line, the same type as found on the smb spools, so called 'cave line'. It is strong and when tied properly will not come loose. The ends can be melted and 'mushroomed' to prevent fraying. Using Orings and tiewraps used to be popular with the rebreathers but not anymore, as a rebreather diver (RB80) has a couple of options available to him or her before needing the clipped off long hose (namely a Bail Out Valve and a necklaced backup). The trouble with the Orings and tiewraps is that they will degrade due to sunlight/corrosion, and will invariably fail whilst on a dive, as the damage can be hard to spot, although yes, they are a 'breakaway' fitting, allbeit very rarely (read never) used. The tied ones are more easily inspected for damage and therefore have a higher probability of being sorted before a dive. If tied in the correct place, you should be able to breathe from your clipped off reg anyway, so any disadvantage is mostly negated.

The DIR equipment config not only caters for the no stages, no deco straightforward dives, but also the multi scooter multi stage, multi deco dives. It is just that sometimes you only realise this when you get there IMHO. New trends come and go but over the years I have been satisfied that it has all worked successfully for me sticking to the basics (Now don't get me started on the bungee tied with caveline double ender lighthead malarky, as that is just ridiculous )

Andy

[Woz]

I take your point about tiewraps as they do degrade with age. So in a similar vein, what do you do about the tiewraps on the wing inflator hose? Replace them annually?

And And (cor that is nice to type) the double ender on the lighthead works a treat if you tie it using the Magic Woz Method that avoids any Unneccessary Dangling. However it will remain a secret until someone shows me a pair of lady's breasts. (Am trying to act All Man today to offset the mincing I will be doing tomorrow night at the Take That concert).

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by And

Clipping off a reg which is not being used is tidy and efficient.

Me thinks I need to buy another boltsnap. Having put on my set the other week only to find my second stage stuck down my back, I can see the advantages.

[neilh]

Originally Posted by Lou

So this "unclip and donate" sounds worrying to me.

I can see where you're coming from Lou, but for OOG you have either clipped off your primary because you really are out or because it's a drill. If it's not a drill then that's not good cos you now have 2 out of 3 OOG so getting out is going to be a 3-way buddy breathing event unless you have stages!

If it's a drill the team won't be almost out of gas cos you would have thumbed the dive already by then, so it's a failure of the donator's kit that's happened. In this case the 3rd team member would step in to donate to the (now OOG) donator whilst the person simulating OOG for the drill can switch quickly to their backup reg (because they weren't really out) and unclip the primary in a relaxed manner.

Hope that makes sense!

[geoffc]

The DIR way is to use cave line to attach the bolt snap direct. I have use this idea but linked my regulator via to link o-rings which i can use a a quick release if i can not release the bolt-snap.