my gear versus dir

[malcolm smith]

Anyone fancy a bit of fun here??
Tell us how and why your gear is better than the dir standard configuration for the diving you do, and in the conditions you do them.
For those who don't know the details of dir kit, have a look on the DIS or GUE sites-----or ask a certain good natured green vegetable!!!  

This isn't a mischievous troll hopefully more some good natured discussion-----you strokes must have a reason for diving crazy suicide rigs
Sorry everyone, I don't know what came over me!!!

Lets have fun??

Cheers all Malcolm.

[Jay]

Why the hell not eh?

Ok:

1. Dive with inverted twin set because I can isolate, switch regs, shut down, etc and back to start in under 30 secs.

2. Bungeed OMS wing - because I like it!

Apart from that, my kit is set up Hogarthian style anyway because I like it and it works for me.

Oh, and I carry a knife too (as well as a line cutter and surgical shears)

[Dominic]

Hrm... well, let's see...
Weezle undersuit - because it's lovely and cool on the surface and has never let me get cold underwater yet.
Harness - DIR harnesses don't have a waist strap. They have a stomach strap. Tried it, it was fecking uncomfortable and restrictive, moved it down, don't even know it's there any more.
Fins - Don't have spring straps. Have bungee through a bit of plastic tubing. Just as effective; much, much cheaper; and has reflective material running though it as well, thus making me more visible.
Hood - not nitrogen blown neoprene. Not so ludicrously expensive, and I'm not going to any major depths..
Torch - not focus-able. It's a homebuilt I'm not THAT talented
Knife - I carry one, along with my shears..
That's all the leaps to mind right now...

EDIT: Reminded by Mark:
SMB: Two, one self-inflator; one standard self-sealing job, no Halcyon direct-feed ones..
Reel: Spool is for backup use only, main reel is large McMahon, with bolt added to stop lever moving too far..

[Dr Stevil]

<font color='#0000FF'>I think we're mature enough to do this now...

AS Jay said, Inverted , because I can do shutdowns in a heartbeat, in fact I sometimes do them while pootling around and its so slick you buddy doesn't even realise you've done it.
Valve guards 'cos they're inverted and to protect pillar valves during travel (eg car crash) and from imbeciles who pich you twinset up by the manifold and because i can carry the twinset with one hand which I find far more convenient

Bungied Red OMS Batwing (check the new avatar ): the colour because I wanted something different to tekkie black and as a safety feature and to help my buddy ID me in &quot;diver soup&quot; situations, the brand and the bungees cos I had a really excellent NOAA instructor who impressed me with his critique, plus its standard approved NOAA kit (can't argue with the pros at that level)

c/w OMS IQ harness because I found it a better option to don/doff and wanted the warm BP covering for overseas diving
Reflective tank bands which apprently work really well in bad viz with a torch according to buddies

new bit oops forgot, bladder inflator hose under-arm and bungeed to harness, cos that way i always know exactly where it is


ND detachable suit inflator for filling dSMBs because I don't want entrapment hazards around my head

Apollo biofins 'cos they feel good and the moment I got them my AC dropped by something like 1/3 - 1/4

Steel 7l stage because the ali v steel argument doesn't cut  the mustard

think that's prety much it on the kit config - have a 2m primary hose with apeks regs, one 1st stage is a DST not a DX4 but it's been fine for several years.

Chee-az
Steve

[Mark Chase]

<font color='#000F22'>Neopreen Dry suit coz I love it

Slob knob: coz I am a slob and because I can shut down quicker than without one

Stages left and right because its safer, less cluttered and more comfortable. Lean left rich right you cant beat the logic

CD bungied wing and harnes, because one piece harnes design is too loose and damed dificult to put on on the rocking and roaling boat. Bungies came with the wing but I have never found a problem with them and I have been known to crawl through the odd wreck  

Knife: I carry two, you cant stab place with a set of traumer shears

Long inflator hose on the wing. Easia to swap inflation with suit if required.

No springs on fins: Mares Avanti Quatro dont come with springs

Main reg 1.5m hose on left pillar. This allowes more hose length to the back up reg alowing me to rout it under my right arm and keep it all tidy.

Canister tourch mounted on wing. Removes clutter from belt where emergancy kit is stowed.

Long hose stowed inbetween twin set tanks: It works and its one less hose wraped arround my body to get tangled somewhere

Presure gauge attached via bungy to suit inflator. I can drop my head and read my gauge no need to find it first or use my hands.

Ratchet reel : coz spools are crap below 20m and a pain above 20m

Self inflating blob: Its Safer to use and less stress than a conventional blob.

Water tight box: to keep my fag's in

ATB

Mark Chase

[jasondrake]

My rig changes every single dive, depending on the dive I'm doing, and what kit I've forgotten, is broken or can't be bothered with.
For deepish, DIR style wreck diving a rough average would be:

Independant twins: I think they're safer
Steel sidemounts: last longer, heavier, tougher
All my regs: are different: coz. they were all 2nd hand, or on offer, or got found. None o2 clean coz I don't believe in it. Some sealed, some not.
Vary my mixes in my various stages: because it's often not convenient to dump gas, refill etc.
Heliair in the twins: coz it's cheap and easy to fill, and refill, and refill....
Uncompressed, ill fitted neoprene drysuit: cheap, tough as hell, very warm and lasts for ever. (buoyancy change? so what?) And a weezle extreme +, I feel the cold
Ankle weights &amp; jet fins: see above suit.
As many torches as are working/charged/reasonable, most on helmet.
Big homemade spool: can't work reels. They make me unhappy
Homebuilt harness, not onepiece: it's just a tradeoff between ease of donning/removal and safety really? I like to be able to get in and out fast.
Tekwing with suicide bottle: already done this bit
Big knife: just because I'm a boy, and it's very sharp and shiny but with that 'been used lots in anger look' Cool.
Kitchen devil scissors covered in axle grease: £3, nuff said.
And a random collection of straps, wraps, bungees, string, suicide clips etc. holding it all together.

It's a bit shameful now that I look at it.

[Dominic]

Maybe it would have been quicker to list the things that ARE dir?

[jasondrake]

I've got a long hose. &nbsp;

[Jules]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Jason Drake @ June 05 2003,16:47)]I've got a long hose.  

<font color='#736AFF'>bet you say that to all the girls!

[Jay]

And you should see the looks on the girls' faces when I wrap it round my neck!