SMB attachment to BC - how I did it (lots of pictures)

[PTAaron]

I was looking into a couple of options for attaching my DAN SMB to my ProQD BC... and here are a few pictures of what I did.

First I stopped by a LDS and picked up a Dive Rite lift bag pouch (on the left), and I ordered a Dive Rite compression sleeve from ScubaToys (on the right).


Since I had the pouch first, I tried it out... I found that my DAN SMB fit very tightly into the pouch - and I attached it to the hard backpack of my BC with some zipties.




This held the SMB nicely, and was actually kind of nice when I used it on some dives last weekend. Added a nice padding effect between the tank and my low back. Only problem was that it there was no place to attach a spool, and with the tight fit it was hard to easily remove the SMB.

Today when I got home from work the compression sleeve had arrived. Cool piece of equipment - made of stretchy material, that is a little sticky on the inside to prevent slipping, and it has a small D-ring on it to attach a reel!


The DAN SMB fits into it nicely. I ended up removing the plastic clip on the SMB because it made got in the way when sliding the SMB out of the sleeve.


I attached it to my BC's backplate with zip ties:




I tested it out with a tank attached to my BC - easy to get to the double ender to remove the spool, and fairly easy to pull the SMB out of the sleeve!

Anyway - just wanted to share!

[MarkH]

Thanks for posting! Very interessting!

[snagel]

Thanks for the pics and the idea. I've been staring at my DAN SMB and wondering exactly how to attach it so that it doesn't just hang down.

It will be interesting to see how easy it is to remove when you are houvering.

Snagel

[DMWiz]

Great job! Just one suggestion... replace the zip ties with either brass or SS quick links if possible. They are cheap enough.

[PTAaron]

Thanks for the suggestion. The zip ties are a "lets see how this works" solution, I'll find something more permenant and sturdy after testing it in the water

One other thing to mention: When rolling up the DAN SMB I found that flipping the small plastic d-ring (that is near the top) out to the side gives a nice "handle" to pull the SMB out of whatever you are using to store it.

[skdvr]

Originally Posted by DMWiz

Great job! Just one suggestion... replace the zip ties with either brass or SS quick links if possible. They are cheap enough.

I was going to suggest the same thing... After time of being out in the sun and being used and abused those zip ties will snap. More than likely it will be while you are in the water and no one is behind you to see your SMB fall away from you. If you do continue with the zip ties I would make sure that the tip that goes through the catch/buckle (what ever you want to call it) is rounded off and does not have any sharp edges. Those sharp edges will start to fray material after a while. I always recommend when cutting zip ties to put your scisssors or wire cutter or what ever you use on the sides of the zip tie so that when you cut it there are not sharp edges. If you place your cutting device on the flat sides or if you just use a razor blade you will have sharp edges....

Phil

[PTAaron]

Thanks for the tip!

My other thought is until I am sure that it is going to be permenant I was going to use a small loop of line from my spool to "back up" each of the zip ties.

[skdvr]

Originally Posted by PTAaron

My other thought is until I am sure that it is going to be permenant I was going to use a small loop of line from my spool to "back up" each of the zip ties.

Good Idea... Before you go cutting line off you spool though you may want to look around and see if you can find some. You will be surprised how often you will use it. I bought a spool of #18 braided line from Home Depot that I use as well as #48 that I use on things that I really do not want to worry about breaking. I got the #48 from Seattle Marine. I use the #18 for attaching bolt snaps to my hoses and things like that. I use the #18 or #48 for things like bolt snap to backup flash light. I also used the #48 on a dive float. So there are 100's of uses for having extra line around. #18 is a bit thinner than cave line but I have had to issues on the non load beaing places that I have used it...

Phil

[PTAaron]

Originally Posted by skdvr

Good Idea... Before you go cutting line off you spool though you may want to look around and see if you can find some. You will be surprised how often you will use it. I bought a spool of #18 braided line from Home Depot that I use as well as #48 that I use on things that I really do not want to worry about breaking. I got the #48 from Seattle Marine. I use the #18 for attaching bolt snaps to my hoses and things like that. I use the #18 or #48 for things like bolt snap to backup flash light. I also used the #48 on a dive float. So there are 100's of uses for having extra line around. #18 is a bit thinner than cave line but I have had to issues on the non load beaing places that I have used it...

Phil

Another good tip, thanks!

I will definitely be doing a more solid attachment after a few dives to see how I like the setup. I just found out that at the college across the street from work you can bring your dive gear in the pool for just the cost of a daily pool pass - so I may try hopping in the water there and see how hard well it deploys this week and have a more permanent setup before my next dives in 3 weeks... or maybe I'll just bring it to work tonight and try it in our pool! LOL! Duh.

[PTAaron]

By the way - I forgot to thank Splitlip for making me aware that these pouches existed! Thanks!