To bungee or not to bungee? Tank rigging options for tech divers

Whether you dive twinsets, sidemount or CCR rebreather, choosing between tank rigging options or hose retainers is part of your equipment considerations. This blog post will give you a few pointers to help decide between bungee cord, rubber straps and custom straps. If you’re looking for a definitive answer, I’m afraid we won’t have that. I do hope, however, that it helps you choose between different tank rigging options. 

Full disclosure – as some of you may know already, I recently became a brand ambassador for D-Luxe Dive Gear. They manufacture custom straps, and Dark Horizon Diving is also a reseller. Having had the straps in the water for about three months now, I thought this was a good time to take a closer look at advantages and drawbacks. 

Rubber, bungee cord or custom-made –
the choice is yours

First of all, either hose retainer will work. Diving and working in more remote parts of Indonesia, where diving equipment can be hard to come by, I learned to make use of pretty much anything. That’s great if you need to save a dive or make it to the end of the week on a liveaboard. But, really, technical diving is all about planning, choosing and preparing the right equipment for the right job. That includes details like hose retainers. So, here we go with a closer look at all three tank rigging options.

1. Bungee cord

Let’s start with bungee or shock cord. For years, bungee was my favourite hose retainer. I mostly used black bungee – it’s pure chance that the one pictured above is red (thanks for that, though, Simon Cowie). Here are some of the reasons why I liked using bungee:

• Generally easily available in dive shops, chandleries and online.
• Strong bungee, 6 or 8 mm in size will hold hoses in place well. Thinner bungee does not work well as a retainer.
• By placing a knot in the right place you can easily pull the cord off the tank to allow for one-handed stowing of hoses.
• As a Sidemount diver, you are likely to carry back-up bungee for your harness. This gives you spare hose retainer material at the same time.

• Compared to rubber or custom straps, bungee cord is relatively weak and might not last very long. As it wears out, it lengthens and loses its stretch, which means hoses and secodn stages can start spilling out.
• It’s round. Especially when you are not yet used to stowing and moving hoses around (like during the first couple of course dives), it’s common for them to slide up towards the tank valve. As a consequence, there is this moment of ‘where has my bungee gone’? Not the end of the world, but when you are still getting used to new kit, it can be a bit annoying.

2. Rubber hose retainers

Rubber hose retainers are another one of our tank rigging options that’s easy to come by. The ones pictured above and on the side are shop-bought, but that’s not a necessity. So here we go on the advantages:

• Inner tube you would have in a car tire will work as a rubber hose retainer around an aluminium S80 tank, for example.
• Especially when using inner tube, it’s easy to find replacements at low cost.
• Assuming you have chosen the correct size, rubber will hold on to your hoses better than bungee. You’re much less likely to have hoses slipping out.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? As with everything, there are a few drawbacks here also. 

• If the retainers are exposed to strong sun a lot, the material will get brittle very quickly.
• While bungee wears out gradually, rubber (especially if already brittle) has a tendency to snap without much warning. Do carry some kind of backup option.
• Stowing can be harder for two reasons: getting your hands in between the rubber retainer and the tank can be tricky if there is no tab (1). Rubber hoses moving against rubber retainers can feel a bit sticky and take a bit of effort (2). On the other hand, just take a look at the third point under advantages for the trade-off.

3. Custom tank straps

Many of the positives mentioned above relate to the flexibility and easy availability of the materials which is perfect for saving a dive. Let’s be honest, though, it’s nice to have things that are customised and personal to you. So, with number three of our tank rigging options, we look at the ins and outs of D-Luxe Dive Gear’s custom straps. Positives first:

• There are plenty of options including different widths and types of tab. Which one you choose depends on a few factors: in terms of size, the wider strap is stronger. However, if you need to make space for tank markings it may just get in the way a bit. Personally, I find the smaller 4cm strap plenty strong enough.
• Tabs: they do make it easier to move the retainer in the correct position and pull the strap off the tank to place the hose. This might sound like a small thing, but it does make a difference
• They’re yours: no more ‘have you seen my bungees?’ They have your name, nickname, logo – really whatever you like – on them, making it easier to keep your stuff together.
• As they wear, they do so gradually. So, even if you see that yours are starting to look the worse for wear on a dive trip, there’s a good chance they will last the trip.

• The material is very strong. How’s that a downside? If you are planning to stow one-handedly, it takes a bit of doing – just check out the video below. However, if this is something you don’t do much adn instead prefer your hoses to simply not move, these straps are perfect.
• Replacements will take a week or so, depending on where they need to be shipped to. Then again, the straps are pretty durable.
• Yes, they cost more than a car inner tube. Then again, they are a different product. 

I am also looking forward to trying out a few new, potential materials for the straps which may make one-handed stowing easier without compromising on quality. So – watch this space!