Travelling With 2.0 Canister for a Float Pack

BCA avalanche airbag backpacks have a user refillable air cylinder. This characteristic allows you to refill your spent cylinder and get dorsum on the slopes without filibuster or shipping costs. (If yous don't desire to refill information technology yourself, you tin always substitution it for a full one through the mail.) While this process may appear circuitous, once you're used to it and have a good place to become the compressed air, yous can practice a refill quite easily and in a affair of minutes. Note that early versions of BCA'southward system were hard to trigger, just this has been stock-still. All improved "easy pull cylinders" are marked every bit such or have a gray colored cylinder head (non black). For our reports on the refill process for other brands, delight see our index of Avalanche Airbag blog posts.

Here, the BCA Float 30 backpack has been inflated. In gild to use information technology again, yous will need to debunk and repack the airbag, and refill the cylinder.

The valve is accessed inside the pack. Elevator up the orange flap and push the button in- out comes the air.

Compress all the air out, fold the bag along the existing creases and then fold accoridian style into the pack.

It's a tight fit and you may need to distribute the handbag evenly to become the velcro to completely close. New packs utilise a zippered closure which is easier.

At present, y'all can disconnect the cylinder. Get-go by unscrewing the trigger comprehend, that's the one on the right.

With the cover off, you can then unscrew the trigger cable nut. The air hose quick connect is next.

With the cylinder removed and disconnected from the handbag, catch your refill kit. It should include a hex wrench, toothpick, grease, and 5 o-rings. Bravo to BCA for including the kit for free with your pack.

Unscrew the two hex screws, separating the trigger housing from the cylinder head. Note the easy pull kit sticker, which is on all new cylinders. If yours doesn't take this, call BCA to upgrade.

With both screws removed, you must pull on the trigger pin in order to pull the housing up and off the cylinder head.

This moving picture shows why the trigger pin must exist pulled before the housing volition lift off. Information technology sticks into the slot on the valve stalk.

Pull the valve stem out of the cylinder caput. Check for damage or scratches.

Remove and replace the little o-ring with the included toothpick. Check the large o-ring for impairment, simply exit it on. Wipe off the old grease with a rag, being careful to not scratch anything.

Grease up a new o-ring and put it on the valve stem.

O-band slips into place. Apply grease to the big o-ring and the rubber washer.

Re-install the valve stem and trigger housing, making sure that the housing points in the right direction. The trigger should face the same direction as the air hose coupler, not the fill nipple. Don't over torque the screws, they don't need to exist very tight.

You're washed with the assembly role, now the cylinder is ready to be filled. This can exist done at one of four places: some licensed retailers, a paintball shop, a dive shop, or a fire station. You lot cannot do this at the gas station or on a construction compressor every bit you demand 2700 psi of air! The head comes with a paintball fill plumbing fixtures, and so that's the easiest route, but beware that paintball shops may not exist adept about keeping their air dry out, which is very important. Dive shops crave a paintball to SCUBA adaptor, have dry air, and should be very willing to fill your cylinder in the tiresome winter months if they are open up. Fire stations require a paintball to SCBA adaptor and also have dry air. My experience is limited to fire stations, which is a great option as they should do it for complimentary, every town has one, and they're often open 24/7. However, it'southward a mixed pocketbook equally far as how willing they will be to do it. Some stations will even change their minds (Aspen would exercise it a few years ago, simply not anymore), so exist sure to be courteous and perhaps consider a donation of some form (although this should be a free customs service- y'all pay taxes right?) to keep them happy. A fifth selection could be a ski patrol that uses the packs, simply I haven't tried and am not certain how involved in this they would desire to go.

Cylinder with SCBA adaptor attached.

Whoever you have do it, take them make full the cylinder slowly (to avoid overheating) to 2700psi. Let them know that there is a check valve in the cylinder associates, then when they unhook the adaptor, the air will stay in (I've had some defoliation with that 1). The cylinder will exist hot, so yous must cool the cylinder to room temp then superlative it off. The reason for this is that gas expands when information technology is hot, and so when the cylinder cools, the volume will drib. The cylinder estimate must read 2700 psi at room temperature. A water or snow bath will piece of work, or simply look a couple hours. If you over fill up the cylinder, there is no drain valve, so to release some air yous'll have to release all of it.

My favorite method to absurd the cylinder is to fill up a Nalgene half full with water. Bring it with you to the filling place and information technology should get it cool inside a few minutes.

Bonus: For air travel, yous unfortunately cannot bring a filled cylinder on board. You lot must remove the cylinder head from the cylinder body so that security can look within. Make sure to have these apart before you lot get to the aerodrome, and keep them that way until you reach your destination. Goes without saying that this should only be done with an empty cylinder! The caput should screw off easily by mitt, if you see resistance, a wrench may be necessary. When yous reach your destination, screw the head back on by mitt, non too tight. You will and so have to fill it, so be sure to take an idea on how you volition exercise this wherever you end upwards.

BCA caput removed from cylinder.

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