Preferred type of arms and sizes for light traveling

[MartínSub]

Hi everyone, as I’m moving to a slightly bigger Setup I’m starting to have concerns about size for traveling. And as I’m planing to switch from floatarm+standard arm to only standard arm. 
I would like to hear some opinions on what the preferred lengths of arms are for you.

And for floats anybody has any advice apart from Stix.

Looking forward to hear some opinions.

 

[RVBldr]

I've used the 10bar floats for years and tend to like them, even cutting them down as necessary. I still use two Nauticam arm floats + two standard arm with 10bar, but I tend to pack the floats in dive bag or other bags to save space in the camera box.

[Chris Ross]

Standard sizes are generally around 200mm arm segment lengths.  On the topic of floats, for the same buoyancy - float arms and stix floats plus regular arm take up the same volume and weight would be quite similar. 

 

For example 3 stix jumbo floats are 6.5 x 6.5 x 5.0 x 3 is 633 cm3  for 543 gr buoyancy 90 pr weight in air.  Place these on a 220 mm INON at 85 gr air 50 gr water.  It weighs 175 gr with 493 gr buoyancy.

 

An Isotta 180mm x 70mm float arm is 692cc and has 540 gr of buoyancy (assumes a 70 x 180mm cylinder)  the dry weight might be a bit heavier than a 180mm UCLS or Nauticam arm section plus the stix floats, but it may be around 75-100 grams heavier.   Estimated weight in air is 245 gram.

 

Weight savings for 2x stix arm compared to 2 x Isotta arms about 140 gr.

 

I use float arms and pack them with my dive gear generally.

[Dave_Hicks]

It's hard to beat Stix floats for light weight and maximum buoyancy per unit weight.

[CaolIla]

2 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

 

I use float arms and pack them with my dive gear generally.

Same for me. all the arms are in the diving baggage. 

[MartínSub]

Thanks for the feedbacks.

I was thinking to go for standard arms+floats because I can fit the arms still in my FStop Backpack and throw the floats in the checked luggage with the dive gear.

If the floats don’t arrive it’s not such a drama as not having arms.

I guess then Stix is going to be my way to go at least for traveling.

 

[TimG]

Hey Martin

 

Like Dave, I like Stix floats. They seem indestructible, a reasonable price, easy to change on the arms - and not too heavy.

 

On arm lengths, I go with 1 x 20cms plus 1 x 13cms for each of my two strobes. I have tried  26cm arms too with  a 13cm but found these a bit floppy and hard to lockdown. I've always found the 20+13 combination good for macro and wide-angle.

 

 

 

[Lewis88]

After having a no name float arm come apart underwater, I also moved to stix. I have a combo of jumbo and regular and they work great and I don't need to worry about them coming apart.