What are you putting in your servicebays?

[stosyfir]

What don't I put in service bays is the better question.. Use em for everything  science experiments, batteries, mechjeb, engineering board, flight recorder, RCS tanks, pretty much anything i need and dont want sticking out the side of the ship.

[MaxwellsDemon]

I like to stick a small one on the nose of the Mk1-3 capsule; I usually put a couple of batteries, the small 'OKTO', and some science instruments in it, and the docking port goes on top of that.

Often the larger bay will be on the service module, and contains fuel and monoprop tanks and more science instruments (especially the ones that I can transmit data and still get the full science amount, so there's no barrier to jettisoning them).  I hear Kraken rumbles about using them but have never had an issue with them (my issues are due to other things).

[SpenSpaceCorp]

I put stuff and things in them.

 

[AbacusWizard]

I almost never use them. If I need small cargo, I just attach it radially to the outside of the rocket; if I need big cargo, I use a Mk3 Cargo Bay of appropriate length and fuel-tank adapters to smooth out the shape.

[monophonic]

Probe cores, mostly. Sometimes batteries, monoprop or science instrumets if a station needs lots of those.

But I do build my early career satellites out of 1.25m service bays, up to the point I get around to unlocking fairings. Take one service bay and put an OKTO inside. Add a Communotron 16 on a free node and rotate it so it points out from one of the hatches. Put an OX-STAT on either side of the probe core, and add science instuments to taste - or contract requirements. Close hatches, stack a few on top of a launcher with decouplers in between. Top it off with a decoupler and nosecone, launch and profit. Unless you mess up the staging list, like I have a few times. Nothing like staging to lose the nose cone and seeing the entire stack of expensive satellites float off way before reaching the first contracted orbit without any means of propulsion...

[tranenturm]

I don't think I've ever had the kraken hit with service bays. I put science, batteries, probe cores, radiators, solar panels, etc in them. Just don't clip and you're fine. 

I've also used them when rockets didn't land as planned (tipped over) to induce a slight hop and spin on Minimus (also works on Mun but harder to get right) then hit throttle. Can be very bad if you screw up ...

Edited February 23, 2016 by tranenturm

[InterCity]

All sorts of trinkets. Mainly RTGs, Batteries, MechJeb and KER parts, goo canisters etc... 

But I've already stashed there a SAS module, a command chair, and (agreed, that wasn't the service bay, but rather a repurposed MK2 cargo bay) even RCS tanks. The MK2 RCS tank seems ludicrously big for my spaceplanes, so I prefer to stash the MK1 in the cargo bay instead.

[Fearless Son]

I find them an excellent place to add probe cores and small reaction wheels.  Batteries too, but like others have said, inline batteries tend to be kracken-bait but radial batteries seem to work just fine (and fit pretty snug too.)  Sometimes I will even put radial parachutes in them, if it is meant to be recoverable and I need a little extra drag during the terminal stage of a safe descent.  The bays keep those delicate radial parts safe from overheating on reentry.  

[Jfischer]

Can be used as impromptu fins on a reentry vehicle. Place it on the opposite side of your heat shield and if you can't get your heat shield oriented properly, open the service bay and it will flip for you.

[Beowolf]

Anything that doesn't look good stuck on the outside. Also, I use them in cases where I have mismatched-diameter parts.

[BLB263]

  I just learned last night that if you open the service bay on a tipped over lander on Minmus, it will flip it over onto the landing gear.  I really need to practice landing. I'm guessing I can't rely on that technique everywhere.

[RocketSquid]

Batteries, probe cores, science, monoprop, reaction wheels, RTGs, and occasionally extending solar panels, but not too often on the last one.

[metl]

On 2/22/2016 at 8:55 AM, Choctofliatrio2.0 said:

You know, I rarely use service bays... Just feels like added weight, considering I've never experienced issues with aero forces messing with whatever's attached outside.

I have to agree with you. I've never noticed any issues with drag by not using service bays and so I really never use them. I do like some of the ideas here of putting probe cores in them. I'm not sure why I haven't thought of that other than I just usually design using fairings in mind instead of trying to put a probe in-line in the middle of the ship.