Good Ways to Mount a Drysuit Bottle in Sidemount

[Bierstadt]

Hello sidemounters;

For those sidemount divers who carry a separate drysuit bottle (because trimix), where do you put it?

I have seen:
-skip the bottle, run an inflator on your 50% deco bottle;
-bottom mounted on the butt plate/butt portion of the crotch strap/clipped below the hip strap;
-back mounted along the spine strap underneath the wing;
-tucked up against a primary tank.

I'd like some good ideas for an al6 in particular and how you made it work. I have tried mine on the side and the butt so far, I didn't love either with the half-hearted rigging I did to try out the locations. Thanks.

 

[Marie13]

This is relevant to my interests.

 

[grantctobin]

If you’re running heat, don’t use your 50% bottle.

Look to people diving the Sidewinder and Sidekick/T-Reb/Liberty for inspiration. A 6 is easier to hide. A 13 or 19 is slightly different but doable. Choice of location depends on your girth, how tight whatever it is you’re crawling through, harness, flexibility, whether you have light and or heat cans, and valve type.

What harness are you using?

 

[Paul M]

Checkout some of Andy's recent Sump UK development on FB

 

[Bierstadt]

If you’re running heat, don’t use your 50% bottle.

Look to people diving the Sidewinder and Sidekick/T-Reb/Liberty for inspiration. A 6 is easier to hide. A 13 or 19 is slightly different but doable. Choice of location depends on your girth, how tight whatever it is you’re crawling through, harness, flexibility, whether you have light and or heat cans, and valve type.

What harness are you using?

I run an h-harness I built over several years with a Manta wing. I don't have any cannisters and I'm not penetrating anything at the moment, though that will change. I will take at look at the sidewinder guys, thanks.

 

[lostsheep]

If you’re running heat, don’t use your 50% bottle.

I really wish we could get more data on this. I sidemount with my Choptima and I am running bailuent left , 50% right that I use for my suit. Fire is always on my mind.

To the OP, when I have Trimix in both tanks, I butt Mount an AL6. It’s so small I can’t even tell it’s there.

 

[grantctobin]

I really wish we could get more data on this. I sidemount with my Choptima and I am running bailuent left , 50% right that I use for my suit. Fire is always on my mind.

To the OP, when I have Trimix in both tanks, I butt Mount an AL6. It’s so small I can’t even tell it’s there.

@rjack321

 

[Manatee Diver]

Is a 6cuft enough for cave diving? I've heard mixed opinions on it.

 

[grantctobin]

I run an h-harness I built over several years with a Manta wing. I don't have any cannisters and I'm not penetrating anything at the moment, though that will change. I will take at look at the sidewinder guys, thanks.

Borrowed from the XDeep Stealth 2.0 Facebook Group. Credit to Andrew Rice and a couple other people.

For most people, I find butt or spine mounting it the cleanest option. It gets slightly more complicated with extra cans, a CCR, or grinding through super small things. You could also hose clamp boltsnaps to it and clip it off to the small rings on the back of SMS100/SMS75/Recon/old Nomad and the like, but it can flop around if you don’t add bungee loops. Look at old photos of Edd in his SMS100 and 75 for inspiration.

 

[lostsheep]

Is a 6cuft enough for cave diving? I've heard mixed opinions on it.

I’m not qualified to make that assessment. I’ve been cave diving, I am not a cave diver. The best diving I have local access to is long scooter dives from shore so I am not forced to waste suit gas with ups and downs.