2 Side Mount AL40's and a Back Mount S100?

[Diver-Drex]

LFMarm, yes, I am aware of this. It’s a step that isn’t needed with ring bungies and steels hang fine with ring bungies. Especially getting ready to climb a ladder in 3-4 foot seas, not something I want to have to do. Again, I know they have their detractors, doesn’t bother me at all.

 

[coldcanbefun]

How are you planning on routing these 3 hoses? If the answer is keeping them stowed on the 40s then you really can't make the excuse of practicing sidemount.
If the answer is around the neck are you prepared to manage 3x second stages? Long hoses on two? No long hose at all? Multiple necklaces?

Up the back and around the neck, bolt snap to the D rings for the 40s, one on each side, necklace for the 100. No long hoses. This is only for solo. Would think about a long hose or something entirely different for buddy diving. The hoses for the 40's are 40" so on the off chance I needed to share air they are long enough to make an ascent with someone staying close. However, like I said, I will make some changes come summer when I'm diving with other people.

 

[coldcanbefun]

Multiple necklaces?

The picture this painted in my mind of 3 regs on my neck made me laugh. Would be hard to keep track of which one was which.

 

[coldcanbefun]

If the answer is keeping them stowed on the 40s then you really can't make the excuse of practicing sidemount.

I'm planning on descending on the 100. Then switch to the 40's breathing them down 500psi at a time swapping back and forth. When they reach 1000psi/1000psi they become reserve and I switch back to the 100 for the rest of the dive.

 

[happy-diver]

Mate now we are going to have to book a few extra ScubaBoard pages
Ha ha ha ah ah ha ha ha hab habah ha ha haha ha ahhaaa magnificent!

that's what we want, down to the bottom interaction and the ink is free

 

[coldcanbefun]

Mate now we are going to have to book a few extra ScubaBoard pages
Ha ha ha ah ah ha ha ha hab habah ha ha haha ha ahhaaa magnificent!

it's good they're free

Hit me @happy-diver, what line did I cross now? let me guess, no long hose? No octo on the 100? No SPG?

 

[happy-diver]

Ha ha ha ah ah ha ha ha hab habah ha ha haha ha ahhaaa magnificent!

 

[coldcanbefun]

[FOD Clip]

One of my favorite movies, not as good as Shawshank though.

Seeing as you are sharing, here's my new babies:

And here is a pic of one of the "better options" mentioned a few times in previous posts. Hurts my back every time I look at them:

 

[halocline]

I'm planning on descending on the 100. Then switch to the 40's breathing them down 500psi at a time swapping back and forth. When they reach 1000psi/1000psi they become reserve and I switch back to the 100 for the rest of the dive.

This is pretty nutty for a NDL dive in my opinion, as is the idea of keeping three 2nd stages around your neck. And again, the whole idea of taking 180 cft on a NDL dive is really questionable as well, except in certain situations where you are trained in overhead and diving thirds (or more conservative). The set up does not fit the type of diving you are describing, and TBH it’s less safe than simply carrying and breathing your back gas from one tank, and having a bailout bottle. Why? Because your plan is needlessly complex, it WILL be confusing to have three 2nd stages around your neck, and neither of the small tanks are very useful as bottom gas. Small tanks are used for two things; deco and bailout.

You also haven’t talked about what kind of gas you’re using, but if it’s air, a 2 hour dive to 50 ft is going to exceed NDLs. Long dives tend to load up the slower compartments and they take longer to clear. There’s a very good reason that recreational divers typically use one tank; it’s almost foolproof and it helps to keep them out of unexpected deco trouble. Your 40 is a viable (excessive, but that’s ok) bailout bottle and the best practice IMO would be to keep the hose stowed like a stage hose unless you need it.

I dive with three tanks most of the time; SM AL80s and a AL80 stage, in caves, using 32%, and it took me multiple courses to learn how to safely mitigate the risks involved. Like you, I didn’t know what I didn’t know and was very surprised at how much new task loading there was carrying extra cylinders. With a third tank, you are either breathing it or the 2nd stage is stowed (you can find plenty of photos to see how) and the valve is closed. I suggest you re-think this whole idea to conform to what technical divers have been doing for decades.

 

[tmassey]

Seeing as you are sharing, here's my new babies:

And here is a pic of one of the "better options" mentioned a few times in previous posts. Hurts my back every time I look at them:

According to this, two AL40 weighs 30 pounds, basically the same as a single HP100. So it’s a wash: your config and double HP100 weigh the same.

But seeing as you’ve said you don’t need the extra gas, use double LP50 or LP72 and save as much as 20 pounds…

And wearing a set of LP50 doubles is even sleeker than a single 100. To me, that is the right solution here. Two redundant regs, no swapping for ‘balance’, options for gas capacity for different dives, and the skills 100% grow with you.

But hey, there’s no scuba police….