2023 Light Travel Regulator Recs

[buddhasummer]

As a slight aside, I used to have a dedicated light weight complete rig including travel fins etc. in the end I sold it all, decided I'd rather use my usual gear as am hyper familiar with it. Often travel gear means some compromise. If I'm travel diving I want to enjoy my dives as much as possible and for me that means my usual set up/rig. I save weight in other areas, like clothes etc. YMMV.

 

[lowwall]

why not Mares 62x? very small and lightweight?

Good first stage. Only drawback is the second stage options. The Dual ADJ is full size, although reasonably light. The SXS is compact, but it's not a high performance second stage.

If you are looking for a bargain, the Mares 15X Prestige is the previous generation of the 62X Dual ADJ and will perform very similarly. The only difference is the Prestige second stage is one of Mares' classic non-adjustable unbalanced types. The trade-off with the older style is a little bit greater reliability for a very little bit of extra initial inhalation effort.

Mares Prestige 15X and Prestige Octopus Package

Compact, reliable, and performance are the key words for describing this new Mares first stage. Featuring the DFC system, it meets all divers' demands at any depth. The new valve guarantees longevity a

www.scuba.com

 

[Nemrod]

Mikron/Titan/unsealed core 1st stages
G250 second stages.

<$400

How about SP Mk2 Evo and G250 second stages. This way everything matches and the Mk 2 Evo has 50% greater or better the flow rate of the Conshelf, Titan, Core, Helix, Legend . But I bet the OP wants new second stages.

A couple of things, one correction. The Helix Compact does not replace the Mikron but I do think it shares the Mikron case but without the adjustment knob, Venturi adjustment only. The other, I have a couple of friends, a diving couple, they love to dive but do not care about equipment, not equipment geeks like so many of us, imagine that! And they have the AL Titan. Seems to work fine for them and they are reliable, simple regulators.

Or if the OP could be coerced into blowing his budget, and just want one regulator that can do everything anywhere and anytime, nobody will ever laugh at it and most will be jealous of it and whose performance under the most difficult conditions is legend and with a pedigree exceeded by none, then the SP Mk25 Evo with G260 second stages. Not light, but not especially heavy, reliable, not cheap and not exceeded in any meanigful in performance by anything other.

Us geeks seem to dream titanium dreams and sadly Atomic and Scubapro titanium regs remain beyond our limited means. But if Scubapro were to just get crazy one day and just say screw it, let's just make a regulator that might have a service life of 20,000 years and do a titanium Mk 2 Evo. I am into simple, I just want my simple in titanium, please, this would be me headed to the Scubapro shop .

 

[buddhasummer]

How about SP Mk2 Evo and G250 second stages. This way everything matches and the Mk 2 Evo has 50% greater or better the flow rate of the Conshelf, Titan, Core, Helix, Legend . But I bet the OP wants new second stages.

A couple of things, one correction. The Helix Compact does not replace the Mikron but I do think it shares the Mikron case but without the adjustment knob, Venturi adjustment only. The other, I have a couple of friends, a diving couple, they love to dive but do not care about equipment, not equipment geeks like so many of us, imagine that! And they have the AL Titan. Seems to work fine for them and they are reliable, simple regulators.

Or if the OP could be coerced into blowing his budget, and just want one regulator that can do everything anywhere and anytime, nobody will ever laugh at it and most will be jealous of it and whose performance under the most difficult conditions is legend and with a pedigree exceeded by none, then the SP Mk25 Evo with G260 second stages. Not light, but not especially heavy, reliable, not cheap and not exceeded in any meanigful in performance by anything other.

Us geeks seem to dream titanium dreams and sadly Atomic and Scubapro titanium regs remain beyond our limited means. But if Scubapro were to just get crazy one day and just say screw it, let's just make a regulator that might have a service life of 20,000 years and do a titanium Mk 2 Evo. I am into simple, I just want my simple in titanium, please, this would be me headed to the Scubapro shop .

The MK2 has ugly hose routing, the Mikron et al have pretty hose routing. YMMV.

 

[Nemrod]

The MK2 has ugly hose routing, the Mikron et al have pretty hose routing. YMMV.

Nooooo, I love the radial (spoke) hose routing, it is perfect for single tanks, love it! Same as the old Titan and Conshelf 14 firsts :



Except I run the primary down and the secondary up since I have been brainwashed into the "Cult of the Long Hose" by several decades of Scubaboard long hose propaganda .

My wife gets mad at me because I use the living room as a staging area when preparing for a trip. I hold tryouts like a NFL team. Prepping for a Red Sea trip I am doing a trial wet run at TRL next week. Thus far I have drafted the G260/Mk17 Evo and a long shot walk on that may have become my new squeeze, the Mk 2 Evo and some G250s!



Being serious, yes the radial/spoke routing looks ugly until I put it on and then it is beautiful. I like the way the regulator hoses (22" over and 60" under and around) just flow naturally around my body and the BC hose (24") is pointed just right to go up and over my shoulder and down to the inflator connection. And the SPG goes straight down to my left side waist D-ring to clip off (26").

 

[scrane]

Nooooo, I love the radial (spoke) hose routing, it is perfect for single tanks, love it! Same as the old Titan and Conshelf 14 firsts :

Me too!

 

[stuartv]

How about SP Mk2 Evo and G250 second stages.

Or how about a Halcyon H75P and Halo second stages? It's a Mk 25 EVO and G250s, for LESS money than ScubaPro.

Nooooo, I love the radial (spoke) hose routing, it is perfect for single tanks, love it! Same as the old Titan and Conshelf 14 firsts :

I much prefer the hose routing from a 1st stage that has a bottom LP port. E.g. SP Mk 25, Halcyon H75P, Dive Rite XT1, or Atomic Z2 (or any other Atomic). And many others, of course.

My long hose (I use a 40" on single tank regs) goes out the bottom port and runs under my right arm. I mount the 1st stage cocked just a little bit clockwise, so that that hose is pointed just a little in the right direction. No bends in that hose at all, other than just the big one to loop under my arm.

My short hose is 24" (or 22, I can't remember) and runs nicely around the right side of my neck. Just the right length to not pull when looking to the left, but not so long that it sticks way out to the right. I also use an angle adapter or a swivel on that short hose 2nd stage, so that the hose can run straight back from the reg in my mouth, instead of sticking straight out to my right and then looping around to the back.

I use an AI transmitter on the diver's left side HP port, so it's angled a little down and on the opposite side from the tank valve's hand wheel.

And then the LPI hose comes out and runs neatly over my left shoulder to the power inflator.

All very streamlined. No hoses with any significant bends in them. No hoses sticking way out to the side.

 

[Nemrod]

Or how about a Halcyon H75P and Halo second stages? It's a Mk 25 EVO and G250s, for LESS money than ScubaPro.



I much prefer the hose routing from a 1st stage that has a bottom LP port. E.g. SP Mk 25, Halcyon H75P, Dive Rite XT1, or Atomic Z2 (or any other Atomic). And many others, of course.

My long hose (I use a 40" on single tank regs) goes out the bottom port and runs under my right arm. I mount the 1st stage cocked just a little bit clockwise, so that that hose is pointed just a little in the right direction. No bends in that hose at all, other than just the big one to loop under my arm.

My short hose is 24" (or 22, I can't remember) and runs nicely around the right side of my neck. Just the right length to not pull when looking to the left, but not so long that it sticks way out to the right. I also use an angle adapter or a swivel on that short hose 2nd stage, so that the hose can run straight back from the reg in my mouth, instead of sticking straight out to my right and then looping around to the back.

I use an AI transmitter on the diver's left side HP port, so it's angled a little down and on the opposite side from the tank valve's hand wheel.

And then the LPI hose comes out and runs neatly over my left shoulder to the power inflator.

All very streamlined. No hoses with any significant bends in them. No hoses sticking way out to the side.

Sorry OP, you are officially derailed, it was me!

I am familiar with that routing and have a couple of Mk 10 set up that way (for manifolded and independent doubles) but I just do not like it for single tank rigging. You have two differences from me that I suspect influence our respective preferences.

1. You use an AI and I prefer a SPG and no AI.
2. You use either a modern BC or a doubles plate with a STA or a wing with a sewn STA.

Number 1 is self explanatory but number 2? Okay, with a modern BC or doubles plate converted to single tank the valve is almost certainly very high, up about the neck. I use a single tank plate which allows me to set my valve down centered between my shoulders or lower rather than my neck. Neither is right or wrong, it is preference. But the configuration you use, for me, places a big kink in the BC inflator hose because it must turn upward sharply and then travel over my shoulder. If I have my tank way up as you might, then that does not happend and the BC hose travels only downward and works great in such case. But, that ain't the way I wear and rig my tank and plate and wing. With the radial routing, the BC hose is naturally pointed over my shoulder and there is not a kink or bend. That bend right there, it becomes a kink in actual use unless I get a longer BC hose which then sticks out (Mark 10 rigged as you suggest):



As to hoses sticking out, that results from incorrect hose length choices, none of my hoses naturally ride outside the diameter of my body but I go to the effort and expense of purchasing specific length hoses. Notice here (Mark 2 Evo) that the hoses are all tucked inside the width of the hanger (representing my shoulders ) and note also that the BC hose does not kink and travels smoothly upward over my shoulder which it must do because I wear my tank lower I suspect than you or Simon:



Again, this is not about proving me right or you wrong, we do things differently and it works great for each of us, there is not a right or wrong, it is a choice in how we set up our scuba rigs.

 

[stuartv]

@Nemrod for sure! What is right is what is right for YOU!

And yes, I wear a single tank up high. So that if I really crane my head back I can just barely or almost touch the 1st stage with my head.

I feel like that gives me my best ability to reach my tank valve in the water. I have not yet splashed with my gas off, but I occasionally have a nightmare about that.

I use a Freedom Contour back plate, with no STA. My wing has some built-in anti-roll bars and the Freedom Contour Wedge added on at the bottom of the back plate all work to keep my tank stable and as physically close to my back as possible.

 

[Nemrod]

@Nemrod for sure! What is right is what is right for YOU!

And yes, I wear a single tank up high. So that if I really crane my head back I can just barely or almost touch the 1st stage with my head.

I feel like that gives me my best ability to reach my tank valve in the water. I have not yet splashed with my gas off, but I occasionally have a nightmare about that.

I use a Freedom Contour back plate, with no STA. My wing has some built-in anti-roll bars and the Freedom Contour Wedge added on at the bottom of the back plate all work to keep my tank stable and as physically close to my back as possible.

Love those. I have an early one, stainless steel rigged with a Oxy 30 wing for use with my 5mm and 7mm semi-dry wetsuits. Perfect. I wish maybe someday Eric will get back to making me an aluminum one, ha! Can we ever be satisfied! The outfit in the photo is all OxyCheq, Oxy 18# wing and Oxy Travel Plate. Like I was saying, my gear is auditioning for the Red Sea and I need to travel very light since I will not have my wife with me to offload all my extra gear into her bags .

But back to the OPs question, what current regulator set has a turret with a fifth port, one of the Hog or DR sets or Deep Six? That is budget priced if the OP wanted to go that way?