I'm currently transitioning into side mount (using wetsuit, warm water here) and at the stage of sourcing equipment. Currently I run a recreational single AL80 back mount system with XTX200 (primary donate) setup.
For the side mount BCD I'll be using the XDEEP Stealth 2.0 TEC (since I'll be progressing into tech in the near future). Since I already have an Apeks XTX200 (FSR) I'd be looking to purchase an XTX50 (DST) since I understand the DST swivel turret is useful for the long hose especially when donating.
When it comes to the 5th port, is it required on both regs, or just the reg you run your BCD inflator from (presumably the short hose side)? Both of my regs would be 5th port capable, I'm just trying to understand if it's required on both sides or if I'm wasting cash.
SL
It is definitely not REQUIRED, but you may find it convenient to have that 5th port. I have 2 sets of side mount regulators. One set has turrets with the 5th port, while the other set has no turret and all the hoses come out the bottom toward the tank. On the set with the turrets, I have a 30" hose on each for the second stages and very short inflators on the 5th port on both sides (12" and 15" I think... just long enough to reach the suit and wing nipples). On the other set, I have a 7' hose on the left (yes, I said left) and a 24" hose on the right, and both sides have long inflator hoses which I route down along my chest and back up to the suit and wing.
I have done many dives on each set, and here are my thoughts.
Originally, I used the turreted set mostly for solo diving, since I don't have a long hose on there for donating to a buddy. I would also sometimes use this set when diving with other sidemounters, since donation here could consist of handing off one tank and taking one of their empties / failed tank. One drawback I found to this setup is that the inflators are so short that it makes it difficult to swing the tanks out in front of me when swimming through a horizontally narrow restriction. Also, I don't really use or feel a need for the swivel capability of the turret, since I run both regs down and then up my chest to either my mouth for the one I'm breathing at the moment or my right shoulder for the other. If I had a long hose short hose setup, the same would be true, except the long hose would go around the back of my neck instead of straight up the front.
Originally, I was using the non-turret set for diving with buddies in backmount, because I had the long hose and my regs were basically set up like they would be for doubles except for the shorter HP hoses and having the gauge on both tanks. Since all the hoses are long enough, everything routes down the tanks and up my chest (with the long hose wrapping around the back of my neck and clipped at the right shoulder when not in my mouth. The short hose is on a necklace hanging around my neck when not in my mouth. Here, again, I don't need any swivel action, so I don't miss it. Because of the nice long inflators, there is no restriction with swinging tanks out in front or even butt clipping the left tank to negotiate any tight restriction. I've basically gone to this set for all my side mount diving the past few years.
Another advantage to NOT using the 5th port is that when I have the regs on the tanks while not wearing the tanks (on the boat, on the shore, on the picnic table, in my truck,etc) all the hoses tuck nicely down the side of the tanks in the elastic bands. With the turret and 5th port in use, the inflator hoses stick out 90 degtrees perpendicular to the tank and opposite side of the valve handwheel where they are constantly in the way and in danger of being snagged, crushed, bent (too much), or otherwise messed up.
