Attaching Gear to Sidemount Cylinders? Pros/Cons/Suggestions

[SlugLife]

Compared to a backplate, a standard sidemount setup as less space for clipping off or storing gear. For example:

• On my backplate setup, I'll have a 2x DSMB behind me bungee'd to the backplate on either side, cutting tools on the waistband, flashlights clipped to the upper harness & usable d-rings on both the chest and waist.
• With sidemount, you typically have a butt-pouch and ... not much else. You typically want to avoid turning your harness into a Christmas-tree, as that'll interfere with side mount operations. Now you can glue pockets onto your wetsuit, and there might be a couple other places you can stash gear, but you have to get a little creative.

Given you have two easily reachable tanks on either side, it seems like a good place to stash some less vital gear. For example, spare DSMB, backup flashlights, spare mask, etc. Perhaps it's also a good place for another d-ring to use as a temporary clip-off point. Personally, I was thinking mostly about securing purely redundant stuff that's not easily damaged, like redundant cutting tools, backup-backup flashlights, spare DSMB, or using it as an attachment-point for loot-bags when hunting sunglasses and similar found-items.

I'm curious what people have done, if anything, around attaching gear to their tanks, any pros/cons, or things to avoid. Pictures would be helpful as well, if you have a clever setup.

As a bonus, feel free to suggest other ways of managing gear. For example, I'm planning on making a gauntlet-style setup for my computers, compass, and a cutting tool.

 

[RayfromTX]

Pockets on both legs, rear d-rings for dsmb, etc, cutters on shoulder and waist straps. I also use a small weight pocket to store my spear point when not in use or during long scooter traverses. All I really need to carry generally is wet notes, spare mask, cutters, dsmb, spear point, backup light and that's it. I have a little extra space in my pockets for small things I find along the way. On my BP&W I stow my backup light on my shoulder strap but on my sidemount rig that doesn't work so well so I use a pocket.

 

[tbone1004]

Quote the opposite. Significantly more places to put stuff in sidemount.
Don’t attach anything to the main bottles. Seriously.
Butt pouch easily holds a pair of lights, pair of spools with dsmb, wet notes, and a backup mask. cutting tools are on your computer and chest strap area.
You have the entirety of the rear rails if you use a butt plate and even if you don’t, drop d rings are more than sufficient.

dive rite makes a thigh pocket that straps onto tanks really well and I use that on an al80 deco bottle to hold an MP3 player, spare wet notes, etc. but that shouldn’t be put on a primary bottle.

 

[SlugLife]

Pockets on both legs, rear d-rings for dsmb, etc, cutters on shoulder and waist straps. I also use a small weight pocket to store my spear point when not in use or during long scooter traverses. All I really need to carry generally is wet notes, spare mask, cutters, dsmb, spear point, backup light and that's it. I have a little extra space in my pockets for small things I find along the way. On my BP&W I stow my backup light on my shoulder strap but on my sidemount rig that doesn't work so well so I use a pocket.

It looks like pockets are mostly the way to go for sidemount, but you never know what people have come up with.

Quote the opposite. Significantly more places to put stuff in sidemount.
Don’t attach anything to the main bottles. Seriously.
Butt pouch easily holds a pair of lights, pair of spools with dsmb, wet notes, and a backup mask. cutting tools are on your computer and chest strap area.
You have the entirety of the rear rails if you use a butt plate and even if you don’t, drop d rings are more than sufficient.

dive rite makes a thigh pocket that straps onto tanks really well and I use that on an al80 deco bottle to hold an MP3 player, spare wet notes, etc. but that shouldn’t be put on a primary bottle.

A few questions:

• If I have a left & right tank, and left is my primary, does that mean I can put a pouch on my right tank? Or are both the left & right tanks considered "primary" and you're referring to a 3rd or 4th tank?
• Where would you put a 2nd DSMB or lift-bag, if you wanted to take one?
• Can you show me what you mean by "chest strap?" The harness style I'm using only has waist, shoulder, and crotch-straps (and a few bungees), but nothing across the front of the chest.

The main obstacle I'm facing is a good place for my "loot bag", because sometimes I find a lot of loot. And by a lot, I often pull up 1 to 2.5 gallons (3.75 to 9.5 liters) of Sunglasses & small items in a single dive. Usually, the mesh bag just drags behind me on my backplate setup from a waist d-ring, but that's perhaps less than ideal.

 

[tbone1004]

It looks like pockets are mostly the way to go for sidemount, but you never know what people have come up with.


A few questions:

• If I have a left & right tank, and left is my primary, does that mean I can put a pouch on my right tank? Or are both the left & right tanks considered "primary" and you're referring to a 3rd or 4th tank?
• Where would you put a 2nd DSMB or lift-bag, if you wanted to take one?
• Can you show me what you mean by "chest strap?" The harness style I'm using only has waist, shoulder, and crotch-straps (and a few bungees), but nothing across the front of the chest.

The main obstacle I'm facing is a good place for my "loot bag", because sometimes I find a lot of loot. And by a lot, I often pull up 1 to 2.5 gallons (3.75 to 9.5 liters) of Sunglasses & small items in a single dive. Usually, the mesh bag just drags behind me on my backplate setup from a waist d-ring, but that's perhaps less than ideal.

main bottles are the primary left and right bottles.
DSMB/Lift-bag is wrapped properly and clipped off to the butt d-rings normally. You can stuff the lift-bag under the backplate as well, but I usually just clip them off to the back.
What harness do you have? Some of them don't have chest straps though you can make one with a piece of bungee, it just connects the two chest d-rings together and allows you have slightly looser shoulder straps. I much prefer them. Either way though, for cutting tools you have enough stuff on your forearms that they can go there without issue. On the bottom of a hard goodman handle on a light, on the straps for a computer/compass/wrist slate, etc. Shears can go in a butt pouch or thigh pocket or if you have them in a pocket like Dive Rite sells then on your waist strap.
Loot bag when not being used can be rolled up and secured by a loop of bungee, same as your dsmb and lift bag should be and then clipped to your butt rails/drop d-rings/crotch strap ring. If you have a loot bag you are choosing sidemount as a lifestyle not because you are actually needing the profile of sidemount, so having things on your back that are a bit loose is really a nonissue. If you were going in true sidemount only passages in a wreck or a cave then there is a lot more pressure to put them in pockets, but for open water diving, as long as they aren't dangling below you, I don't have any real strong opinions about those types of things being up and behind you.

 

[SlugLife]

1)main bottles are the primary left and right bottles.
2) DSMB/Lift-bag is wrapped properly and clipped off to the butt d-rings normally. You can stuff the lift-bag under the backplate as well, but I usually just clip them off to the back.
3) What harness do you have? 4) Some of them don't have chest straps though you can make one with a piece of bungee, it just connects the two chest d-rings together and allows you have slightly looser shoulder straps. I much prefer them. Either way though, for cutting tools you have enough stuff on your forearms that they can go there without issue. On the bottom of a hard goodman handle on a light, on the straps for a computer/compass/wrist slate, etc. 5) Shears can go in a butt pouch or thigh pocket or if you have them in a pocket like Dive Rite sells then on your waist strap.
6) Loot bag when not being used can be rolled up and secured by a loop of bungee, same as your dsmb and lift bag should be and then clipped to your butt rails/drop d-rings/crotch strap ring. 7) If you have a loot bag you are choosing sidemount as a lifestyle not because you are actually needing the profile of sidemount, 7b) so having things on your back that are a bit loose is really a nonissue. 8) If you were going in true sidemount only passages in a wreck or a cave then there is a lot more pressure to put them in pockets, but for open water diving, as long as they aren't dangling below you, I don't have any real strong opinions about those types of things being up and behind you.

1. Got it.
2. My sidemount "backplate" is this one. I'm not entirely sure how I'd stuff a DSMB there, but I'll play around with it. Crotch-strap-rear d-ring could work, but I'd want to avoid using the d-rings, where the butt-pouch is attached. I have considered attaching it to the butt-pouch, or using a larger one.
3. I have a "custom" harness, using the plates in 2) and following instructions from How To Build Your Own DIY Custom Sidemount Harness % and Sidemounting.com. I'll post pictures in a little bit.
4. Adding a chest strap would be easy enough, I just hadn't seen it on sidemount harnesses. I suppose it would be slightly more secure and snug.
5. Waist-strap is a no-go, except maybe near the front buckle. I'm relatively thin & use aluminum tanks, so the sliding-d-drings needs all the real-estate they can get.
6. Rolled up, my loot-bag(s) are tiny. The problem is what to do after stuffing loot in the bag. I've considered making a custom one that attaches to and extends from the the butt-pouch. The main thing to be mindful of is probably the length, so it doesn't interfere with my legs & finning.
7. Mostly correct. I'm not doing restriction-diving. However, sidemount has many advantages including redundant air & streamlining. So 7b) isn't a major issue, other than being less streamlined, which 2-gallons of loot is going to have issues with no matter what.
8. Is the main reason for (1) not putting items on main tanks mostly because of diving through restrictions? Or are there other reasons?

 

[tbone1004]

1.
2. you can sometimes stuff them under the wing if you clip to the wrapping bungee, but with that type of harness it's probably not the best idea.
3. which wing?
4. I haven't really found any cons to them, and depending on the style you make you can attach it to the left shoulder and have your wing inflator attached to the right side.
5. near the buckle is where they are often found
6. clip to your butt. This works New Rear Backmounted Style Tec Clip
A pair of these would also work since you're using sliding d-rings. It would be less between your legs and more on your butt cheeks Technical Drop Down Ring w/ Teeth
7. like you said, you aren't going to be streamlined any way you skin it, so you're kind of stuck either way.
8. anything clipped to them likes to get caught on things and they're surprisingly difficult to get off and it screws with the buoyancy of the bottles. If you're going to clip stuff there, then you can put a bent d-ring on the lower attachment point which we sometimes use for clipping stage bottles to, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I'm exactly the opposite of Tbone

I detest pockets on my thighs or junk attached to butt D-Ring.

Therdo efore I have equipment pockets on both my tank cambands. To stop them moving about they have a D-ring either side, so stuff in pockets can be clipped off, or spools hung on the rings

On the neck of both tanks I have a SS ring attached to the choker, so equipment I use on each dive in current, like a pointer stick, reef hook and hook extension line, gets secured under the bungee loop on teh tank and then again clipped off on the ring.

I have nothing clipped onto my harness.

I don't cave dive, but do make deep penetrations into wrecks


View media item 207666View media item 207665

 

[SlugLife]

This is a work-in-progress and I pretty much just got it setup & I also haven't gotten it in the water yet because my dive-buddy in another city is borrowing an important piece of equipment. Obviously, this is just the harness, and doesn't have all my accessories. Feedback welcome, though try to not be too harsh!

Most everything should hopefully be somewhat self-explanatory. However, a few notes:

(1) The clip and 1-inch webbing on my shoulder is attached to the upper dump valve. That clip is not meant to be detached. It's easily reachable from either hand.
(2) I may or may-not swap the inflator-hose and dump-valve, but need to try it out in the water.
(3) I'm not 100% sure the rear wing is positioned correctly, but this should hopefully be good enough for my first couple dives.
(4) I'm aware there are better wings, and this one is not well liked (and have discovered why). I got this one at a pretty good discount though, so it should be good enough for getting started.

 

[SlugLife]

1.
2. you can sometimes stuff them under the wing if you clip to the wrapping bungee, but with that type of harness it's probably not the best idea.
3. which wing?
4. I haven't really found any cons to them, and depending on the style you make you can attach it to the left shoulder and have your wing inflator attached to the right side.
5. near the buckle is where they are often found
6. clip to your butt. This works New Rear Backmounted Style Tec Clip
A pair of these would also work since you're using sliding d-rings. It would be less between your legs and more on your butt cheeks Technical Drop Down Ring w/ Teeth
7. like you said, you aren't going to be streamlined any way you skin it, so you're kind of stuck either way.
8. anything clipped to them likes to get caught on things and they're surprisingly difficult to get off and it screws with the buoyancy of the bottles. If you're going to clip stuff there, then you can put a bent d-ring on the lower attachment point which we sometimes use for clipping stage bottles to, but I wouldn't recommend it.

(2) I'm thinking it would be a little awkward to stuff it under the wing with this setup.
(3) Scubapro XTek (I got it at a steep discount)
(4) Only con I can think of, is one more thing to buckle, but that's not a big deal.
(5) Alright, makes sense, near the buckle probably works.
(6) The tec-clip over the butt-cheeks would probably be useful for clipping something like a DSMB. I think I might get that or something close to it. I have a couple drop-Ds of another style used for clipping the butt-pouch.
(7&8) I think I'm going to experiment with it, but also keep in mind that putting stuff on the tanks could cause issues, like you mentioned. I do have some of those d-ring holders that work with hose-clamps, though I strongly suspect the location of the hose-clamps is not ideal for clipping off items.