I'm wondering why it isn't more common for people to use side mount style can lights in lieu of the normal can light setup. Besides the 7' hose routing (tucking under the can), is there any big reason to not use side mount cans and route the light cord across the back, over the left shoulder, and then to your left hand?
Can Light - Sidemount Style for Hose Routing Purposes
- Thread starter zapnyc
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I'm curious what the cave divers will say. What I've seen from a few cave divers is that they have the canister on their lower back.
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mine is butt mounted so I have a rather long cord compared to normal.
when diving backmount, the issue with butt mounting is the doubles sitting on the canister itself which is obviously not ideal, especially when on a boat. One solution is to mount it like I do under the crotch strap, but it's still not comfortable when sitting.
for those that use standard length hoses and mount in their lower back which is a common placement for the canisters, the use of sidemount gland in backmount is a non issue. You can just as easily mount the canister in the normal waist strap location for backmount and use it as is. Mounting it in the small of the back is a no-go for this since the cord won't be long enough and it would be under the tanks, so just put it in the standard spot and call it a day
when diving backmount, the issue with butt mounting is the doubles sitting on the canister itself which is obviously not ideal, especially when on a boat. One solution is to mount it like I do under the crotch strap, but it's still not comfortable when sitting.
for those that use standard length hoses and mount in their lower back which is a common placement for the canisters, the use of sidemount gland in backmount is a non issue. You can just as easily mount the canister in the normal waist strap location for backmount and use it as is. Mounting it in the small of the back is a no-go for this since the cord won't be long enough and it would be under the tanks, so just put it in the standard spot and call it a day
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where are you suggesting putting the can?
so some of this is also historical. Now, many canisters are coming out with switches on the light heads themselves, this was not the case in the early adoption of canister lights, so in addition to having the canister as a place to tuck the long hose *though canisters predate the long hose*, it allowed you to use the switch with an unencumbered hand. Remember how big a lot of these light heads were/are.
Light in the left hand is nice because it is your non-dominant hand, so when doing reel work, writing in wet-notes, etc. you don't have to pass the light around or risk have it flashing about making other divers think you are in trouble.
Light crossing the body tends to allow you to have a bit longer of a reach with the cord without it getting messy. The long hose traps the cord to keep it from dangling, but also allows you to move your arms freely without having too much slack to get in the way or wrap around your body
Canister on the left would put it in a conflicting location with argon bottles. Those typically are on the left to keep with standard hose routing paradigms where the drysuit hose comes from the left post and under the left shoulder.
Butt mounted would put it at risk of getting crushed. With latched canister designs this is especially problematic. Not that doubles are heavy enough to actually crush a canister, but with enough velocity, they can certainly cause a crack and severely damage the latches. Also requires a longer than standard cord and if run over the shoulder, would put it as a potential interference with the inflator hoses which are typically moved to the left or right hip in sidemount.
that help at all?
so some of this is also historical. Now, many canisters are coming out with switches on the light heads themselves, this was not the case in the early adoption of canister lights, so in addition to having the canister as a place to tuck the long hose *though canisters predate the long hose*, it allowed you to use the switch with an unencumbered hand. Remember how big a lot of these light heads were/are.
Light in the left hand is nice because it is your non-dominant hand, so when doing reel work, writing in wet-notes, etc. you don't have to pass the light around or risk have it flashing about making other divers think you are in trouble.
Light crossing the body tends to allow you to have a bit longer of a reach with the cord without it getting messy. The long hose traps the cord to keep it from dangling, but also allows you to move your arms freely without having too much slack to get in the way or wrap around your body
Canister on the left would put it in a conflicting location with argon bottles. Those typically are on the left to keep with standard hose routing paradigms where the drysuit hose comes from the left post and under the left shoulder.
Butt mounted would put it at risk of getting crushed. With latched canister designs this is especially problematic. Not that doubles are heavy enough to actually crush a canister, but with enough velocity, they can certainly cause a crack and severely damage the latches. Also requires a longer than standard cord and if run over the shoulder, would put it as a potential interference with the inflator hoses which are typically moved to the left or right hip in sidemount.
that help at all?
Caveeagle
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Butt mounting the can light used to be very common with the old 90's vintage Dive Rite cans. They could take the abuse of potentially having doubles set on them. I started off using an AUW Lexan can light mounted on the right waist. That can is huge. Just a little shorter than an AL30. ..On the right waist strap with the cord around the right arm.
The two options I'm comparing are:
1. Traditional method of can on right hip, light in left hand, cord routed across the chest (whether over or under 7' hose).
2. Can mounted on right side attached to backplate and against right ribcage, light in left hand, cord routed around back/shoulder.
1. Traditional method of can on right hip, light in left hand, cord routed across the chest (whether over or under 7' hose).
2. Can mounted on right side attached to backplate and against right ribcage, light in left hand, cord routed around back/shoulder.
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1. always under so you can have proper unimpeded deployment of the long hose
2. this could cause problems with wing inflation resulting in imbalanced trip, and also make your right shoulder rather cluttered. You'd have the corrugated hose, LPI, secondary, primary, and light cord all around your neck, so it could get a little interesting back there. No reason you can't try it, so let us know what you think about it
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