Hollis SMS 50, what am I missing?

[DA Aquamaster]

<snort> You left yourself open for this, but maybe they needed a better instructor.

Sorry you and your students didn't like it, but it was light, easy to pack, had an ideal amount of lift for the job, was very clean in the water, and when the existing bungees are replaced with loop bungees it carries the tanks perfectly. I've also found that the SMS 50 trims out very nicely for just about everyone.

The key to good trim with AL tanks is to more or less ignore the short tail plate when using it with AL tanks and just clip them to the D-rings - up high when the tanks are full, and lower when the tails start to float. Provided you leave the shoulder straps long and adjust crotch strap short, you can easily keep the waist strap down on the hips where it needs to be to put the D-rings in the right position for floaty tanks. It's worth noting that steel 72's also get light and the non galvanized variety will float tail high just like and AL 80 or AL 72.

If you need to add a weight, a standard 1 to 3 pound weight will easily fit in the center pocket on the wing. Round weights or 1 pound ingots fit fine in the side pockets.

 

[scuba127]

I have to agree with DA Aquamaster here. I've been diving an SMS 50 for quite awhile now on solo side mount dives. I have modified it by adding one of those stretchy Dive Rite inflator hoses, adding lighter loop bungees in place of the heavier bungees it came with and d rings to the waist belt. I haven't found expelling gas to be a big issue.. I don't recall ever having issues with trapping. The rig trims out nice for me and the tank valves ride right where I want them. The weight pockets are small but my type of diving does not require large amounts of weight so I typically will use 1 or 2lb. soft weights that fit into the pockets okay. I use the bolt snap triangle in open water so I don't have to move the attachment point of the tanks during the dive. I like it.

 

[DevonDiver]

.. it was light, easy to pack, had an ideal amount of lift for the job,

As do most tropic sidemount rigs. It's significantly more heavy than my Deco Sidemount, about the same as my Razor... but with the capability of neither.

... when the existing bungees are replaced with loop bungees...

But it doesn't come with loop bungees. It comes with horrific 12mm independent bungees...

So you need to go shopping for bungee, and do a post-purchase modification.

And there's nowhere ideal to attach the loop bungee... because the shoulder plate is high... and the spine strap area is obstructed... so you end up with the loop bungees running wrong.

The key to good trim with AL tanks is to more or less ignore the short tail plate when using it with AL tanks and just clip them to the D-rings - up high when the tanks are full, and lower when the tails start to float.

Obviously...

To which D-rings are you referring?

SMS50 doesn't come with front & rear waist D-rings... does it?

So you had to modify it...AGAIN.. go and buy more hardware to make it functional...

Provided you leave the shoulder straps long and adjust crotch strap short, you can easily keep the waist strap down on the hips where it needs to be to put the D-rings in the right position for floaty tanks.....

So you have to compromise on the shoulder fit in order to get the waist belt low enough on the hips.... all because they didn't provide an adjustable spine strap config... and went for a soft backplate instead.... as they would/should if you were building a BCD for STEEL cylinders, not aluminium. .

If you need to add a weight, a standard 1 to 3 pound weight will easily fit in the center pocket on the wing. Round weights or 1 pound ingots fit fine in the side pockets.

That'd be great IF most tropical dive centres supplied weights in 1lb ingot form... but they don't.

So you've got two useless pockets and a single pocket behind your head that'll take JUST 3lbs of lead.

Useless....