Ist stage

[Shallow Draft]

does it matter with which way the 1st stage is oriented I have see it both ways.
Does it matter to the air flow through the reg? I know it will work both ways but there must be a correct way.

 

[dbg40]

Ideally, the longer part of the 1st stage should face down, leaving your HP hose, to cross under your left arm, and 1 LP inflator hose to cross over your left shoulder to your BC. And your LP hoses to your regs to cross over your right shoulder.

 

[tangfish]

I mount mine upside down (well, I guess 'non-traditionally') since it allows my hoses to clear the top of my back-inflate bladder while allowing me to keep the tank at the right height relative to the BC. Just depends on your setup, there is no 'right way', just remember that you'll have to reconfigure the hoses coming out of the 1st stage so that they're coming out the right sides if you decide to flip it.

 

[dkktsunami]

does it matter with which way the 1st stage is oriented I have see it both ways.
Does it matter to the air flow through the reg? I know it will work both ways but there must be a correct way.

Don't know if one is more "correct" than the other, but if longer end is pointing downward, this allows more room on top to move your head without bumping into first stage.

 

[Wayward Son]

I'm assuming you mean the turret up or down.

The normal setup is down, but functionally it doesn't matter. I have to mount my Mk5 upside down bc of my AL 100 tanks. The top of the neck on them is very large, compared to an 80, and if I mount the turret down it hits the edge of that area. This puts me at risk for a blown O ring. So I took all the hoses off, flipped it over & hooked them all back up routed where I wanted them.

 

[halocline]

I actually mount mine backwards, so the barrel is on the far side of the tank valve. It's the only way I can keep my head from banging on the 1st stage with the tank mounted at the height that's best for trim. I use a flat backplate (jetharness) so the tank is really close to my back. This actually improved hose routing for me, as the tank is so close that the hoses run a little long. I do get some funny looks from time to time.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I do the same thing with the left hand tank on independent doubles with rented tanks where both will have right hand valves. You invariably get "the look" from someone who assumes you are a newby hooking their reg up backwards.

 

[redacted]

Up, down, or anywhere in between. Whatever minimized the knots on the back of your head and gets your hoses efficiently routed. If you use the 5th LP port on the end of the turret, 30 degrees or so off of down may be necessary for routing the long hose.