That's ignoring the tanks that are in the bands and manifolds.
You are ignoring the spirit of
THIS thread. Yes, I'm ignoring the tanks already in bands and manifolds, because they would not exist in the OPs case. There is no tied up fundage anywhere.
FWIW, tanks can come outta them bands. I broke all mine down just fine when I decided it wasn't financially feasable for me to keep two different kits. This is not the case of this thread.
beanojones:
Before I gave up backmount, I had several thousands dollars tied up in tanks that could only be used for doubles BM. Now every tank I have can be used at any time.
Those tanks were certainly broken down and used for SM, were they not? If not, thats on you.
beanojones:
The difference in cost is enormous. Additionally sidemount reg sets (depending on the setup) are just deco reg sets, so there is the reg being reused.
The cost difference is pretty enormous.
Setup specifics make a difference. A BM set of regulators takes only a few little changes to become a SM set of regs. Enormous costs? Not at all, not by even my cheap standards.
SM bcd is typically cheaper then wing/plate
Then canuk prices are atypical, thats not the normality anywhere else.
and like you mentioned manifold/bands then two or four tanks independently devoted to bm!
This is a one or the other comparison, both setups require tanks. Tank setups for SM are only insignificantly cheaper than BM due to the manifold and bands(and in SM, you're still buying connection hardware of some sort - can be as cheap as hose clamps or as expensive as SS hardware cambands; and all the clips to go with it).
So let's say $80-100 on the bcd $300-600 on the manifold and bands and then $350-900 on the tanks so added up on the low end your looking at about 700$ difference
If these numbers are correct, then canada is way off the pricing map. Tanks are necessary with both SM and BM, so thats a wash.
Also with shore entry you can carry your sm tanks and place them in knee deep water (conditions considered) then go get te rest of your stuff and go gear up in the water where bm u have to wear your gear in. Yes it's more trips but some of the older guys prefer brining it down in stages then strap on your back and go
Again that's all my opinion and the prices I see
This is only the case if you're diving in some placid lake or spring, this does not apply to the most common shore diving conditions.