Looking for Sidemount kit (APEKS, SP, etc)

[decompression]

The 100D is a beast.......not something you'd take anywhere but deep cold water caves. When it comes to redundant buoyancy you can't beat a drysuit. I've seen the Hollis regs packaged for SM at pretty good prices. The deal is decent and support from Cave Adv is awesome.

 

[mikem17]

The 100D is a beast.......not something you'd take anywhere but deep cold water caves. When it comes to redundant buoyancy you can't beat a drysuit. I've seen the Hollis regs packaged for SM at pretty good prices. The deal is decent and support from Cave Adv is awesome.

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback. I'll consider the size and may ask about the SMS75 as well.

 

[ffdiver]

When all you had the choice between the SMS100, nomad or armadillo the 100 made sense. But there are far better rigs out on the market today.

There is a reason that cave adventures offers modification services for the 100.

If you are looking for that type of rig, the 75, contour and the HOG bcd all dive similar. And each has the same disadvantages and advantages.

 

[guruboy]

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback. I'll consider the size and may ask about the SMS75 as well.

I don't think there is dual bladder for the 75.

 

[mikem17]

I don't think there is dual bladder for the 75.

Yeah, I'll ask my instructor about the 75/100 to determine if he, in fact, will require me to have the dual bladder.

 

[Patoux01]

I'd personally stay away from a SMS100 as well... It's really large, only works properly when quite heavily modded, .... There's really better out there IMO.

 

[mikem17]

I'd personally stay away from a SMS100 as well... It's really large, only works properly when quite heavily modded, .... There's really better out there IMO.

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

Would your answer change based on the deal I'm getting?

$1100 for SMS100d + DCX/200LX reg set + hoses/spgs?

 

[guruboy]

Do a search for what the resale value of a used 100D is. Subtract that from $1100. Decide if you're willing to pay that much for the Hollis regs.

 

[mikem17]

Do a search for what the resale value of a used 100D is. Subtract that from $1100. Decide if you're willing to pay that much for the Hollis regs.

That's a fair way to look at it. A couple that I've found are in the 400-500 range. So am I willing to pay 600-700 for a side mount reg set that retails for $1300? I mean, it still sounds like a good deal...

Ultimately, I really don't know though. That's why I'm reaching out for feedback. For $1100 this seems like a great deal, but I welcome any suggestions on what might be a better deal for $1k ish.

 

[victorzamora]

The Hollis SM regs new all-up cost more than the quote he got for the regs+SMS100D....I'd say it's not hard math. Essentially a free SMS100D. One site has the 200LX sidemount kit at $2400 by itself.

OP: To answer your question why the SMS100 isn't commonly advised yet the SMS75 is: The SMS100 simply doesn't work right without some fairly extensive modifications. The Cave Adventurers modifications include routing the inflator up from the bottom (crucial for inflator hose routing), changing the lift distribution of the wing (crucial for staying flat and trim in the water), swapping to an "Old-School" style bungee (for better tank valve positioning), swapping out the stock door handles (tanks slide around a lot on the stock ones, which isn't good), and a few things that are comfort-based that I consider less crucial.

As for it being hard to pack, I think it's much ado about nothing. The SMS100 takes up square-footage in a bag, so there's kind of a minimum size....but it packs very flat. I've never had an issue flying with it, and I've done so many times.