ManImCool
Registered
I recently acquired a Mares MR22T 1st stage with Abyss 2nd stage (specifically bought the sets in this thread) and after diving them for a week, absolutely love them.
However, despite shifting the tank bands/tank as much as possible, I constantly find myself hitting the back of my head on the 1st stage when lifting my head. It looks like if I were to simply turn the 1st stage upside down, I'd no longer have any issues with hitting my head on it. I use a BP/W setup.
I thought turning the 1st stage upside down would be a simple affair until I realized that the primary 2nd stage is hooked up to a 1/2" port on the first stage, not the standard 3/8" port. The 3 remaining low pressure ports are 3/8". There is no 1/2" port on the other side of the 1st stage that I can use if I were to flip it upside down.
Which leads me to some questions:
Does my first stage or primary Abyss 2nd stage require the use of the larger 1/2" port? If so, why?
If not, can I simply use some sort of 1/2" 3/8" adapter from DGX (whether located at the 1st stage connection or the 2nd stage/mouthpiece connection), or would that not work? Any other options?
If I can use the Abyss 2nd stage on a 3/8" port, are there any downsides to using the smaller size, whether merely a mild annoyance to a serious life-threatening danger?
Finally - if I'm stuck with the 2nd stage being forever mated with the 1/2" on that one side, are there any realistic hose routing options if I were to turn the 1st stage upside down anyway and have my 2nd stages sticking out from my left? I'm currently using the traditional 2nd stage/octo hose length setup taught in PADI, but am open to changing to primary donate configuration if it gives me better options.
Thanks!
However, despite shifting the tank bands/tank as much as possible, I constantly find myself hitting the back of my head on the 1st stage when lifting my head. It looks like if I were to simply turn the 1st stage upside down, I'd no longer have any issues with hitting my head on it. I use a BP/W setup.
I thought turning the 1st stage upside down would be a simple affair until I realized that the primary 2nd stage is hooked up to a 1/2" port on the first stage, not the standard 3/8" port. The 3 remaining low pressure ports are 3/8". There is no 1/2" port on the other side of the 1st stage that I can use if I were to flip it upside down.
Which leads me to some questions:
Does my first stage or primary Abyss 2nd stage require the use of the larger 1/2" port? If so, why?
If not, can I simply use some sort of 1/2" 3/8" adapter from DGX (whether located at the 1st stage connection or the 2nd stage/mouthpiece connection), or would that not work? Any other options?
If I can use the Abyss 2nd stage on a 3/8" port, are there any downsides to using the smaller size, whether merely a mild annoyance to a serious life-threatening danger?
Finally - if I'm stuck with the 2nd stage being forever mated with the 1/2" on that one side, are there any realistic hose routing options if I were to turn the 1st stage upside down anyway and have my 2nd stages sticking out from my left? I'm currently using the traditional 2nd stage/octo hose length setup taught in PADI, but am open to changing to primary donate configuration if it gives me better options.
Thanks!
