Minimalist Setup for Small River Diving (~15ft or less)?

[SlugLife]

This is a minimalistic setup for warm and shallow water. Used this last saturday.

View attachment 672047

A nearly neutrally buoyant cylinder with approx 49 cuft of air (AL80 would be fine too), 1st, 2nd, SPG, snoopy loops, cutting device(s).
You can't share any gas with this but as the intended max depth is 30 feet one can always just swim to the surface. You need to be proficient in controlled emergency swimming ascents.
No buoyancy issues whatsoever.

Note though that there is no exposure protection (helmet missing!) and that the bare skin is exposed to whatever chemicals or bacteria there might be in the water. Do not have/get cuts. Note that there is nothing to keep you floating would you experience a medical emergency or end up in the rapids. Rivers do not come without risks.
Ask local divers for guidance.

That's a fantastic minimalist example.

For my specific use-case, I'll be lifting all kinds of loot off the bottom, so I'll want to have both hands free.

A few minor updates:

• I am starting to lean more towards single-sidemount, as I gain more SM experience. The harness is fairly light, flexible and streamlined. It's nice being able to quickly attach & detatch the tank the the purposes of transporting gear.
• My backplate setup shown bungeed (oversized wing) earlier also worked out quite well in my tests in a lake. It feels much nicer after, and there are no significant trim or buoyancy issues with it that way.
• I haven't dove the rivers yet, but did happen to meet some people who had. They said they go through very little air in those rivers and hadn't faced any significant entanglement hazards. Current isn't a problem for them. Also that visibility is good, unless there's an OW class in a certain area of the river.