My venture into Sidemount.

[hudson]

How long are the bungees? They come in 3 sizes (without using the choker) 15", 17" and 19". I had 17s initially...they were OK I thought but then carrying the tanks out of the water with the load on the bungees stretched them out about an inch, at that point it was unusable. After that I got them shortened to 15" and it was perfect. The regs are supposed to be just below your armpits so that they don't dig into you or restrict arm movement, but not any lower.

You can experiment with different bungee, but keep in mind the length doesn't translate across different grades... so the thinner/more stretchy the bungee the shorter it should be.

You can also experiment with different attachment points on the back.

BTW, the imbalance could be the result of trapped air. I find it easier to trap air with the Nomad wing compared to my DSS.

 

[Jax]

How long are the bungees? They come in 3 sizes (without using the choker) 15", 17" and 19". I had 17s initially...they were OK I thought but then carrying the tanks out of the water with the load on the bungees stretched them out about an inch, at that point it was unusable. After that I got them shortened to 15" and it was perfect. The regs are supposed to be just below your armpits so that they don't dig into you or restrict arm movement, but not any lower.

You can experiment with different bungee, but keep in mind the length doesn't translate across different grades... so the thinner/more stretchy the bungee the shorter it should be.

You can also experiment with different attachment points on the back.

15" . . . It's a standard DiveRite Bungee. The 1st stages are right about the armpit, but not in the way. See the pic in #203.

Where abouts should the cam straps, ergo, the lower clips, be?

 

[hudson]

Where abouts should the cam straps, ergo, the lower clips, be?

I don't think there is a set position....I've seen people put them anywhere from about halfway up the tank to even lower than where you have them now. Moving them affects three things in my experience:

1) Your overall trim. If the band moves forward, the tank moves back and vice versa. I've always been butt-heavy (w/heavy fins) so I'm generally happy with the bands fairly low and tanks fairly forward.
2) The position of the valves, in line with the above. You don't want them so far back that you can't manipulate them easily or conversely getting in your way.
3) The ease of clipping to the rails and unclipping... but that's a minor concern.

So if you are trimmed out and the valves are where you want them to be I'd leave it alone. You can also play with how far the bands are rotated and how long the lash is (I generally try to maintain it as short as possible so the tanks ride high and tight, but too short and it may be difficult to clip the tank on)

 

[mrmccoy]

When you clip your bungee off where are you clipping it?

 

[Jax]

When you clip your bungee off where are you clipping it?

The bottom D-ring.

 

[mrmccoy]

The bottom D-ring.

I thought your rig only had one d-ring on each shoulder? Are you clipping onto the ring the chest strap attached?

 

[Jax]

I thought your rig only had one d-ring on each shoulder? Are you clipping onto the ring the chest strap attached?

I added the second D-ring when I was wrestling with those @#$%^&* straps, lengthening them.

 

[mrmccoy]

I added the second D-ring when I was wrestling with those @#$%^&* straps, lengthening them.

Oh ok. You may need shorter bungies since the tank necks are hanging so low.
My nomad is setup like dive-aholic's with smaller bungies coming from the 1in d rings on the inside

Are you planning on taking a sidemount course?

 

[Jax]

Oh ok. You may need shorter bungies since the tank necks are hanging so low.
My nomad is setup like dive-aholic's with smaller bungies coming from the 1in d rings on the inside

Are you planning on taking a sidemount course?

Absolutely! When time and money marry up . . .

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Easy way to shorten to bungees is to just tie knots in them... damned things eventually stretch so you they keep getting longer.