Need Help With Gear (didnt know were to post)

[bfd_ast]

I am in the process of buying gear and need help. I am looking for a bc that will do single tank on the back and side mount tanks. I am a firefighter and will do recoveries and thought sidemount would be nice in rivers. I looked at the hollis and ranger. Any help would be great!

---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:30 PM ----------

sorry will do ether side mount on single on back. Not at the same time!

 

[Teller]

What? Are you a diver? You know the Ranger is not a sidemount rig right? If I am reading your thread correctly I would recommend you get a DiveRite Nomad. It can do single back mount, double back mount, or sidemount.

 

[FoxHound]

The Hollis sms100 will also do side, single, and twin.

The ranger is more of a single tank BCD

 

[fjpatrum]

No BP/W comments yet? I was under the impression that most folks thought that the best option for side-mount. Is that not correct?

 

[darushin]

The Hollis sms100 will also do side, single, and twin.

The ranger is more of a single tank BCD

I second that. I have the hollis sms100 and it is a good sidemount system that is suitable for beginners.

Daru

 

[BabyDuck]

No BP/W comments yet? I was under the impression that most folks thought that the best option for side-mount. Is that not correct?

no - no plates for sidemount for most folks. i'm sure there are some, but generally no.

 

[Teller]

No BP/W comments yet? I was under the impression that most folks thought that the best option for side-mount. Is that not correct?

With all the rigs out there for sidemount now it makes no sense to buy a BP/W setup and modify it for sidemount. If know sidemount is in your future buy a rig for sidemount. I have only seen a few modified or home made rigs work well and they were made my very experienced sidemount divers. Most rigs made for sidemount have to be modified to some degree out of the box so think about the time and effort it would take to modify a rig not made for sidemount.

 

[Colliam7]

I am looking for a bc that will do single tank on the back and side mount tanks. I am a firefighter and will do recoveries and thought sidemount would be nice in rivers. I looked at the hollis and ranger.

Four comments / thoughts: 1. When you refer to 'side mount' tanks, I am not sure if you mean a true sidemount diving configuration, or simply the ability to sling extra tanks (pony bottles, stage bottles, deco bottles, etc). 2. I wouldn't think that a sidemount configuration is optimal for recoveries. BM single, or double, tank configurations might leave a little more room in front of you, access to pockets, etc. However, if others have experience using SM this way, I would be interested in learning from them. 3. As several have mentioned the Ranger is really not set up for SM configuration, and I wouldn't recommend it if that is (one of) your intended gear configuration(s). It is a great BCD, has plenty of lift which may be useful in recoveries - it is just not a SM-friendly rig. 4. If you are looking for versatility, there are a number of options, including a rig like the Nomad which is intended for SM use, but can be used with single tank set up. Or, you can go with a BP/W, and use an OMS Profile attached to the BP/W for diving a sidemount configuration. I wouldn't recommend that approach to someone planning to dive SM in restricted spaces, but for diving in OW in a SM configuration, it works well.

 

[bfd_ast]

Thanks I am in louisiana and was just looking at side mount diving. I am getting some gear and maybe later I will get a side mount harness. I haven't dove enough to start really considering it just wanted to start planing thanks!

 

[Cave Diver]

I am a firefighter and will do recoveries and thought sidemount would be nice in rivers. I looked at the hollis and ranger. Any help would be great!

If you're looking advice for gear to be used in recovery efforts, I'd suggest you post your questions here: Public Safety Divers