Nomad LS Convert Loop Bungee to Ring Bungee/Loop

[Jim Lapenta]

Bungees are way too long. The cylinders should be up about 4 inches on the top. Those are practically dragging. This is common with some SM divers I've worked with who were trained by less than qualified instructors. It usually takes about 10 minutes in the pool to see if the instructor knew what they were doing. I've often stopped someone as soon as they went under and pulled the bungees up 3-4 inches and they are amazed at the difference. Your chest should be the lowest part. Unless one is really skinny the chest should be an inch below the level of the cylinders. The cylinders in this photo are not in trim. If you were in trim they would be cocked at about a 20 - 30 degree angle. They should be along the line of your body.

 

[Coztick]

Jim's right!
I struggled until switching TO loops.
Once the tension is right, those regs will rise up substantially.
My variation is a single length of bungee rather than 2 separate loops. It allows a little more stretch for wrapping.
Good luck!

 

[_Ralph]

Hello,

I have a Nomad LS sidemount system. It came pre-configured to attach my tanks using the loop bungee only. After several dives with this setup, I have found that the tanks always slip out when I am vertical (usually towards end of ascent), quick turn, or when on my back (long surface swim), which is extremely frustrating. I would like to switch over to the ring bungee/ring loop configuration so my tanks are clipped in. I am having a difficult time finding documentation, videos, or any other instruction on how exactly to do this. Is there anything anyone can point me to?

Thanks in advance!

Mark

I use both on my Nomad for CCR ... Ring on the CCR, Loop on the tank.

Simplest way, is to choke the 2" ring with your bungee (and tighten it up a lot!, like to the edge of the wing to start with) ... saves rethreading the loop through however it is currently rigged.


_R

 

[though13]

Bungees are way too long. The cylinders should be up about 4 inches on the top. Those are practically dragging. This is common with some SM divers I've worked with who were trained by less than qualified instructors. It usually takes about 10 minutes in the pool to see if the instructor knew what they were doing. I've often stopped someone as soon as they went under and pulled the bungees up 3-4 inches and they are amazed at the difference. Your chest should be the lowest part. Unless one is really skinny the chest should be an inch below the level of the cylinders. The cylinders in this photo are not in trim. If you were in trim they would be cocked at about a 20 - 30 degree angle. They should be along the line of your body.

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it. I have been asking around a lot, and I think an issue might just be that I am not actually wrapping the top correctly at all. All I am doing is just pulling the bungee over the handle/knob - nothing more. I am finding that I should be passing it *around* the neck first? I know that isn't 4 inches, but would make a big difference I think. I can't find anything about how to actually, properly, attach the top using bungee loops. Does anyone have a picture they could share?

Sorry - I feel this is way easier than I am making it, but clearly I am doing something wrong and it is causing a great deal of frustration.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it. I have been asking around a lot, and I think an issue might just be that I am not actually wrapping the top correctly at all. All I am doing is just pulling the bungee over the handle/knob - nothing more. I am finding that I should be passing it *around* the neck first? I know that isn't 4 inches, but would make a big difference I think. I can't find anything about how to actually, properly, attach the top using bungee loops. Does anyone have a picture they could share?

Sorry - I feel this is way easier than I am making it, but clearly I am doing something wrong and it is causing a great deal of frustration.

Just going around the knob is fine. That's how I run mine. Wrapping around might make sense if you are setting the rig up for diving with a thin wetsuit and drysuit. Having them a little longer might help to do that when switching to the wetsuit. But not anywhere near as long as those are. When my bungees are not loaded, the 3/16 size ones are approximately at the back curve of my ribcage. They stretch enough thanks to the bolt snaps to grab so that the valves are up in my armpits when loaded. Using one of my other rigs that have 1/4 inch ones, they are maybe an inch longer. Harder to stretch but pull the valves up into the same place. It should take a little effort to get them around the handle. Not so much that you can't do it, but enough that it isn't very easy also.
Try to find an instructor that actually dives sidemount for most of their dives. I use it even for OW checkouts. Just because someone has a card that says they can teach it, doesn't mean they actually can. It might be that they attended a weekend workshop on one rig that allowed them to get the card to teach the class to the bare minimums to improve their income stream. I personally own 6 different rigs and dive them all. I've also used other rigs that I don't own but know how to set up as a result of having a bit of experience with various rigs in everything from a t shirt to a drysuit with multiple stages.

 

[mdwalter]

Hello,

I have a Nomad LS sidemount system. It came pre-configured to attach my tanks using the loop bungee only. After several dives with this setup, I have found that the tanks always slip out when I am vertical (usually towards end of ascent), quick turn, or when on my back (long surface swim), which is extremely frustrating. I would like to switch over to the ring bungee/ring loop configuration so my tanks are clipped in. I am having a difficult time finding documentation, videos, or any other instruction on how exactly to do this. Is there anything anyone can point me to?

Thanks in advance!

Mark

The "cheap & easy" way to convert loop bungee to ring bungee is shorten the bungee loop to the correct length (as others have noted, yours are WAY too long), then girth hitch the bungee loop to a 2" ring and use a double ender to clip the ring to your chest D ring.
The "expensive" but still easy way is to buy the ring bungee system, replace the loop bungees with it, and repurpose the bungee loops for other things (numerous other uses for surplus lengths of bungee in SCUBA).

Then, on the tanks, either install a normal stage kit or upgrade your bottom clip only setup with a top clip as others have described (which you will need anyway if you ever want use your loop bungee system to jump off a boat or walk on land with tanks attached and not flopping around and/or falling off).

Then, just clip the top to the ring and the bottom to your rails or drop D ring (or whatever you normally clip the bottom to). The ring system will bear the weight of the tank when standing up, on your back, etc. and as soon as you get horizontal prone in the water the bungee pulls the tanks right up where they belong (the key being you shortened the bungee enough).