Nomad XT rigging/adjustments feedback appreciated

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I have Transpac, and buttplate, and that's it so far. Can it be turned into a Nomad, or am I just being stupid by trying to get away with not spending money on a purpose built setup?

DiveRite sells everything you need to turn the Transpac into the Nomad, which is based on the Transpac.

 

[spatman]

So how'd class go? You coming on Saturday?

aside from the totally craptastic viz, the class was great. Dan helped me figure out some weight placement to improve my trim, and we ran through several OOG and shutdown drills, all of which went very smoothly. there are a few tweaks i'll make to the rig before diving it next, such as adding those loop bungees.

unfortunately, i won't be there saturday, but i will be coming up the following weekend. are you around?

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

Using bungee loops instead of the stock bungee decreases the chances of this happening. I won't say it won't happen at all, but it hasn't happened to me since I started using loops. That being said, you still need something that will keep the cylinder from pulling away too far from you if you do happen to drop it and it does need to be more secure than a bungee wrapped around the valve handle. Also, the static cord/snap bolt holds they cylinders in place while you are getting the rest of the cylinder and hoses in place.

I understand that and do use loop bungees myself and that is why I said 2 out of the several times I played with putting my tanks out front did one fall out. I wont use the static lines unless I know I will have to unclip one of my tanks but it is nice to know they are for something because they damn sure wont work as a primary clipoff point for my bottles.

 

[Dive-aholic]

He means this link:

http://chipoladivers.com/category/rig-modifications/

which was originally posted as

http://www.http.com//chipoladivers.com/category/rig-modifications/

Also, dammit I wish I lived in cave country to have you teach me sidemount. Since I have to teach myself, do you have any ideas on how to make things work. I have Transpac, and buttplate, and that's it so far. Can it be turned into a Nomad, or am I just being stupid by trying to get away with not spending money on a purpose built setup?

I never go overhead (other than deco), and the only reason for me to do it is just because. Somewhere down the road the thought is that older divers will one day all dive side mount (or at least monkey), as will intro divers, and I might as well figure out how to do it now both for and for tourists.

Also, does it make sense to compare monkey diving with sidemount diving??

(sorry for the thread high jack but)

You can make a sidemount rig out of most soft harness systems and a small to moderate size wing. I just made a couple for a trip my wife and I are about to go on and didn't see the need for our Nomads. I will post several photos in about a week or so when we return from our trip.

Monkey diving is similar to sidemount diving. Initially, it was more like stage diving without backmounted cylinders, but when I do it I secure the cylinder just like I secure my sidemount cylinders. Only difference is I only have one. Again, photos to come in about a week and a half.

 

[beanojones]

DiveRite sells everything you need to turn the Transpac into the Nomad, which is based on the Transpac.

Do go on... (I can buy Dive Rite, would rather make do with bits I already own since I cannot use this for work at all, and I might just be going through a phase.)

Lots of places talk DIR on the internet, so that's easy. But I am not finding much about sidemount yet.

Lemme ask you this: Can I make a regular wing work somehow? Can I make do with stage rigging with a bungie added to pull the tank under my arm to start with?

What tanks do you use?

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

People were diving regular wings before the Nomad wings were brought out successfully. You may have to add tabs to keep the sides of the wing down instead of taco'ing.

Yes, you can make do with stage rigging and a homemade bungie rig.

I use LP95s and LP72s primarily, but have used LP120s, HP130s, and AL80s too.

 

[beanojones]

So you can make it work with pretty negative tanks, just by attaching things tight?

Is the buttplate a necessity? or is that more to extend the bottom attachment point down more to try and level out the tanks?

 

[CWSWine]

So you can make it work with pretty negative tanks, just by attaching things tight?

Is the buttplate a necessity? or is that more to extend the bottom attachment point down more to try and level out the tanks?

When I dive AL80 I just attach them to the d-rings on the side then move them to front d-rings around 1400 psi or when the they start to float. When I attach them to the butt plate I have to use a longer leash off the bottom connection and it makes the AL80 harder to trim when they get light. Now for steel tanks I use the longer leash and attach them to the butt plate and leave them there for the entire dive. Just have to figure out what works best for you.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

So you can make it work with pretty negative tanks, just by attaching things tight?

Is the buttplate a necessity? or is that more to extend the bottom attachment point down more to try and level out the tanks?

The buttplate isnt' necessary, but it makes life easy.

 

[spatman]

in a vain attempt at bringing this thread back on topic, i have a new video i would like some feedback on.

since the last video, i've changed a few things on my rig:

• added the loop bungess Rob mentioned
• lowered the positioning of the d-rings
• positioned the spgs to point up from the first stages
• added a trim weight to the buttplate because i was a bit head heavy
• shortened the inflator hoses

but of course, there's still plenty of things that need more work. here's what i'm noticing both from diving the rig and the videos:

• the first stages seem to still be too low and forward
• the loop bungees are attached to the small d-rings on inner part of the backpad and i can feel the bungees dig into my sides when the tanks are slung. i'm considering tying them to the small d-rings on the back of the rig.
• the spgs angle down and get in the way, i might go back to the way i had them before (see first video)
• my left post reg hose is a bit long and flops around a bit behind my head when in use, and hangs too low when stowed. a shorter hose and 90* angle is on order.
• i'm going to add a 90* angle to my long hose reg as well

that's about all i can think of right now. comments on the video or my plan of action is appreciated.

thanks.

[video=vimeo;26603597]http://vimeo.com/26603597[/video]