plate & wing / sidemount / hybrid back & sidemount - sudden BCD death
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the Nomad and SMS100 were not designed for diving with AL80's in sidemount because that is not the mission they were trying to achieve.
The Two Schools of Sidemount Diving Heritage
Mexico rigs evolved because they largely didn't have access to steel cylinders, they dive in warm water, and the caves in general are very shallow so the gas requirements are not the same as they are in Florida. The main and crucial difference is the lower attachment points of the bottles which have to be located much farther forward on the diver.
Florida rigs evolved to squeeze through stuff in cold and deep caves *both cold and deep being relative* and they are designed to "hang" steel cylinders from the back. Yes, you can use AL80's with the Nomad or the SMS100 with no problems in the way the rigs were designed if you put a 4lb lead weight on the tank itself, but that is less than ideal. Yes you can also dive a Nomad or SMS100 with twin 80's and put the d-rings on the hip in an appropriate location so they ride up and into you, but that doesn't change the fact that they are big, expensive, and overkill compared to rigs that will work much better with AL80's if that is the primary goal of your rig.
OP says most of his diving is going to be travelling with 80's, so why buy a $900 rig that is not the right rig for your intended diving when a $400-$500 rig will do a much better job at it? I've dove 80's with my Nomad, I have buddies who have dove 80's with their SMS100's, it can be made to work, but we have those rigs because they are the only rigs on the market that can hold double LP121's with multiple stages which is their primary purpose. I can't recommend either of those rigs in this case because none of what the OP has indicated other than dual bladder and preferably mounting a single tank would lead to those rigs. $900 for a SMS100D, or $1000 for a Hollis Katana AND a Deep Sea Supply backplate/wing. Spend and extra $100, get two rigs, both of which will do their intended purpose *in this case AL80 diving* better than the Nomad or SMS100 could ever hope to.
The Two Schools of Sidemount Diving Heritage
Mexico rigs evolved because they largely didn't have access to steel cylinders, they dive in warm water, and the caves in general are very shallow so the gas requirements are not the same as they are in Florida. The main and crucial difference is the lower attachment points of the bottles which have to be located much farther forward on the diver.
Florida rigs evolved to squeeze through stuff in cold and deep caves *both cold and deep being relative* and they are designed to "hang" steel cylinders from the back. Yes, you can use AL80's with the Nomad or the SMS100 with no problems in the way the rigs were designed if you put a 4lb lead weight on the tank itself, but that is less than ideal. Yes you can also dive a Nomad or SMS100 with twin 80's and put the d-rings on the hip in an appropriate location so they ride up and into you, but that doesn't change the fact that they are big, expensive, and overkill compared to rigs that will work much better with AL80's if that is the primary goal of your rig.
OP says most of his diving is going to be travelling with 80's, so why buy a $900 rig that is not the right rig for your intended diving when a $400-$500 rig will do a much better job at it? I've dove 80's with my Nomad, I have buddies who have dove 80's with their SMS100's, it can be made to work, but we have those rigs because they are the only rigs on the market that can hold double LP121's with multiple stages which is their primary purpose. I can't recommend either of those rigs in this case because none of what the OP has indicated other than dual bladder and preferably mounting a single tank would lead to those rigs. $900 for a SMS100D, or $1000 for a Hollis Katana AND a Deep Sea Supply backplate/wing. Spend and extra $100, get two rigs, both of which will do their intended purpose *in this case AL80 diving* better than the Nomad or SMS100 could ever hope to.
Thanks Tbone, that explains why the contradiction.
Not trolling, as my rig is much closer to the razor without the football wing and I am starting to dive locally so I am wondering if I need to add a butplate to manage steel tanks?
It's been al80s and wetsuit until now.
Not trolling, as my rig is much closer to the razor without the football wing and I am starting to dive locally so I am wondering if I need to add a butplate to manage steel tanks?
It's been al80s and wetsuit until now.
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I originally advocated for butt plates, but we all evolve, and I don't think they are necessary, even for big steel tanks. Have to manage appropriately
Hi all, thanks for all your input, advise and help. I have good news to report:
After some search (nobody wanted to touch it) , I found a shop who was willing to try to repair my punctured Apex Black Ice BCD bladder. Apex informed them it would not be covered under a warranty repair (that would have been nice of course) and they want $175 for a replacement bladder. It seems a shame to ditch a otherwise nice BCD, but I would at this point rather put that money towards something more sturdy. Anyway, Dive Right in Scuba's dry suit repair department agreed to gave it a repair a shot, but only at my risk, because the puncter is too close to the seam for comfort. I picked up the repaired bladder on Friday night, did 6 dives over the weekend and: "No bubbles so far". The repair holds(actually two punctures at 2inch offset - like an icepick going thru at a sharp, shallow angle). Thank you Dive Right!
... and with a working BCD I don't have to head into either BP&wing or sidemount before I really figured it out. The more I read, the less clear the choice seems to become and the more certain one things become: Got to try to be able to decide...
Thanks again for all the input!
After some search (nobody wanted to touch it) , I found a shop who was willing to try to repair my punctured Apex Black Ice BCD bladder. Apex informed them it would not be covered under a warranty repair (that would have been nice of course) and they want $175 for a replacement bladder. It seems a shame to ditch a otherwise nice BCD, but I would at this point rather put that money towards something more sturdy. Anyway, Dive Right in Scuba's dry suit repair department agreed to gave it a repair a shot, but only at my risk, because the puncter is too close to the seam for comfort. I picked up the repaired bladder on Friday night, did 6 dives over the weekend and: "No bubbles so far". The repair holds(actually two punctures at 2inch offset - like an icepick going thru at a sharp, shallow angle). Thank you Dive Right!
... and with a working BCD I don't have to head into either BP&wing or sidemount before I really figured it out. The more I read, the less clear the choice seems to become and the more certain one things become: Got to try to be able to decide...
Thanks again for all the input!
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