Recreational divers, post your rig here, let's share good and bad ideas

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[Allen-1]

View attachment 886591

View attachment 886592

I specifically ASKED you to NOT post those pictures. Payback’s a bitch.

 

[Soloist]

@LI-er, it has been excruciatingly painful waiting for someone to pontificate (endlessly) about the miraculous virtues of diving a backplate and wing configuration, but regrettably it hasn't happened. It appears to me you exhausted the limitations of your jacket BC long ago. My first BC was a rear inflate jacket and I couldn't replace it fast enough. My loathing of it quickly turned into visceral hatred and contempt after diving my first BP/W setup. I would have buried it beneath the sea, but considering the copious amounts of lead required to sink the f-ing thing it was too costly!

DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

A basic DGX backplate/wing/harness package for single tank diving at a value price.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[SelfDiver]

Special thanks to @Tassie_Rohan, without his input on my other thread this one would not have existed.

I've tweaked my rig for the past 4 1/2 decades, being rather OCD I've tended to the smallest details such as the type and size of each clip and the best use of retractors, keeping in mind their inherent unreliability. Note that all retractors confirm to one of my 3 sacred retractor rules as per this thread:

Thread 'Retractor Rules #1 to #3'

Friday at 5:39 PM

I've been tweaking my dive gear set up for the better part of 4 decades. More than I probably need to, more than most divers probably do, especially for a recreational diver. But it's fun! A different sort of clip here, a larger one there, I'll never be able to click that double-ender open while wearing 5mm gloves... a snap clip will be easier and in that location not very likely to snag a piece of monofilament.. wait that brass bolt snap clashes with the chrome D ring, back in the box for you!

But leaving all those precious clips aside for a moment, in my heart there will always be a...

• LI-er
• retractor
• Replies: 38
• Forum: Basic Scuba

• 

Recreational divers only, please feel free to post your own rig here to share your great ideas with other divers, feel free to critique mine and share thoughts, ideas comments & questions.

My rig will differ from many in that: If not diving with my wife or one of very few dive buddies I have learned to trust, I dive solo whenever possible. So in addition to redundant cutting gear, lights, and signaling devices that most recreational divers do not require, I carry a stony bottle on most dives, one reason being that a) I don't have an octopus on my first stage, and b) even on easy, shallow dives, you just never know when you might need it or c) want to extend a dive.

For a more detailed conversation about stony bottles please go here:

Thread 'I finally decided to sling my stony bottle rather than backmount it and I won't go back here's why.'

Feb 20, 2025

After decades of diving with a back mounted stony bottle (19cf and 30 cf) I made the switch to slinging it and I wish I had done so much sooner. With the back mount I could never get the trim right, either too much or too little lead in the opposite pocket to offset the bottle caused a roll tendency throughout the dive and the available weight increments on the charter boat often made it impossible to get just the right amount in that opposite pocket. Sometimes when I didn't require any weight such as no wetsuit and steel tank, I'd have to add up to 4 lbs to offset the bottle, which meant...

• LI-er
• Replies: 17
• Forum: Advanced Scuba

• 

I wear an AI computer on each wrist (one for the stony bottle) so the only gauge is a small backup spg about the size of a nickel (the hose could be a bit shorter).

Mask, fins, snorkel, gloves, booties, save-a-dive-kit, tool kit and gear bag are not included, if you post your own gear you don't need to include those either.

Please refer to the attached photos with file names that correspond to this list. File attachments are limited to a maximum of 5 so I will have to spread them out over 4 posts.

A- Seaquest Balance rear inflate BCD with all gear less stony bottle & camera
B- rig + stony bottle + camera. Note the necklace for stony bottle regulator.
C- camera with tray clipped to upper D rings and also a 3rd ring to clip bottom of camera to waist strap during long periods of non-use. Also visible is lightweight red clip for computer storage between dives and rubber reg holder.
D- reel & SMB clipped to lower right D ring in front of weight pocket.
E- compass/slate/pencil/eraser, backup computer (both on retractors) & Nautilus PLB on coiled (green) lanyard.

This is the coolest set of pictures. What a stroke of luck to see it.
Where is the spare mask?
Do you have a line cutter?
Can you use the lift bag as redundant buoyancy? I would like to see video of that.
Do you not know how to set up a stage/pony/deco bottle? Is DIN available?
Do you take out the shears and oil them?
You have a clip for the reel and a clip for the line on the reel and a clip on the surface marker. There might be better ways but if it works...
The pressure guage is interesting. High friction Miflex hose comes over the shoulder and has a small guage. You have a transmitter pod on the small tank and a Guage on the main tank. The inflator and guage hose are attached to each other. I love everything about it.
And the air horn...chef's kiss

 

[Nemrod]

I am not sure I can unsee what I have seen .

 

[Celt]

The concept comes from cave/wreck penetration where a piece of equipment might cause a diver to get "keyholed." In such a situation, a diver might not be able to reach the trigger of the snap or relieve tension on the snap, and free themselves. The non-metal connection would at least allow them an opportunity to cut the connection and extricate themselves.

i am surprised you didn't know this as a wreck diver.

When did basic recreational divers start penetrating wrecks and caves.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

This is the coolest set of pictures. What a stroke of luck to see it.
Where is the spare mask?
Do you have a line cutter?
Can you use the lift bag as redundant buoyancy? I would like to see video of that.
Do you not know how to set up a stage/pony/deco bottle? Is DIN available?
Do you take out the shears and oil them?
You have a clip for the reel and a clip for the line on the reel and a clip on the surface marker. There might be better ways but if it works...
The pressure guage is interesting. High friction Miflex hose comes over the shoulder and has a small guage. You have a transmitter pod on the small tank and a Guage on the main tank. The inflator and guage hose are attached to each other. I love everything about it.
And the air horn...chef's kiss

But more brass than on a victorian-era steam engine!

 

[Still Kicking]

When did basic recreational divers start penetrating wrecks and caves.

All the time in California ... there's a phenomenon known as lobster fever.

Entanglement can happen in many different environments, different situations. If we could forsee all the pitfalls they would have to take the word accident out of the dictionary.


It's poor judgment to do something the wrong way when you know there's a better way. Worse yet to post pictures online and proclaim it to be the best way.

 

[Chris-Wood]

@LI-er, it has been excruciatingly painful waiting for someone to pontificate (endlessly) about the miraculous virtues of diving a backplate and wing configuration, but regrettably it hasn't happened. It appears to me you exhausted the limitations of your jacket BC long ago. My first BC was a rear inflate jacket and I couldn't replace it fast enough. My loathing of it quickly turned into visceral hatred and contempt after diving my first BP/W setup. I would have buried it beneath the sea, but considering the copious amounts of lead required to sink the f-ing thing it was too costly!

I did mention DIR/GUE/UTD kit config to be fair.

However, that would require OP to throw his entire rig in the bin. And who's to say it would be a permanent change, one snagged suicide clip and he could pull it back out of the trash with a retractor.

 

[SelfDiver]

But more brass than on a victorian-era steam engine!

Brass is great