Question Show me how you keep gear streamlined [Pics Requested]

[Nemrod]

The best way to keep your gear streamlined is to not carry anything, eliminate anything that hangs especially in front, use a Hogarthian approach to rigging and of course, must I even say it, a minimal wing and simple, appropriate plate to the mission be it textile or metal or whatever. Get rid of hanging and oversized consoles and go to a wrist mounted computer and a simple clipped off spg. Necklace the secondary regulator or if an octopus donation then secure it with a snorkel keeper in the chest area on a D-ring.

I have a D-ring on my crotch strap where it attaches to the plate, that is where my DSMB and spool go. A tiny but bright DGX light clips on the right chest D-ring and slips under bicycle tube retainer loops, a rescue cutter of some sort on my waist strap or LH chest strap and a knife when appropriate also on my left waist strap. I either do long hose donation thus necklacing my secondary or lately for benign vaca tropical diving eliminating the secondary/octopus entirely and using a combo reg/inflator (DGX BCI).

BCs of whatever type that have those adjustable pulls with the plastic and useless one inch D rings on the ends of them and plastic clips, figure out how to get rid of those as they create a forest of dangly plastic D-rings and failure prone connections. In other words, if you are the only person using the rig, why does it need adjustable chest straps?

Or better even, buddy up with an underwater dive shop type buddy, that way they carry everything and I just borrow it from them when and if (never) I need it.

 

[BoltSnap]

In other words, if you are the only person using the rig, why does it need adjustable chest straps?

So you can adjust how far in or out the shoulder straps fit or adjust for different thermal protection suit thickness/type????? You can also adjust how high or low these chest straps are connected for a more customized fit. If you think that you don't need them, you can certainly take them off. It is all about having options.

The best way to keep your gear streamlined is to not carry anything, eliminate anything that hangs especially in front, use a Hogarthian approach to rigging and of course, must I even say it, a minimal wing and simple, appropriate plate to the mission be it textile or metal or whatever. Get rid of hanging and oversized consoles and go to a wrist mounted computer and a simple clipped off spg. Necklace the secondary regulator or if an octopus donation then secure it with a snorkel keeper in the chest area on a D-ring.

I have a D-ring on my crotch strap where it attaches to the plate, that is where my DSMB and spool go. A tiny but bright DGX light clips on the right chest D-ring and slips under bicycle tube retainer loops, a rescue cutter of some sort on my waist strap or LH chest strap and a knife when appropriate also on my left waist strap. I either do long hose donation thus necklacing my secondary or lately for benign vaca tropical diving eliminating the secondary/octopus entirely and using a combo reg/inflator (DGX BCI).

BCs of whatever type that have those adjustable pulls with the plastic and useless one inch D rings on them and plastic clips, figure out how to get rid of those as they create a forest of dangly plastic D-rings and failure prone connections. In other words, if you are the only person using the rig, why does it need adjustable chest straps?

Or better even, buddy up with an underwater dive shop type buddy, that way they carry everything and I just borrow it from them when and if (never) I need it.

How about just carrying the tank under your arm and breathing directly from the valve? You eliminate virtually every dangly and failure point following your logic

 

[johndiver999]

There is no way I would attach the gopro with just a few bungi's. Those things are too expensive to trust to elastic bands, a bolt snap on the bottom of the handle, a wrist lanyard would be viable options in my book.

If you want to add bungi's to keep it from dangling- that might work, but I generally find the elastic bands way too much trouble to re-stow during a dive. In other words, once I remove something like a light, I may reclip the bolt snap, but I just let it dangle for the remainder of the dive. It seems I am always busy with something else during the dive to mess with little bungie straps and they are had to grab anyway.

In any case, I don't trust only bungie cords or inner tube loops for anything by themselves.

 

[Nemrod]

So you can adjust how far in or out the shoulder straps fit or adjust for different thermal protection suit thickness/type????? You can also adjust how high or low these chest straps are connected for a more customized fit. If you think that you don't need them, you can certainly take them off. It is all about having options.




How about just carrying the tank under your arm and breathing directly from the valve? You eliminate virtually every dangly and failure point following your logic

Point 1). I have not found that I would ever use the same BC/wing/plate for all diving from swimsuit to dry suit. I would recommend having multiple sets of gear optimized to those specific requirments. A fit that is custom is by definition a fixed dimension. If it is adjustable then it is not custom fitted but anyone fitted.

Point 2). I have done exactly that, well, I use a bite moutpiece on a hose with an unbalanced mini first stage. Clipped the tank to my weight belt. Worked great and allowed me to sneak past the park rangers and dive the Ichetucknee Blue Hole without getting banned from Florida a fourth time. Whatever works is all I really need and no more.

I am a Hogarthian Minimalist. Plastic D-rings on the ends of dangly adjustable straps, ugggh, horrid, again, why? Because Scubapro, Mares, Cressi, think I need a dozen or more? Or am I allowed to consider why I would need such a thing? At least cut those damn one inch plastic D-rings off the ends of the dangly straps. Most of what I see carried is not needed. And if for a particular dive or cert course if it is, then accommodate it for that purpose.

 

[lexvil]

One could, if overly minimalist, stay out of the water all together…

 

[BoltSnap]

One could, if overly minimalist, stay out of the water all together…

Exactly, especially if considering that any body of water deeper than your toes, can be a death trap!! Stay in bed and stay safe!!!

 

[Sascha314]

I have the same BC (and I own several others including BP/W's) and it is no issue at all. I don't use my BP/W for recreational diving at all anymore. I can adjust the shoulder straps with no issue with or without the light or anything else attached. I have two lights attached, the main one on the right and the backup on the left.

With the Hydros, no need to go to a BP/W for single-tank recreational diving at all, none.

Not sure if you have exactly the same? I have a Seac.

Maybe I just tried it wrong or used the wrong idea to fix the lamp head.

My problem is, that after adjusting the length there is a significant length change before and after this length change mechanism (sorry I do not know the english word for it).
So I cannot put the lamphead into the bungee before adjusting. But if the bungee is loose enough, so I can shift it, it easily gets entangled into this length changing buckle thing (sorry again do not know the english word for it), and that sucks. Or I cannot find it to attach the lamp to it, after I adjusted everything. Even if I managed to do everything right, I find the angle awkward how its hanging down, its different from a bpw fixed webbing.
Maybe it would be better to use a rubber band on the webbing?

I want to go more complex dives, tec diving, hence my wish for a bpw. There I will go for a single webbing. But for a pure easy rec diving I still find it ok to use. So no discussion about that its wrong already by using a bcd...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Ok guys relax, no need to get snarky about minimalist vs maximalist, we're all just here to have fun.
The OP requested info about streamlining his gear so that's what people are trying to do.
Let's not turn this into a Hydros vs BP/W war.
If you're not careful I'll blow up this thread with absolute horrifying pictures of pure minimalism that would give most people heartburn at best and send them into an absolute tailspin, so lets just calm down.

 

[Nemrod]

Exactly, especially if considering that any body of water deeper than your toes, can be a death trap!! Stay in bed and stay safe!!!

Since I am the one who states repeatedly that safety is way overrated let's make a note that most of the extra stuff that is carried is for alleged safety purposes so if safety is your big deal then maybe just stay out of the water. I see no point in adjustable custom fit.

 

[happy-diver]

Like my buddy here but replacing your bum with hers?

If you're not careful I'll blow up this thread with absolute horrifying pictures of pure minimalism that would give most people heartburn at best and send them into an absolute tailspin, so lets just calm down.

Yeah so calm down everyone!