Side-mounting 2 different sizes (ex: 80cu & 40cu).

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My "dive buddy" doesn't wait, so it's either solo, or not diving at all. I'm getting a pony as a sort of insurance & not because I've ever felt I needed it or intend to use it. I've never (yet) had a dive, where I ended up with less than 500psi at the surface. I understand why people caution against using pony-bottles. The purpose of a pony is NOT to start doing more dangerous dives, or careless monitoring of air. I already have several regulators, so why not spend less than $175 to have some extra insurance if I can afford it?

The only time I ever see me using the pony is an extreme emergency, or a casual minimal-equipment dive 30ft or less.
 
Check out SUMP UK for harness hardware. Hang on to your wallet. It isn't that his pieces are expensive (they are not), but he keeps making better ones - why? he must be having fun. It is easy to end up with more than you need and then they get gifted to a new SM diver. That is how I discovered SUMP UK (thanks Mel).

I have a backyard shop and have made my own in aluminum plates and pieces (drill press, scroll saw, file, sandpaper), but his are really nice and well designed in SS.

I disagree wholeheartedly that SM is really only for technical diving. Pick the appropriate tanks (and air volume) for the planned dive. My shore dives are now almost always paired 40s. Almost like not even wearing a tank, and more than enough gas for the buddy(s) I'm with. Comfortable redundancy, trimmed and balanced weight.

BM and sidemounted pony (I've done it with anything from a 13 - 80 cuft Al) is hands down more comfortable and less clutter, IMHO, than BM and slinging it. I have done both. The slung tank keeps swinging and isn't as tight to my torso, whereas the sidemounted one is just tight and out-of-the-way. I am playing with my camera all the time and the slung tank was always getting in the way - no matter the method used. Hard mounting the pony to the BM is another common way, but has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

When carrying more than one tank, is the second tank an emergency only supply or is it a dive extender supply? However the dive starts is how the tanks should be managed for the ENTIRE dive.

Lastly, there is SOLO diving (you enter, exit, and dive all by yourself), self-reliant diving (you have a buddy, but have full redundancy in equipment and skills), solo diving with (or as) an impediment which is buddy diving with one of the buddies dependent on the other, and of course true buddy (team) diving. Bless you if you can always do the latter.
 
My dive sites are primarily inland lakes/quarries where the rest are walk in entries. I leave my tanks in the water between dives as I can get two recreational dives out of one set of tanks. My LP50s are fabulous for recreational diving. And it’s just easier on the legs/back/sciatica.
 
I'll go one more post on why SM isn't just for Tech. I'm finishing up reading The Cave Divers, by Robert F. Burgess and it is amazing how many of our standard OW configurations started out as solutions to problems in cave diving. Just because the octopus (multiple ports on the regulator 1st stage), alternate air source (the extra second stage), long hose, BC, and alternate air clips (to name just a few) were originally developed for issues cave divers experienced doesn't mean that any modern diver doesn't accept these as mainstream OW configurations now. So why would we consider SM as Tech only. It wasn't long ago that a BP/W was almost exclusively Tech. It is just the evolution of the sport. Innovations happen primarily in the higher risk, more complicated areas of diving - and then get adapted (to everyone's benefit) into recreational diving.
 
Congratulations on starting on the sidemount journey. It's not an easy one, but it's also a great fit for someone who like to tinker with their kit.

+100 to the comment about how expensive harness hardware can get. I spent considerably more building out my own rig than I ever would have buying a good sidemount rig and modifying it to better suit me. It was rewarding, but also an utter PITA. I wouldn't do it again when I could instead start with a solid tech rig and mod it.

Also +100 to getting a really skilled sidemount diver to teach you. Sidemount can do a lot of diving if one's skills and willingness can keep up. And few divers look as good in the water as a really dialed in sidemount diver, and few divers are more frustrating to dive with than a sidemount diver who is a hot mess.
 
I pulled the trigger today on a 19cu! I'll get it setup later.

You mean "sling" the pony. There's a real difference. The attachments are different, the positioning is different. The purpose is different.

I would be cautious about solo diving if your profile is correct and you only have 25-49 dives, maybe seek some training in that area. The whole premise of standard recreational OW diving is the buddy system, and carrying a pony does not solve all the problems that solo divers can face. Many new divers get pulled in the direction of carrying an emergency bottle, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with doing so, it is not the safety panacea that many think it is.

I'm sorry to harp on you, and I don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm, but once you start talking about dive safety and solo diving, that's a different topic.

You can buy the pony, rig the sling, get some experience carrying an extra tank, all these things are fun and not a problem, but if it pushes you to do a dive that you would not do without the pony, that is a problem IMO for a new diver with no technical or solo training. That's just my opinion, give it whatever worth you want.

Here's something you actually asked for, instead of being called out. (Again, sorry about that)
This guy has a lot of specialty fittings and useful stuff:
Harness Accessories Piranha Dive Shop |

Wow, there are a lot of nicely priced good looking designs there. I love to customize, experiment, mod, tweak, etc so this is a little bit of a dream-come-true. I'll have to create a shopping-cart worth of items, and then check back here.

What I mean is sling the pony in a side-mount-style-configuration, so it's detachable, streamlined, not flopping everywhere, the reg is tucked away in elastic bands, etc.

I'll go one more post on why SM isn't just for Tech. I'm finishing up reading The Cave Divers, by Robert F. Burgess and it is amazing how many of our standard OW configurations started out as solutions to problems in cave diving. Just because the octopus (multiple ports on the regulator 1st stage), alternate air source (the extra second stage), long hose, BC, and alternate air clips (to name just a few) were originally developed for issues cave divers experienced doesn't mean that any modern diver doesn't accept these as mainstream OW configurations now. So why would we consider SM as Tech only. It wasn't long ago that a BP/W was almost exclusively Tech. It is just the evolution of the sport. Innovations happen primarily in the higher risk, more complicated areas of diving - and then get adapted (to everyone's benefit) into recreational diving.
I can't wait to try sidemount. I'm aware there may be a learning curve, but it looks amazing even for a rec-diver like myself.


Check out SUMP UK for harness hardware. Hang on to your wallet. It isn't that his pieces are expensive (they are not), but he keeps making better ones - why? he must be having fun. It is easy to end up with more than you need and then they get gifted to a new SM diver. That is how I discovered SUMP UK (thanks Mel).

I have a backyard shop and have made my own in aluminum plates and pieces (drill press, scroll saw, file, sandpaper), but his are really nice and well designed in SS.

I disagree wholeheartedly that SM is really only for technical diving. Pick the appropriate tanks (and air volume) for the planned dive. My shore dives are now almost always paired 40s. Almost like not even wearing a tank, and more than enough gas for the buddy(s) I'm with. Comfortable redundancy, trimmed and balanced weight.

BM and sidemounted pony (I've done it with anything from a 13 - 80 cuft Al) is hands down more comfortable and less clutter, IMHO, than BM and slinging it. I have done both. The slung tank keeps swinging and isn't as tight to my torso, whereas the sidemounted one is just tight and out-of-the-way. I am playing with my camera all the time and the slung tank was always getting in the way - no matter the method used. Hard mounting the pony to the BM is another common way, but has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

When carrying more than one tank, is the second tank an emergency only supply or is it a dive extender supply? However the dive starts is how the tanks should be managed for the ENTIRE dive.

Lastly, there is SOLO diving (you enter, exit, and dive all by yourself), self-reliant diving (you have a buddy, but have full redundancy in equipment and skills), solo diving with (or as) an impediment which is buddy diving with one of the buddies dependent on the other, and of course true buddy (team) diving. Bless you if you can always do the latter.
Does SUMP UK have a website? Or a catalog? The only thing I found was a facebook page and I HATE fb with a passion & refuse to use it.

I'd love to DIY some pieces, if I had the space for a proper workshop.

I'm definitely in on SM-style, instead of just slinging, or BM the pony. Specifically, (1) slinging leave the bottle flopping around unnecessarily & (2) BM-pony would not be detachable, and has another reg & spg going over my shoulder.

For a 19 cu tank, it would definitely emergency-only, not a dive-extender. It would be a silly dive-extender at that, given SM 2x80s is so much better. Filling the 19cu would also cost $.
Congratulations on starting on the sidemount journey. It's not an easy one, but it's also a great fit for someone who like to tinker with their kit.

+100 to the comment about how expensive harness hardware can get. I spent considerably more building out my own rig than I ever would have buying a good sidemount rig and modifying it to better suit me. It was rewarding, but also an utter PITA. I wouldn't do it again when I could instead start with a solid tech rig and mod it.

Also +100 to getting a really skilled sidemount diver to teach you. Sidemount can do a lot of diving if one's skills and willingness can keep up. And few divers look as good in the water as a really dialed in sidemount diver, and few divers are more frustrating to dive with than a sidemount diver who is a hot mess.

Part of the reason I haven't pulled the trigger on SM hardware yet, is because I haven't yet had the time to look into the pros & cons of each setup, harness style, etc.
 
This guy has a lot of specialty fittings and useful stuff:
Harness Accessories Piranha Dive Shop |

Question: Would securing a sidemount wing to my existing backplate pose any notable problems? Now, it probably makes more sense to just use the $23 sidemount plates below, but I'm curious what people think of the idea.

Here is tentative my shopping list so far:
I have a bunch of other clips, d rings, triglides, straps, etc already although if people have suggestions, I'm interested. I might as well buy everything at once, to save on shipping costs.

I'd just a sidemount bladder then.
 
I'll go one more post on why SM isn't just for Tech. I'm finishing up reading The Cave Divers, by Robert F. Burgess and it is amazing how many of our standard OW configurations started out as solutions to problems in cave diving...... It is just the evolution of the sport. Innovations happen primarily in the higher risk, more complicated areas of diving - and then get adapted (to everyone's benefit) into recreational diving.

I certainly agree that many advancements in diving were first developed for technical diving, and then made inroads into recreational diving. The difference is that the examples you listed, like backplates and longer primary hose for air sharing, were adapted into single tank diving and do not noticeably increase the complexity or capacity of the gear. They just make single tank diving easier. Sidemount is a 2 tank system, with significant task loading. The whole system is designed to increase streamlining for tight spaces, and the ability to remove tanks in water for even tighter spaces, and access to the valves for solving emergency issues underwater (like feathering tank valves in the event of a regulator leak). These are all issues that recreational divers do not face, and IMO no diver should face without technical dive training.

I also think there is a danger in recreational, OW divers carrying enough gas to incur real deco issues. Sure, I totally understand that you personally (or anyone reading this):) would not abuse the extra gas by diving longer and deeper, but I guarantee some divers will. Simply carrying all that gas is a change in dive behavior that can increase risk. I doubt this will be a very popular opinion.

I also realize that there is a wide spectrum of so-called recreational divers, and it's not exactly fair or accurate to lump them all together. But in this thread, if we are talking about someone with a total of 25-49 dives (I don't know if slug's profile is accurate) then I personally believe it's advisable to simply dive with a single tank on your back, as you were recently trained to do, for more experience before adding any sort of complexity.

One last thing, I am fully trained in technical diving, doubles, sidemount, etc, and I would never consider choosing to dive sidemount off a boat in OW for single tank-length dives. It's just much easier to use a single tank with a backplate. I personally do not carry a pony, although I get why some divers want to, and that is a much simpler adaptation of single tank diving than switching to sidemount is.
 
Hi
Single tank SM is also easy. Like everything, it is about mastering that you are doing.
 
I pulled the trigger today on a 19cu! I'll get it setup later.



Wow, there are a lot of nicely priced good looking designs there. I love to customize, experiment, mod, tweak, etc so this is a little bit of a dream-come-true. I'll have to create a shopping-cart worth of items, and then check back here.

What I mean is sling the pony in a side-mount-style-configuration, so it's detachable, streamlined, not flopping everywhere, the reg is tucked away in elastic bands, etc.


I can't wait to try sidemount. I'm aware there may be a learning curve, but it looks amazing even for a rec-diver like myself.



Does SUMP UK have a website? Or a catalog? The only thing I found was a facebook page and I HATE fb with a passion & refuse to use it.

I'd love to DIY some pieces, if I had the space for a proper workshop.

I'm definitely in on SM-style, instead of just slinging, or BM the pony. Specifically, (1) slinging leave the bottle flopping around unnecessarily & (2) BM-pony would not be detachable, and has another reg & spg going over my shoulder.

For a 19 cu tank, it would definitely emergency-only, not a dive-extender. It would be a silly dive-extender at that, given SM 2x80s is so much better. Filling the 19cu would also cost $.


Part of the reason I haven't pulled the trigger on SM hardware yet, is because I haven't yet had the time to look into the pros & cons of each setup, harness style, etc.
No webpage. Transactions are via FB messages. Hidden Worlds in Fort White keeps an assortment of his more common items in stock if those happen to be the ones you need.
 

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