Sidemount gear configuration practices - 4 questions

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1. Second stage regulator hose lengths – do you dive a long hose on one side, and a short hose (e.g. on a bungee necklace) on the other? If so, on which side do you place your long hose, and what ‘long’ hose length do you use? Or, do you dive 2 long hoses?

Short hose left, Long Hose right, don't see any reason to do it differently.

2. Second stage hose adapters - do you use an adapter on your second stage hoses, such as a 70 degree angle adapter, a 90 degree angle adapter, or a 360 degree swivel adapter? If so, do you use them on both, or only one hose?

90 degree fixed elbow on my short hose, none on my long hose.

3. Cylinder attachment methods – do you use a standard deco / stage bottle rigging kit, or something else? If something else, what do you use for the top at bottom attachment points? Do you use a fixed bottom attachment (e.g. a metal hose clamp), or do you use a cam band?

Jubilee bands at the bottom with a large bolt snap for huge hands + gloves, 1 piece continuous bungee for the top.

4. Cylinder valve position – do you position the aperture (opening) of your valves so that they face into your body? Away from your body? At a 90 degree angle to your body (e.g. facing in, toward the opposing cylinder valve opening)?

Valves in at all times.
 
1. 7 foot hose primary 2nd stage on right cylinder. 26 inch hose on backup with necklace on left cylinder. Primary has bolt snap. Considered using 7 foot hoses on both second stages for air sharing purposes, but decided always to donate the primary second, whether in mouth or clipped to shoulder D-ring.

2. Both second stages have 90 degree angle adaptors.

3. Standard cam bands and X-large bolt snaps that came with SMS 50 rig. Use thick bungee cords to attach bolt snaps.

4. Cylinder values face toward body, i.e., each other. With bungee wrapped, angle shifts slightly. Prefer 1st stage reg with 5'th port on long hose primary stage which aids in hose routing (MK25 in warmer waters, HOG D1 w/ env. kit in colder waters). Both are turret which I find helps with hose routing. My primary on the left cylinder is a Hollis DC3 which works fine w/o 7 foot hose.

5. SPGs on 6 in hoses facing downward.
 
FYI MK25, at least the latest version works great in cold water as well. I have done several ice dives with mk25/G250v and mk25/G260 wit no issues of freezing whatsoever.

- Mikko Laakkonen -

I love diving and teaching others to dive.
 
Newb question on hose lengths.....just started sm course. I have, at this point, elected to go with both hoses long, tucked into tank bands, routed direct (rt reg clipped to left d ring when not in use, left to rt other side, break away bolt snaps) nothing wrapped behind my head, excess is in the tank bands unless needed.

Instructor is a cave guy, his method makes sense to me....no having to switch or even have to think which to donate, have a freaked ooa diver grab the wrong reg or worse, yank the one routed behind my head and pull me silly.

Constructive thoughts on downsides? If you have a safe option of not having hoses routed behind your head and not having to risk a grab at your short reg hose...why would you?
 
Newb question on hose lengths.....just started sm course. I have, at this point, elected to go with both hoses long, tucked into tank bands, routed direct (rt reg clipped to left d ring when not in use, left to rt other side, break away bolt snaps) nothing wrapped behind my head, excess is in the tank bands unless needed.

Instructor is a cave guy, his method makes sense to me....no having to switch or even have to think which to donate, have a freaked ooa diver grab the wrong reg or worse, yank the one routed behind my head and pull me silly.

Constructive thoughts on downsides? If you have a safe option of not having hoses routed behind your head and not having to risk a grab at your short reg hose...why would you?

Issues with two long hoses:

A) Always danger in long hoses, can come loose, get hung up... Ones bad, two worse.

B) no way to differentiate (which tank, connected to bcd or not, etc.)

C) extra tank bands on opposite side


But again there are advantages as you outlined.

It's about personal comfort and functionality. Part of technical diving is building a kit and making it yours.


Dan-O
 
Newb question on hose lengths.....just started sm course. I have, at this point, elected to go with both hoses long, tucked into tank bands, routed direct (rt reg clipped to left d ring when not in use, left to rt other side, break away bolt snaps) nothing wrapped behind my head, excess is in the tank bands unless needed.

Instructor is a cave guy, his method makes sense to me....no having to switch or even have to think which to donate, have a freaked ooa diver grab the wrong reg or worse, yank the one routed behind my head and pull me silly.

Constructive thoughts on downsides? If you have a safe option of not having hoses routed behind your head and not having to risk a grab at your short reg hose...why would you?

When your breakaways break prematurely what's your plan to keep things tidy?

Honestly I am not too worried about this hypothetical panicky diver mugging me for a reg in a SM cave. Mostly because most of them are hard to turn around in (so surprise muggings are pretty tough) and secondly because most of my SM dives are solo.

Personally I don't like all the elbows the left-left, right to right hose routing dictates.
 
What I really find distateful is (and not just talking about this post, about most every thread on scubaboard) are those who come to a place designed to exchange information about diving and feel the need to endlessly vomit the same post over and over again "you need to take a class!"

I see it as a group of scuba professionals taking the stance "you must pay me for our permission to engage in X activity"

I must take a sidemount course to dive sidemount?

Let's say I already dive sidemount just fine and I'm having issues with one particular clip coming undone or something... I'm supposed to pay hundreds of dollars to take a three day course to get the answer to one question?

\\//\\//hatever! (said with a vallley girl accent)

If your opinion is that there is nothing valuable to be learned from these forums then PLEASE LEAVE. Go teach or take a class, better yet, go diving, whatever but if you don't want to give and get good information ... JUST LEAVE US HERE TO EXCHANGE OUR WORTHLESS DRIBBLE AND STOP POSTING.


I don't see a class as being worthless. I payed my cash, but no one told me I couldn't dive sidemount if I didn't. Victor took the exact same class I did. It wasn't a waste of time. It was several dives of getting sidemount gear setup and learning why things work and why they don't. Over a year later I'm still asking questions and still getting answers. But I have yet to sell a single sidemount harness because it frustrated me to the point of getting rid of it. How many guys tinker for quite some time and then just throw in the towel because of frustration? Quite a few.

You said,

"I see it as a group of scuba professionals taking the stance "you must pay me for our permission to engage in X activity"

That's really not what's going on. You said yourself that they're "scuba professionals" a quick google search of the definition of the word professional is "a person engaged in a specified activity, esp. a sport or branch of the performing arts, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime." Reveals that some of these people may just put food on the table with their knowledge. So if they push their product a bit can you blame them?

If your pastime is tinkering and learning to dive on the internet, go for it! No one is going to judge you otherwise, so why judge the guy who thinks his class can get you to your end goal safer and faster than experimenting?

Now, I am not a fan of the team diving philosophy. I think it does have it's place, just not at my level right now. When I'm pushing cave with some buddies at 300 feet deep on a rebreather carrying dual scooters on a dive that took months to plan,I might be into the whole team thing. Until then I'll enjoy my leisurely stroll through the cave in sidemount, which I payed money to take a class to learn to do. I can assure you, not a single person made me believe I had to take that class, but I'm glad I did.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My thoughts on the response questions.....in no way to be argumentative or any of that nonsense.

Tow long hoses increasing snag hazard....definitely possible but easier to address if both hoses are routed in front and not behind your head. Snag hazard always exists to some degree, having everything in front seems easier to fix.

No way to differentiate between sides/tanks,etc.......I would think it would be easier...simply look down and follow the entire path of the hose in question, everything should be in view. My initial setup (remember...inexperienced newb here) is long hose/drysuit hose (right side of diver) and long hose/bcd inflator (6 inch spg on each, down towards tank, not lollipop). If proper gas balancing is practiced, there should be little need to have to differentiate , that seems to be the positive.....ooa? take a reg, whichever you like if you're freaking or the one I give if you're cool and I'll use the other...they are the same with the same theoretical level of gas. Of course, you should always be thinking and planning but removing some questions at a potential time of distress seems logical.

No extra tank bands for me, I'm using a thin rubber and wide stretchy band on each tank as of now. Definitely enough to capture and organize one hose, I think.

Failure of break away...should be planned for anyway, just like any potential failure. With hose properly routed a loop exists mid tank lower than tank band.....hooking thumb into loop and pulling sucks extra hose length into band....can suck hose all the way to have reg at tank neck for remainder of dive or while terminating the dive....still know where reg is and and keeps it in front of you...switching to balance gas is a simple reversal of the same procedure.

Caves......I feel ya and your approach to how you do it and the things that you are concerned with....caves scare me sh!tless at this point...I'm sticking to open water rec for the foreseeable future as I try to progress to tec and gain experience....I'm probably more likely to run a cross an ooa diver freaking in rec situations than you will ever see with the tec guys, or at least that is how it occurs to me at this level of my experience.

Extra elbows....only using one 90 on the left and one 70 on the right.....would be nicer if I had a left routed reg on the left but I don't...90 seems to work so far.



Again, I'm not trying to be argumentative or say this way is better....just looking for thoughts or pitfalls from everybody's experience and trying to learn. I appreciate the info given.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2014 at 01:29 PM ----------

And to add a philosophical rant for a second..........from my perspective I don't see anybody here trying to learn HOW to dive from the internet. I already know how to dive (and by God have several expensive little plastic cards attesting to my profound abilities to prove it!!!!) but getting useful tips or experienced based info from people that I never would have met or had access to is a good thing. It is just a matter of a different communication technique......why does anybody even give a sh!t enough about it to put it down?

The day you think you have it all figured out and are so elite that you can turn up your nose at the mere "underlings" that aren't as special as you puts you right back in the zone of getting your name in the next book of retarded dive accident fatalities, ego edition (and makes you kind of a d!ck, too)....just sayin'.

This is not directed at anybody in particular, any similarity to anyone living or dead is a coincidence or something. If this is offensive to anybody reading it, an ego check might not hurt. Humility is a wonderful thing.

End rant

Be safe
 
I'm new to SM of course but, here's what I was taught. Keep in mind this is with the intention of taking the configuration into caves.

Regular hose on the left Can't remember exactly how long, I think the standard "octo" length if I remember correctly. Wrapped around the back of my neck. 84" long hose on the right.

45' angle adapter on the second stage of the left tank hose. No angle adapter on the right hose.

Standard diverite stage kit.

Valves facing toward me. Switched the valve on the left tank for a "leftie" valve so it won't be on the outside. Less chance of hitting something as I understand it.
 
I don't see a class as being worthless. I payed my cash, but no one told me I couldn't dive sidemount if I didn't. Victor took the exact same class I did. It wasn't a waste of time. It was several dives of getting sidemount gear setup and learning why things work and why they don't. Over a year later I'm still asking questions and still getting answers. But I have yet to sell a single sidemount harness because it frustrated me to the point of getting rid of it. How many guys tinker for quite some time and then just throw in the towel because of frustration? Quite a few.

You said,

"I see it as a group of scuba professionals taking the stance "you must pay me for our permission to engage in X activity"

That's really not what's going on. You said yourself that they're "scuba professionals" a quick google search of the definition of the word professional is "a person engaged in a specified activity, esp. a sport or branch of the performing arts, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime." Reveals that some of these people may just put food on the table with their knowledge. So if they push their product a bit can you blame them?

If your pastime is tinkering and learning to dive on the internet, go for it! No one is going to judge you otherwise, so why judge the guy who thinks his class can get you to your end goal safer and faster than experimenting?

Now, I am not a fan of the team diving philosophy. I think it does have it's place, just not at my level right now. When I'm pushing cave with some buddies at 300 feet deep on a rebreather carrying dual scooters on a dive that took months to plan,I might be into the whole team thing. Until then I'll enjoy my leisurely stroll through the cave in sidemount, which I payed money to take a class to learn to do. I can assure you, not a single person made me believe I had to take that class, but I'm glad I did.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Remember you are talking to a guy who was bragging about how he was teaching himself to dive in the overheads in a thread a while back ago
 

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