Sidemount Harness Choice/Advice

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The bladder under the rails is a bad idea as it will cause issues as you inflate the wing.

It is a 43# lift wing.. I find no difference in the rails with regard to level of inflation. Are you adjusted properly? What issues are you having?
 
It is a 43# lift wing.. I find no difference in the rails with regard to level of inflation. Are you adjusted properly? What issues are you having?

With wings under the rails the tanks rise as you inflate the wing. With large steel tanks as your ballast they also act as your center of gravity and they will be trim but for most people they will then have their knees drop to compensate. Facebook is littered with people in SMS's and other similarly designed wings that clearly demonstrate this.
 
Hmm. I never notice anything in mine regardless of level of inflation... at the lower end of inflation, if diving just primary steel SM tanks, the rails shouldn't move as the wing is only partially inflated over the lower back. If diving AL, the wing has even less gas in it, so there shouldn't be any shifting of the buttplate, or atleast not to a noticeable level.

When I have multiple stages on the additional weight would keep them from moving noticeably. For me personally I don't seem to have any this problem. What rig are you diving instead?
 
Hmm. I never notice anything in mine regardless of level of inflation... at the lower end of inflation, if diving just primary steel SM tanks, the rails shouldn't move as the wing is only partially inflated over the lower back. If diving AL, the wing has even less gas in it, so there shouldn't be any shifting of the buttplate, or atleast not to a noticeable level.

When I have multiple stages on the additional weight would keep them from moving noticeably. For me personally I don't seem to have any this problem. What rig are you diving instead?

There are lots of pictures of this. I originally had an SMS 100 and thought everything was good till I started diving with a buddy who liked to make videos. I tried everything to fix it. I even I modded it but when ever I inflated the wing substantially I had issues and everyone of my buddies who had one had the exact same issue. I have since gone to an Armadillo for Florida and a Razor in Mexico. I tried the Halcyon Contour and had the same issue though it wasn't as pronounced because that rig has about 20 lbs more lift than the modded SMS 100 so I wasn't filling the wing up as much. I would recommend any rig that doesn't have the bladder under the rails over one that does.
 
Does anyone else have experience with the Hog Sidemount Rig? The price is very attractive..
As mentioned, it is definitely flimsier. I'm not sure if it has changed much over the years, but we had a couple when they first came out. We had an issue with the nuts and bolts tearing through the webbing (which could have been solved by adding washers). Not the best for adding d-rings to the waist belt because of the rivets. They did come with oversize plastic tri-glides, but I trust metal more. Definitely not the best if you need to add weights.

Cheap right now, but you get what you pay for...
 
Thanks everyone for your feedback, after reading through many posts On Scubaboard I've come to a (hopefully) informed decision..

I've picked up a Dive Rite Transpac XT and Hollis C45 LX Wing with only 10 dives on it for $400AUD, so at some stage I'll input my feedback on this setup.

Thanks again for all your help!
 
So did you decide to go back mount for a while and wait on SM?
 
No I'm going to set it up side mount, will need a butt plate I believe.

I already have a bcd so I'll use that for single back mount.
 
Oh, well then the wing you have isn't really what you need, as it is a back mount wing. If you want to turn a transpac into a sidemount system, you are better off using the Nomad XT wing.

Without going into tons of detail, you need a wing with the lift on the lower back, bungees to keep it compact and hold your lift there, etc. The wing you have won't do any of that without heavy modification, and then still won't be as good as a wing meant for SM.

But maybe this guy could teach you in a donut wing, I hear he is an excellent SM instructor :) Anyway, all jokes aside, you really do need a wing meant for SM to properly do SM, a rig designed for it will be way better than modification of a back mount system.

SMinstructor.jpg
 
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Oh, well then the wing you have isn't really what you need, as it is a back mount wing. If you want to turn a transpac into a sidemount system, you are better off using the Nomad XT wing.

Without going into tons of detail, you need a wing with the lift on the lower back, bungees to keep it compact and hold your lift there, etc. The wing you have won't do any of that without heavy modification, and then still won't be as good as a wing meant for SM.

But maybe this guy could teach you in a donut wing, I hear he is an excellent SM instructor :) Anyway, all jokes aside, you really do need a wing meant for SM to properly do SM, a rig designed for it will be way better than modification of a back mount system.

View attachment 395795

That's HAWT!
 

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