Question Sidemount or backmount doubles?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

As someone with no experience with either setup, can one argument be made that SM offers a higher level of redundancy?
It does not. One reg failure and you lose at least 1/2 your gas.
 
As someone with no experience with either setup, can one argument be made that SM offers a higher level of redundancy?
Not really, it would take two catastrophic failures to take out all of your breathing gas in doubles, same number in side mount.
 
As someone with no experience with either setup, can one argument be made that SM offers a higher level of redundancy?

Sort of?

It does not. One reg failure and you lose at least 1/2 your gas.

That doesn't affect redundancy though. In terms of it being a truly independent system then sidemount gives you no single point of failure. Conversely it's not really redundant because you are intending to use both systems equally, so it's kind of complicated.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages but I personally treat them as equals in terms of "Redundancy" and instead prefer to consider which one is a better configuration for where I am physically.

Not really, it would take two catastrophic failures to take out all of your breathing gas in doubles, same number in side mount.
A single isolator failure can take out the whole system with doubles. That failure is essentially impossible to have happen during a dive, but theoretically it's possible.
 
A single isolator failure can take out the whole system with doubles. That failure is essentially impossible to have happen during a dive, but theoretically it's possible.
True, I suppose if the bonnet nut failed and blew out the isolator, that would cause total gas loss. But yeah, I get it, you get it.
I miss my straight bar doubles, I had to install isolators when I started teaching.
 
You can see ALL of octopus hole on a single 100. Probably twice on a single 130.
Redundancy is a requirement. Just like what I do (or don't) with my rebreather, you nor anyone else gets to dictate how I dive.
 
This is why I personally dive with a 120 or 102 Steel along with a back mounted 19cf Pony tank. My Pony is not in any way a part of my dive or gas management plan. It is there because I typically dive solo when hunting and my Pony is there for ME...and only ME in case of a catastrophic primary system failure. My Pony is 100% redundant. It is fully charged and has a totally separate SPG on a 24 in HP hose that is tied to my Pony's 2nd stage....

This is what works for me......and I am in no way ever going to say what is best for others. The people on this forum who constantly preach to others about what is best for them is nauseating. Cheers....
 
It does not. One reg failure and you lose at least 1/2 your gas.
Depends on the failure. But it is possible to have un-usable gas on you with sidemount. Doubles you can completely shut one regulator completely off and have all of the air at your disposal.

But sidemount will let you be an idiot, suck one dry, and if you are not a complete Darwin candidate still have something left in the other side.

There is no perfect answer. So many 'what-if' (Speaking of which, Randall Monroe anounced his new book 'What if 2' today, and will be available in September. Sorry, my inner nerd is coming out.)

The only place where sidemount is a clear winner - narrow caves. Beyond that, it works fairly well. But not a one and done winner at everything.

If you have the option, try both. Either can be great, or suck.
 
The vast majority of "I can't do a valve drill" is a fit issue. Yes, there can be physical impairments, such as those that result in your inability to get onto a boat with a single tank, but SM still shouldn't be the primary system for most people.
It’s great that I don’t have to take your opinion seriously, Grant.

Dive either backmount or sidemount as you want to, just practice all skills and drills so you are competent and efficient.

A reason for people leaving the sport is statements of absolute limitation like “SM still shouldn’t be the primary system for most people.”
 
Haha I love all your comments.

Just for context/clarification:
1. working on my breathing and getting that SAC rate down has always been one of the first things to work on (next to trim, buoyancy control, efficient propulsion, safety).
2. I am the kind of guy that wants as rich as possible a view on a matter (or a choice) way before I really have to make that choice.
3. Thinking about this stuff (configurations, pros and cons, the gear that goes with it, the research) is part of the fun for me; so even if it's not yet 'relevant' for me now (in the strictest sense of the word), I still find this discussion valuable.
4. When it comes to the choice of SM vs BM, most cons of SM are related to getting in and out of the water; most cons of BM seem to relate to valve drills. Since I will need training and practice in either (SM or BM) and both (donning/doffing and safety drills, air sharing, etc.), that investment is not something that makes me sway either way (my philosophy: whatever you decide to go for, you need to be proficient and efficient at it - this goes for single tank recreational diving in 10 m of water too). For me, training and proper setup is a given, not a variable.
5. In my area and club, I have the opportunity to try out both, which I will definitely do.

What still intrigues me: backmount seems to be the standard/default. Many of you say that it is (explicitly or implicitly), though to me it still isn't clear why. Just because it's around for longer? Sidemount is still viewed by most as that specialist tool for a specific job. I understand that sidemount was developed out of necessity in restricted passages. But I like to look at configurations in the sense of what they actually are/offer in terms of opportunities rather than what they were originally designed for. I like to look at their features and properties, not their history.

And lastly... a '102' in all-of-the-world-outside-the-US speak that's something like a 15L tank, I think? :wink:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom