Sidemount or BP/W?!

[Wonder__Frog]

Thanks so much for all the excellent input guys! My summary of where I'm at having taken all your comments on board:

- BP/W is probably the most convenient setup for the type of diving I plan on doing (mainly boat based etc), and it has the flexibility to allow me to change between single / twins backmount, and by the sounds of it I can sling a single on a BP/W fairly easily
- BP/W is probably the easier setup for me to build out my tec skillset in the first instance

I think this just about sums it up. There's still a massive part of me that pushes me towards SM purely because I love the aesthetics and idea of it! Let's face it - there's possibly not a cooler image I can imagine than that of the perfectly trim SM diver with something like a Razor on, and a tank mounted under each arm. But aesthetics are not a good enough reason for me to go in that direction unfortunately .

Think I'll go BP/W now and then progress down the SM route down the line (when I win the lottery)

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I think at this point, BP/W may be best for you. However let me comment on the "Sidemount is bad on boats". I hear this all the time and it is 100% untrue. There are different entries on different boats (backroll, giant stride) and neither are hard in SM. I dive off boats where backroll is the main entry. When trained properly and you dive the config often, you learn how to gear up quickly on the boat. There is a system or a set of points to go through. Follow this system and you can be ready quickly. I have never had BM divers waiting on me to splash due to the config I am using, as we get close to the dive site I don my fins and left cylinder. At the site I either grab my right cylinder or have the boat crew hand it to me. I clip it off, attach bungee and backroll in the water.

Yes there are people who take a long time to do this. I had two other SM divers on a boat I was on here locally. They were getting dropped off one site and then we were getting dropped off at a second site just a minute or two away. There were divers onboard that had never seen SM before. The two divers faffed, got their cylinders on and rolled in. The divers on the boat made comments about how long that took and how there is no way they would try SM if it is that hard. Another diver on the boat who was guiding these divers said "well we have one more SM diver here so wait until he gets geared up before you make up your mind about a config you may find useful in the future."

I had both cylinders attached, fins and mask on and was ready to roll as they were finishing up their buddy checks They looked at me and said "I don't understand why it took them so long and yet yo are ready before us" Training and practice!! A proper Sidemount course will teach you how to gear up on the boat and then you practice, practice, practice.

As for getting out off the water, I like to clean up my hoses and prepare for exit on the safety stop I will go to my bungee backup, cleanup the long hose, take off the bungee and only have it hanging on my the rear attachment point. Then I hard clip the left cylinder to the my chest d-ring, undo the bungee and the LAP (lower attachment point).

Once on the surface I unclip one boltsnap and hand up the right, take off the bungeed second stage, tuck the hose and unclip from the chest and hand up. Super simple and quick.

Now that I have ranted, regardless what config you go with, get some instruction (sm or slung pony) so you understand best practices and then dive the heck out of that config. Good luck and safe diving!

 

[Paul M]

I do both although my BP/W has been on the shelf for quite a while now.

What's it like diving sidemount with a single tank? Not an issue at all. This is what I am often forced to do when travelling to warm water destinations as they typically prefer we have a single tank like most other divers on board. I can respect the operators reasoning. They want us all to ascend around the same time. If I'm doing cavern/cave then it's a 2 tank setup, without question. Just have to remember to put my other 2nd stage on the my left 1st
Does a BP/W give me as much flexibility? I would say yes it can but depending on your goals.
Is it difficult to get into sidemount? No but it helps to be around divers that primarily do so, with lots of experience, which is my case. My learning curve was exponential due to the expertise of the many wonderful helpful side-mounters around me. This combined with already have good buoyancy control and proper trim with a BP/W.
Cost comparisons between the two? If your just talking harness and wings then it's all about the same..or at least it can be.

 

[jaseUK666]

Twin manifolded 12s with possibly one or more stage bottles is the usual UK rig and there are reasons for that. You'll need different wings for diving a single or twins.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Use the right tool for the job. You don’t have a use case for side mount.

Don’t be that guy...

 

[Mike1967]

Don’t be that guy...

So it's wrong to dive SM in all cases just because you want to?

 

[MichaelMc]

Use the right tool for the job. You don’t have a use case for side mount.
Don’t be that guy...

I dive 'em cause they make me look super sexy cool. I get all the chicks.
My tanks have a rose tint. Shows I'm sensitive, yet comfortable in my masculinity.
Was there some other... use case you were thinking of??

(Oh, and travel redundancy, tank flexibility, body flexibility, stability, and streamlining. Off the top of my head. And some day I'll get around to caverns.)

 

[Bowers]

I dive both and would not berate anyone for choosing either. My .02 however is that i have come to appreciate the benefits of sidemount more than backmount.
For recreational stuff it is very easy to dive single tank sidemount (very fast donning and doffing this way), its easy to rent tanks where manifolded doubles are hard to find, nothing gets changed from rec to tec setup (bp/w need wings and cam bands swapped for doubles to single or from one size tanks to another)

air is truly more isolated than that of an isolation manifold in the case of failure, it packs tighter for travel since there is no hard plate, it allows for squeezing through tight spaces when you grow into that level of diving, and easier on joints as you age (so ive heard from numerous divers with more years than me).

Contrary to what i was told going into it, i had no problem learning sidemount and actually found it very intuitive. So have several of my buddies that have tried my rig since.

I reiterate that there are also lots of good things about backmount, but sidemount would be my choice in your situation.

 

[wstorms]

Hi OP, both SM and BM have their use cases, and can have very specific advantages over each other. In your case, it seems you do most diving in open water conditions, no overhead, sometimes falling of a boat, sometimes walking in. Based on that, I would recommend a BPW setup. This will allow you to easily travel and dive single tank, single tank + sling, double tank or double tank + stages.

It also would allow you to add a few bungees and still sidemount your tanks. If you want to try this at first, just add the bungees, sidemount your tanks and go enjoy it. Pay little attention to your wing ballooning up like a taco, you can worry about that later. If you like how the tanks feel underwater / find it easier to sidemount / need to hand of cilinders / just like it for whatever reason you can get a 2nd backplate and flatten the taco. This is called "sidemount sandwich" aka the "toddy style system". Plenty of videos on youtube to give you an idea.

It works for most purposes, but it is not as superbly customizable as a "true" sidemount setup (mostly because a typical backplate is short, therefor the strap is at your waist instead of low on your hips. This in turn impacts the mounting point and can lead to less than perfectly trimmed sidemount cilinders).

It might not be the ultimate solution for all your diving for ever and ever, but it feels like a good compromise based on your current diving and ambitions.
And hey, getting some new toys for your hobby from time to time can be part of the fun as well ;-)

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Get a BP/W.
You can use it for the simplest fun dives all the way up to the most advanced technical dives.
Get a standard stainless steel one, it should weight about 5-6 lbs. Get one that’s a designed system and doesn’t require a single tank adapter to use with a single tank. People sometimes mix and match the plates with different brand wings, etc. This is fine if you know the wing will line up and work with the different brand plate. But to keep it simple, pick the wing you want first then pick a plate that will work with that wing since it’s the wing that will get the most attention when it comes to performance. Plates are more generic and there is not much difference in feel between all the standard doubles plates out there. The best single tank wings are narrow and streamlined and will have some sort of anti tank roll system to secure the tank so you won’t need a STA. The modern way to hold a rig together is by running the cam bands through the plate and through slots in the wing. Once the cam bands are tensioned the rig is held together rock solid, no STA needed.
Get the plate with a one piece Hog style harness, they are much simpler and better than harnesses with a lot of clips, padding, and releases like the “comfort” style harness, you won’t need that.