Sidemounting Deco Bottles While In Backmounted Doubles.

[kr2y5]

Of course, it's possible I'm not slinging the bottle right. Here's the picture of the bottles. The one on the right is rigged with XS scuba kit, that's how I used to carry so far, clipped on chest and waist D-rings on the Halcyon harness. It is comfortable in mid-water, but it sticks out, bumps and catches into things when close to bottom. The one of the left is how I rigged it for yesterday's dive, as per these instructions. I didn't like it either, the bungee was doing its job, but the attachments seemed wrong, and the bottle was getting crammed against the side of my body in a way that I found uncomfortable. I'll have to tweak it more. The leashed bottle didn't seem to really interfere with my kick, it seemed odd at first, but I got used to it within minutes. The one aspect that I didn't like is that, bringing the leashed bottle in the front to manipulate it seems to require some care, because it's a good few pounds of weight that gets displaced by a few feet forward, it probably gets easier with practice though.

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• kr2y5
• Apr 4, 2016

 

[Kristi@CCDS]

Sorry if this has been addressed before, but could someone offer details on how to best mount an AL 40 while in manifolded doubles, in a way that will keep it very streamlined. With respect to streamlining, I'm mostly concerned with not having something clunky sticking in front of my chest, so that I can swim just a couple inches from the bottom, with GoPro in one hand, and light in the other, looking at tiny creatures.

The way I have been taught to wear the bottles, and the way most people seem to wear them, it seems like a massive entanglement hazard. I thought about carrying my bottle on a butt D-ring, so that at least my chest is clear while trying to get very close to something, but I'd hope there's a better way to do this.

I know some folks use bungees. How exactly? What works, and what doesn't? Note again that I am talking here about a slung deco bottle with back-mounted doubles, not about stage rigging for sidemount.

If the widely adopted system is not streamlined and bungees make it better, why isn't everyone doing the same? There must be downsides to it. What are they?

Thanks!

Here is what I do currently for sidemount bailout on my Optima. The bungee is one continuous piece threaded through the harness and loop is knotted behind the top hole in the plate with a leash attached to help find the loops easier. I literally just set this up two days ago (hence the extra weaved down the side of the backplate, needed to leave extra to decide if I needed further adjusting). Seems to work to keep the bottles nice and tight and in the correct positioning for sidemounting bailout. Possibly this might help with your request. Also I have a full sized nomad buttplate on my unit, though another butplate could work also. This allows me to still be able to easily reach the bottom dump on my wing when using AL80's or larger cylinders.


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[victorzamora]

kr2y5: One thing beginners frequently do (my biggest SM sin when starting) was thinking that a tighter leash was better. In reality, if you don't give the top clip enough mobility it'll never work. For the bungee systems, like Kristi posted, your top boltsnap has to be on a leash long enough to let the valve come up. If the system is too tight, like what you have pictured, the boltsnap will prevent the bungee from getting the tank far enough upwards. The Stealth/Razor guys often don't use boltsnaps up top at all....that just makes it less good to carry around at the surface.

What I would do is add some slack to your top clip and install a bungee just like Kristi pictured above. I don't like clipping AL tanks to my buttplate and prefer clipping them to my waistbelt...optimally on a sliding d-ring (a la Stealth) but two d-rings (a la Razor) works just fine.

 

[eelnoraa]

Off tipics, Kristi@CCDS, where did you buy those stainless steel thumb wheels for your STA? I used to have 2 pairs, got stolen. I think yours look even better (larger diameter). I want to get them

 

[The Chairman]

She probably got them at CCDS! Cave Country Dive Shop has all sorts of goodies! Elena hasn't banned me from there, but only because she can't stay out either!

 

[Kristi@CCDS]

Peter is correct. Reds Nuts. We have them in stock. They never leave my unit! Love them!

 

[The Chairman]

Peter is correct.

Woot! Woot! Hearing that never gets old! I would love to see them expand their online store: Cave Country Dive Shop

 

[rjack321]

I sidemount my gases in CCR similar to the way Kristie showed. One issue you need to work out is how to read and verify the bottle MOD label and that the reg in your hand actually comes from that bottle. While conventional slung bottles do hang low, they are easy to move, read and verify that way. Sidemounted bottles don't have that verification ease. A LOT more divers have died from breathing the wrong gas than staying an extra foot off the bottle. You can't reliably rely on anything but the MOD sticker, regs get put on the wrong bottle, you might grab the wrong one blah blah. You name it, somewhere someone has breathed the wrong gas from one of the supposed alternate approaches.

 

[Kristi@CCDS]

Woot! Woot! Hearing that never gets old! I would love to see them expand their online store: Cave Country Dive Shop

LOL . If it's not online just give us a call. We can place an order over the phone and ship Priority.

 

[Doby45]

Peter is correct. Reds Nuts. We have them in stock. They never leave my unit! Love them!

Gotta get me some of them nuts when I come back down!!