Warm water rec rig:
Single Luxfer SO80
Halcyon 3.5# Al BP or Halcyon 6# SS BP
Halcyon 2.5# STA
Halcyon (old style no built in STA) 18# Pioneer horseshoe wing (This babys tiny)
EE harness: bent D-rings below clavicles, bungee loop for lpi inflator hose on left D-ring, D-ring on left waist at posterior axillary line for SPG, inner tube loops on chest straps to hold backup lights as needed, knife pocket to left of crotch strap and Scubapro SS buckle to right. Harness adjusted so that I can touch the top of my BP prior to attaching cylinder. Crotch strap with a little slack. Butt D-ring about a hands-width below plate.
Apeks DS4 DIN 1st stage
7 Foot primary, 22 backup, 22lpi, and 24 hp hoses with cave-tied bolt snaps.
TX50 seconds and shock cord necklace
UWATEC Master Diver SPG
(or)
Seaquest XR2 1st stage (yolk)
5 Foot primary, 22 backup, 22lpi, and 24 hp hoses with cave-tied bolt snaps.
XR2 seconds and shock cord necklace
UWATEC Master Diver SPG
Plana Avanti Quattro Fins
3mm Shortie
Cold water rec rig:
Single Luxfer SO80
Halcyon 6# SS BP
FredT 6# STA cam bands with SS buckles and Halcyon trim weight pockets-2 on each cam band pushed back against the STA on both sides.
Halcyon (old style no built in STA) 27# Pioneer wing
EE harness: bent D-rings below clavicles, bungee loop for lpi inflator hose on left D-ring, D-ring on left waist at posterior axillary line for SPG, inner tube loops on chest straps to hold backup lights as needed, knife pocket to left of crotch strap and Scubapro SS buckle to right. Harness adjusted so that I can touch the top of my BP prior to attaching cylinder. Crotch strap with a little slack. Butt D-ring about a hands-width below plate.
Apeks DS4 DIN 1st stage
7 Foot primary, 22 backup, 22lpi, and 24 hp hoses with cave-tied bolt snaps.
Standard length drysuit inflator hose under left arm
TX50 seconds and shock cord necklace
UWATEC Master Diver SPG
Jetfins XL with spring straps. 5thD springs re-mounted on Halcyon blocks with Scubapro buckles and pins.
USIA SYS7000M Drysuit with Si-tech low profile valves and Exotherm III undergarment rebranded as Oceanic Biodry and Thermo 2.
Cold water doubles (boat, ocean):
Luxfer SO80 twins
Halcyon 300 bar manifold
Highland Bands with a stout but thin layer of window tint plastic between SS bands and Al cylinders.
FredT 9# SS BP
Halcyon 11# v-weight
Halcyon 45# wing
EE harness: bent D-rings below clavicles, bungee loop for lpi inflator hose on left D-ring, D-ring on left waist at posterior axillary line for SPG, inner tube loops on chest straps to hold backup lights as needed, knife pocket to left of crotch strap and Scubapro SS buckle to right. Harness adjusted so that I can touch the top of my BP prior to attaching cylinder. Crotch strap with a little slack. Butt D-ring about a hands-width below plate.
Apeks DS4 DIN 1st stages
7 Foot primary and 22lpi hoses off right post, and 22 backup 24 hp hoses off left post with cave-tied bolt snaps (large 1 for SPG).
Standard length drysuit inflator hose off left post routed under left arm.
TX50 seconds and shock cord necklace
UWATEC Master Diver SPG
Jetfins XL with spring straps. 5thD springs re-mounted on Halcyon blocks with Scubapro buckles and pins.
USIA SYS7000M Drysuit with Si-tech low profile valves and Exotherm III undergarment rebranded as Oceanic Biodry and Thermo 2.
Interchangables...gear that is used as needed:
Suunto Vytec, Stinger, or Oceanic Versa Pro gauge on right wrist with extra long Waterbourne strap. (Im not too fond of bungees for this application)
Suunto SK5 or Oceanic Compass on left wrist with extra long Waterbourne strap.
Tusa Panogeo Mask with Optix stick-ins.
Sea Dive mask with black skirt and optix stick-ins
Homemade Betty Crocker knife or Akona AK600 knife.
EMT shears
Standard weight belt
Scubapro 3mm or 5mm gloves
Generic hood with neck flap cut off
Halcyon 80# closed circuit lift bag and 100 foot safety spool.
Halcyon Backplate Pak
Sandroff 18/9 HID canister light with EKPP reflector and explorer version Goodman handle mounted on right waist belt and held in place with SS weight buckle. (Brand spankin' new!)
Halcyon Scout Backup lights
Luxfer SO40 70 foot bottle with standard DIR markings and rigging, Apeks DS4 1st stage, Seaquest XR2 second, and Halcyon SPG.
Hose routing and weight belt:
Singles:
My primary hose comes off the right side of the first stage and is routed straight down the right side behind my wing where it rests between the wing and cylinder. I then tuck it under my right waist belt forming a small loop that points toward my feet. (When I start using my new can light, I will just loop it under the can.) It then crosses up my chest and loops behind my neck from my left and into my mouth from the right. The small loop under the waist belt is adjusted so that the remaining hose is just the right length to permit comfortable head turning. Sometimes, when diving in warm water with a shortie, I might use a yolk first stage that has a 5 foot primary. Then instead of tucking it in my waist belt I simply loop it under my right arm. The backup regulator comes off the same side of the first stage as the primary and routes over the right shoulder and is suspended below my chin with a bungee necklace where it can be grasped into my mouth without using my hands. It is just long enough to permit easy head turning to the left. The HP hose routes straight down the left in front of the wing and attaches to the left waist D-ring with an appropriate sized bolt snap. Its length permits easy reading of my SPG either clipped or unclipped. The LPI hose runs from the left side of the first stage and over my left shoulder to the LPI. Bound to the corrugated hose with inner tube, they are both held in place by a loop of bungee at my left chest D-ring. If Im using a drysuit, then the inflator hose runs under my left arm.
Doubles:
My first stages are oriented inward (dry seals towards the center) so that they do not interfere with reaching my valves. The primary and LPI hoses come off the bottom of the right post first stage and the backup regulator, drysuit inflator, and HP hoses come off the bottom of the left post first stage. The primary routes the same way as it routes on my single tank rigs. The backup regulator hose routes under the LPI and corrugated hoses, running behind and around the right side of my neck to where it is suspended by a shock cord necklace below my chin. The drysuit inflator hose runs under my left arm as does my HP hose, again clipping my SPG to the left waist D-ring with various sized bolt snaps.
I prefer a standard weight belt and I try to use no more than 8 lbs. on it but I prefer not to use one at all when possible. I wear it under the crotch strap.
Things used to carry it all:
Rubbermaid 24 gal. ActionPacker containers
California Diving Company Dive Box
Oceanic and Seaquest gear bags
Next additions or tweaks:
Cold water doubles (shore, fresh water) Steel E8 130 twins.
DUI TLS 350.
Maybe get a heavier BP from FredT to use with my Al doubles so that I can toss the weight belt.
Maybe get a new Pioneer 35# with integrated STA
to make reaching my valves a little easier.
Maybe make springs for my Plana Avanti Quattro fins.
Get a new open circuit lift bag.
A better way to stow my lift bag.
Argon setup.
Things Ive put off still but need to do:
Pocket bungee loops.
Things that Ive cut from my rigs or never quite liked:
Halcyon ACB 20 weight pockets.
Halcyon Gaitors
too hard to put on
anyone with a trick for this?
Things that Im still looking for:
The perfect mask for my over 40 eyes.