What Do i need? Equipment

[eternaljonah]

I am looking into doing a course that will include diving in a side mount configuration. and i would like to know what is needed equipment wise and what to pay attention to when getting this equipment. i dive a old-fashioned plastic backed wing with a scubapro S600/mk17 oct c300, at the moment the c300 will be getting a 60" hose in a few days. can you dive side mount with al80's.

let the adventure begin

 

[DevonDiver]

This is a very generic list for all sidemount courses. You will need to contact your specific instructor for fine-tuning, as it can be done differently.

2x Regulators
-- Right Side with 6" HP SPG & 7' Long Hose Regulator (drysuit hose, if used, may come from here)
-- Left Side with 6" HP SPG & 28-32" Short Hose Regulator on bungee necklace, with LPI inflator hose (length varies with rig).

Sidemount BCD system
Lots of options here.. dedicated rigs (Razor, UTD 'Z', Hollis SMS50, Armadillo etc), hybrid rigs (Hollis SMS100, DiveRite) or BP&W adapted (OMS Profile)
Lots of options on bungee systems, butt plates, harness, wings, clips, hoses.... you name it.

Do you have any preferences, goals... 'anything' that can help us tailor advice? Some feedback from your future sidemount instructor would go a long way...

 

[eternaljonah]

thanks DevonDiver. here is some more info.
i dive mainly in water that 22 c to 29 c so most of the time in a 5 mm with 3kg weight. 2 on the belt and one one the top of the tank. most dives will be with 2 tanks some with 3 (but rarely) i would like to be able to use the same bp/wing for diving with a single tank on the back if needed for Class as i am not sure about side mount and class's i will need to order the new bp/wing so i'm wondering if wing shape, size matters, from what i get every tank would need a set of tank bands, If i understand right every tank only has one second stage? in short it would be great if the system was very adaptable to meet diving side mount 2-3 tanks or back mount 1 tank. thanks

 

[stairman]

Youll have to do some reg modifications when going from 1 to 2 tanks. The short spg hoses wont work with backmount etc. Alot of wings have the taco effect with a single tank and when tanks are on your side so that would need to be addressed. Trim will be a problem as well. Its hard to get a wing that does it all but supposedly the Nomad, which is designed for sidemount, can be used with a single tank as well. This would seem better than a singles or even double backmount wing being used to sidemount.

 

[Pao]

The regs, especially the left one should ideally have a rotating turret. Having a 5th port (perpendicular to the LP and HP hoses) is also ideal. Other configurations may work depending on the system you use. I currently have the UTD Z-system. I use a HOG D1 on the left with 6" inflator hose on the 5th port. For the right I currently use an Apeks Tek3 LH reg (Your MK17 would work nicely as your right reg). This should also work for the Razor.

 

[DevonDiver]

Look towards the Nomad or Hollis SMS100, if you want to retain an option to swap between 1-2 tanks. Personally, I'd recommend the Hollis... although my further recommendation would be to avoid hybrid altogether and get an SMS100, Razor or UTD. You can still dive single tank sidemount if necessary...

The regulators will have some different length hoses, compared to backmount, so you'd need to do hose swaps whenever you transitioned.

If you want to use an existing BP&W for sidemount, take a look at my 'DIY Sidemount - Project Frankenstein' thread..

 

[eternaljonah]

thanks a lot guys i have been looking at different systems and yes the hollis looks sweet. there is the sms 50, and sms 100 both systems are very different. also what would you all think of an mk2 as the other first stage. ?

 

[Hollis Gear Nick]

Hi Eternaljonah,

Let me know if you have any questions about either of the Hollis sidemount kits; SMS100 or SMS50. Both are very functional in almost any environment. The more obvious differences between the two are size and lift capacity. The SMS100 is an expedition rig and has the ability to setup sidemount or backmount. The SMS50 is sidemount only, much more minimalist and designed for low lift requirements.

Nick

 

[Escafandra-Spain]

Hi Eternaljonah,

Let me know if you have any questions about either of the Hollis sidemount kits; SMS100 or SMS50. Both are very functional in almost any environment. The more obvious differences between the two are size and lift capacity. The SMS100 is an expedition rig and has the ability to setup sidemount or backmount. The SMS50 is sidemount only, much more minimalist and designed for low lift requirements.

Nick

Hi Nick,
I´m thinking on buying an SMS100 and I would like to know how much does it weight. I want to have only one system wich works basically with backmount and sometimes sidemount. And the million question is: I´m sure that it´s a very good system for sidemount but is it as comfortable as a BCD when you use single tank backmount?

Another question: Can the user change the inner wing?

Thanks a lot.

Best Regards.

 

[tech_frog]

Please do yourself a favor and take a moment to analyze the Stealth 2.0 Sidemount system by xDeep. I got mine from tecdivegear online store few weeks ago, previously diving lots of different systems and nothing is so thoughtful, versatile and simple at the same time like Stealth. Either you wanna dive wetsuit, drysuit, aluminum light tanks or heavy steels with stages you always use the same capable system, adjust to any dive configuration in minutes.

Good luck !

Here is a pic with size comparison of Hollis SMS 50 (23 lbs) vs. xDeep Stealth 2.0 (37 lbs)