Sidemount isnt what is dangerous, it is lack of experience that makes it dangerous. For those "narrow doorways," I've fit in to some narrow wreck opening by going on my side. I almost always prefer diving sidemount when I dont have my rebreather.
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I top mount deco bottles, but i dive open water technical, not overhead yet. The MOD is marked near the neck of the tank which is very easy for me to see and verify on switch, also marked in its classic position for my teammate to verify on switch.
If i were dropping bottles i wouldn't top mount them
It's pretty common to stage on top, deco on the bottom.
I've tried deco on top - it's a more streamlined option if you don't intend to remove the deco during the dive. I use sturdy elastic for the bottom clip (rather than cord) and this allows me to pull the deco tanks forwards to confirm mix/mod when gas switching. I also use markers on the second stage (ANDI gas labels) as a matter of course. However, most of my dives are into wrecks or involve some level of physical labor on the bottom, so I normally cache deco (and bottom sling).
I top mount deco bottles, but i dive open water technical, not overhead yet. The MOD is marked near the neck of the tank which is very easy for me to see and verify on switch, also marked in its classic position for my teammate to verify on switch.
If i were dropping bottles i wouldn't top mount them
Although, I'm pretty sure my 40+ year old body is a much larger part of the issue!