Where do you carry your stage(s) and or deco in SM

[JonG1]

A while ago in another thread I think from Tbone, there was a short OT point about stages/deco bottles in SM.

Some clip beneath the SM back gas, others leash or nose clip to butt d ring or rails.

I'm interested in the reasons why people choose the clipping point they use.

If you use a leash, do you actually need to if only 1 bottle is on it, why not just nose clip it.

 

[Marie13]

Deco bottle is top mounted, left side. Top clip goes to higher D ring on my left shoulder. Bottom clip goes to rail on butt plate where primary tanks are also clipped. Only doing one deco bottle at this time.

I do it this way as I’m very short torsoed and don’t have enough real estate for a D ring in a place I can get to it.

 

[drakcheslav]

I do it top bolt on a left Dring, bottom bolt on a longer leash cross clipped to the square drop drings.

If I don't have a stage with a long leash then both on a same d ring.

I dive steel 12l tanks so my rear Dring is way back, right next to my drop dring.

 

[Subcooled]

I will clip the stage bottle(s) underneath the bottom gas.

This is because that is the easiest place to clip with thick drygloves and my specific harness (D-rings, not rails).
Your best solution might be a different one. Whatever works for you (and your team if you dive in a team)...

You should actually try a few options.
Experience is golden.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Deco bottle goes on below the left cylinder. Stage gets top mounted or trailed depending on size. Having the deco bottle below is easier and cleaner for me to handle. I've top mounted it before but it can be a pain in the butt to don in chop. Quarry or flat conditions not a problem. Bottom mounting also lets me drop my mains on a line and get in with just the deco bottle and clip the mains on from the drop line.
Where the bottle goes also depends on the dive. If I know I'm not going into an overhead or will be swimming near the bottom it can get clipped to a butt d ring.
If I know I'm entering the wreck I want to be able to see/feel where everything is. Mounting underneath lets me do that without a bunch of twisting and reaching. And I don't have to worry about overhead snags that may grab a top mounted bottle.
I don't do caves so there is a different mindset to those.

 

[Celt]

I use 12ltr main tanks if I'm doing deco. i drop a 7ltr of 50% O2 on top of my left tank with the neck bungie clipped to a shoulder d ring, the bottom long bungie with boltsnap i drop down between my main tank and side, this i pull across to an opposite waist d ring. very snug and comfortable.

 

[JonG1]

Thanks for the replies, I have tried nose clipping to a rear drop butt d and also underslinging beneath the left side main tank.

Not tried top mounting though so will give that a go.

Our boat diving requires an entry and immediate swim to the shot, ie no tag line or option to put tanks on in water so am looking at best way of getting in with the 3rd cylinder.

At the moment I am thinking of noseclipping it for the jump at the transom then moving it up front at the bottom of the shot.

 

[stretchthepenn]

Deco bottle is top mounted, left side. Top clip goes to higher D ring on my left shoulder. Bottom clip goes to rail on butt plate where primary tanks are also clipped. Only doing one deco bottle at this time.

Much the same here, except I've trained using two deco bottles -- left-lean, right-rich.

If I needed a third deco tank, I'd nose-clip it into my buttplate's center D-ring and let it trail behind.

 

[stretchthepenn]

Our boat diving requires an entry and immediate swim to the shot, ie no tag line or option to put tanks on in water so am looking at best way of getting in with the 3rd cylinder.

At the moment I am thinking of noseclipping it for the jump at the transom then moving it up front at the bottom of the shot.

Attaching a deco bottle in top-mount position takes some practice, and it's just plain HARD out of the water. I'd probably do the noseclip before entry, swim to the downline, and only then rotate the deco bottle to its final SM position.

 

[grantctobin]

Much the same here, except I've trained using two deco bottles -- left-lean, right-rich.

Would you care to show a video or a detailed explanation of your gas verification technique with this method?