How do you rig and use your doubles?

[tbone1004]

@Sawdust82
the manifold on the first picture was referenced earlier and allows you to take any two yoke tanks and make them a single tank with the one outlet. You gain no redundancy, and add a pair of yoke o-rings for failure points. These are not considered "kosher" anymore and while you will occasionally see them used in the vintage diving crowd, that is more for nostalgia than anything.
the pair of manifolds in the second picture are used almost exclusively these days for the guys that do vintage double hose diving and @herman may be able to give some more information on them

The bands in question will work with modern doubles assuming you have tanks of the right diameter. They were likely intended for double 72's and may not fit AL80's that have a larger diameter. The "hump" in the middle is to allow them to mount on backplates like this.
Plastic Traditional Style Backplate
these are not used in modern doubles diving, but again, are popular with the vintage diving crowd because it is similar to what was available in the 60's/70's

None of this gear is considered "ideal" for modern doubles diving

 

[seeker242]

Thanks for the link and the help guys, i learned a lot tonight.

These are the specific manifolds i was referring to. Im guessing both sets are fairly old?

I wouldn't buy those, unless you want to open a dive museum.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

Thanks for the link and the help guys, i learned a lot tonight.

These are the specific manifolds i was referring to. Im guessing both sets are fairly old?.

Yes they are. One is a cheater bar.

I have been diving AL 80's Independent Doubles, for reasons similar to yours: extended bottom time, convenience and budget. I like NOT having a dedicated set of doubles [manifold]. If I want to dive singles, I can. My kid shows up unexpectedly, we can go dive singles on the fly.
Switching regs is not a big deal. Trim, for me, is not an issue as far an imbalance of pressure, breath one to 2k, switch. Breath down the other to 1k, switch back.
I will add that I dive solo, so you will need to make appropriate plans to suit your dive plan [buddy, depth, etc].
There is a heap of info on this subject in this board. This is where I got my info before I went this route. Do a search on here, get a cup of coffee and read on.

 

[Bob DBF]

Thanks for the link and the help guys, i learned a lot tonight.

These are the specific manifolds i was referring to. Im guessing both sets are fairly old?

View attachment 384055 View attachment 384056

Yes they are old.

Although they are technically doubles, because of the two tanks, practically the manifolds just make it one big tank. This was fine when back in the day when you needed a 120 and the big tank was the 72 and later the 80. Just remember that you have enough air to go into deco, but no way to conserve the air in the event of a leak, which is why the modern manifold was born.

Since I picked up a couple of 120s I don't use my double 72s much, only with old double hose for old times sake.

When doing some serious diving, I rig for independent doubles to give some redundancy.


Bob

 

[WarrenZ]

After spending a couple of years diving a set of 95s and a set of 133s I have broke down both sets to use as sidemount. It is just so much easier to move and store.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I would recommend seeing if any GUE instructors in your area offer the Doubles Primer. I did this and it showed me a lot about configuration and particularly getting the weight right. Also it will show you which equipment is right which will save you money in the long run or prevent you from diving with dangerous gear configuration because A) you already bought the gear and will be damned if you aren't going to use it or B) Just don't realise that you are dangerously over weighted.

Once you know what you need you can build it up over time. The course is relatively inexpensive and only takes two days.

I agree, except that the OP said the nearest dive shop is 3 hours away. Still, even taking a weekend road trip to take a Doubles course could be worthwhile. Part of the GUE course is to give the diver the knowledge to select a set of doubles that suits his intended type of diving. Setting them up, maintaining them, and of course using them (valve drills, etc.)--all part of the course. Independent instructors affiliated with other agencies might also be willing to put together a customized "everything you always wanted to know about doubles" course.

 

[KevinNM]

Any GUE instructor can run a doubles primer, if none are scheduled near you, just ask one. I know there is a NY state based GUE instructor, I think it's Bob Sherwood. But I'm on my phone.

 

[Sawdust82]

Thanks for all the info and help guys. Its sounding more and more like sidemount may eventually be the way to go for me... Is that usually dove with a bp/w? In other words, if i got a decent single backmount bp/w, would that setup work for sidemount diving? Different size wing for more lift perhaps?

 

[Coztick]

Thanks for all the info and help guys. Its sounding more and more like sidemount may eventually be the way to go for me... Is that usually dove with a bp/w? In other words, if i got a decent single backmount bp/w, would that setup work for sidemount diving? Different size wing for more lift perhaps?

+1 for sidemount.
You will need a harness but no backplate.
There are many dedicated rigs to choose from. Personally I dive UTD's Delta wing both wet and dry. The wing provides 37# of lift.
Cheers

 

[2airishuman]

Thanks for the link and the help guys, i learned a lot tonight.

These are the specific manifolds i was referring to. Im guessing both sets are fairly old?

Hi Sawdust

Other posters are correct that the photos you have posted show older manifolds that are largely regarded as obsolete. While they will work, neither style is especially reliable or easy to use.

If you want to experiment with doubles with an eye towards the redundancy benefits they can provide for solo, deco, or overhead diving, I would suggest that you try to find a pair of steel HP100s or LP95s with an isolator manifold and bands. Not impossible to find used since there are tech divers switching to sidemount or rebreathers or getting out of diving.

If you're just in it for the capacity, you're probably better off getting a single larger cylinder.

Sidemount is the trend of the moment but does not (yet, anyways) have universal acceptance as a better choice than backmount. Depends on your fitness, body shape, and type of diving.