Newbie looking at gear - Sidemount vs BP/W advice please

[tbone1004]

i'm 6'4" so my penetration is limited, but the same still goes, it's just not ideal. My nomad does however have the long transpac which works nicely, also covers the dump valve to protect it, but I don't squeeze through anything. You still have to counter the wing though, that's the problem. the standard backplates are too wide to properly flatten a wing without limiting it's lift significantly, and then comes the problem if finding a wing that will work properly and sewing tabs on to hold it into the harness.

 

[CWSWine]

Here is video and instruction on how to setup a backplate for sidemounting.

UTD Video Blog: Z-Side-Mounting with your Backplate - Unified Team Diving

I have done it and decided that I like the Razor style harness and they freedom they give you.

 

[DiveAv8r]

Greetings everyone,

Quick update from me: I really appreciate all the information and advice I received from all of you! I have decided to go with a Backplate and Wing, as most of you suggested. The reality is most of my diving for the next couple of years will involve back mounted singles - I will revisit side-mount diving when I get more experience, I am very keen to try it one day.

See you in the water!

 

[victorzamora]

Well, I don't know if you're still around....but good on ya for choosing BP/W. My first BP/W dive was last night and I couldn't have been happier with it.

I ended up with the Hollis Elite 2, Hollis Alu back plate, and the Hollis S38 wing. However, I'd recommend just a basic single piece of webbing over the Elite 2. It'll save you about $150 and I think is a better setup anyway.

 

[flyandive]

Well, I don't know if you're still around....but good on ya for choosing BP/W. My first BP/W dive was last night and I couldn't have been happier with it.

I ended up with the Hollis Elite 2, Hollis Alu back plate, and the Hollis S38 wing. However, I'd recommend just a basic single piece of webbing over the Elite 2. It'll save you about $150 and I think is a better setup anyway.

I don't know if he is still lurking on here or not but I dove with him last week in Monterey. He went with that exact same setup as you, he was pretty die hard on having the comfort harness. We had someone that knew what they were doing get it sized up for him and he loved it.

I dive with a pretty similar setup, and have for many years, although I was impressed with the Elite 2. Seems like a slightly better design than what I have, but I do agree the comfort harness is over rated. I have dove with a plain harness many times and it puts a little more pressure on your shoulder joint because of where the bottom of the shoulder straps meets the backplate and the lack of a chest strap but it's not that much different. The pads on mine are old and much thinner than the elite 2 and are absolutely useless.

 

[rlynch]

Take up TSandM's offer and go dive with the local crew (i do when in seattle)
check here for the wensday night dives and other groups going.
NWUE Facebook group
its a great group of people.

do it before you invest in any gear - try it out and see what works for you and your buddy team.

 

[DiveAv8r]

Hello folks,

Yes I am still lurking and learning. I did buy the Hollis AL BP/W, Elite II harness and S38 wing - and absolutely loved it, in spite of my fears about fit. The LDS I bought it from - Seven Seas Scuba in Monterrey - was extremely helpful in educating me about the gear, and the Manager - Louis Powell - got in the water with me for a dive to put the finishing touches on the fit. Without him, I would probably still be tweaking it, but Louis knew exactly what he was doing and had everything sitting perfectly. I could not be happier, and I look forward to a lot of fun diving with the rig.

As an addition, my LDS here in Seattle - Underwater Sports - was able to arrange for a demo SMS100 from the Hollis Rep for me to try in their pool. I really enjoyed the rig, and felt extremely comfortable in the water. I tried Single Tank AL80 back mount as well as Single Tank Side-mount - and absolutely loved it. With no formal training I had no difficulty with control and trim, even while swinging the tank underwater - although I am sure an experienced instructor could point out at least a dozen things wrong with my technique... I will definitely be getting into Sidemount later on down the road, but for now I am going to dive and gain as much experience as I can.

Thanks again to all for your help and advice.

Noam