Nomad vs Armadillo

OK, I've read plenty of posts from Nomad divers, and several from those who have a dived the Armadillo, but I don't recall any direct comparisons. I know of the OMS solution, but so far it is not in my "A" list. If there's others, I would also consider them as well.

I'm seriously looking at converting to sidemount as a primary BCD for all but warm water travel (and, depending on the trip, maybe for that too), but am tossed about which one I would do better getting.

I've reviewed the owner's manuals for both, and see advantages to either one. The Armadillo seems lighter and more streamlined, but has a limited buoyancy. I've had some limited contact with the Nomad, but I know no one who owns an Armadillo.

The Nomad, although appearing to be very flexible with plenty of lift seems to be a considerably more bulky solution.

Both seem very versatile with regard to use in different situations, but can I get some input from those who have tried both? I'd like to hear what specifically was a preference for you, or what you found to be a major limiting factor.

Thanks in advance. Well, off to teach a class (no, not side mount diving) - I'll check back on this later in the afternoon when I am finished.

I may be biased, since I own the armadillo. I did try the nomad, but that was after I bought the armadillo. In my opinion, you don't need all the lift of the nomad. If you're using that much lift, you're not using sidemount for what it was intended for (getting into tight spaces). I've used Al80's, steel 95's, 100's and 120's, and stages and have never needed extra lift. In fact, I've tightened the bungees quite a bit to get more streamlined and adjust where I want the lift. I've used the armadillo in open water, under the ice, in wrecks, and especially in caves.
Now the differences. The armadillo is more streamlined. Adjustments are a little harder. The straps are robust, which means it's not the easiest to make fine adjustments through the tri-glides. And sidemount is all about making adjustments. First thing I did was buy lighter fins.
Diving with steels is easy. Just clip them in and go. If you're diving with al80's in warm water, then the 'razor' harness from gosidemount.com is way better. As you use the 80's, they get more buoyant. So when they start floating, you'll end up looking like the Starship Enterprise. It was so comfortable to overcome this with the razor (although you could attach weights to the tank, but that's another topic of contention).
Anyway, back to the original topic. Both will serve you well. The armadillo was cheaper and its a tough little unit. Both work for singles in a pinch, but with the buttplate cinched up, OW divers wonder why you're wearing a diaper.
Whichever one you get, I'm sure you'll be okay. You're a Course Director and a Major in the Army, so I'm very sure that you're good at adapting.

Armadillo has a huge butt....plate. It may be too wide for smaller frames, the tanks may end up hanging too low.

I like the armadillo bungee system better. But with a little DIY there is nothing stopping you from rigging the nomad like that too.

From what I've heard, buoyancy is only a consideration if you carry at least 2 stages with steels, I think.

Thanks for the input.

It seems to look like the Armadillo is indeed a good alternative, although I haven't had any opportunity to even see one, less try one out.

I did consider that unless I'm in a very unusual situation that the lift provided by the Nomad was most likely going to be unnecessary. I'll look into the razor too.

gearhound:

If you're using that much lift, you're not using sidemount for what it was intended for (getting into tight spaces).

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Sidemounting is also just great for diving in non-tight spaces, too.

shoredivr:

Sidemounting is also just great for diving in non-tight spaces, too.

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The more I read the more I think so but I never tried it. I have many more experienced divers telling me otherwise here so not sure what to think.

Pearldiver07:

OK, I've read plenty of posts from Nomad divers, and several from those who have a dived the Armadillo, but I don't recall any direct comparisons. I know of the OMS solution, but so far it is not in my "A" list. If there's others, I would also consider them as well. ... The Nomad, although appearing to be very flexible with plenty of lift seems to be a considerably more bulky solution.

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Apologies if this comes across as a small hijack. That isn't my intention, even if it turns out to be the effect. Unfortunately, I can't respond to one focus of your post - directly comparing the Nomad and the Armadillo, as I haven't used the Armadillo. But, I will offer some Nomad comments. The Nomad really is a bulky solution. I also have some concerns about the routing of the bungees on it for SM, as I am not wild about how they come across the wing from the back. Also, I saw the OMS SM rig at DEMA last month, and I was intrigued. The bungees attach on the diver side of the unit, not on the back side, and it really looks like a nice rig. So, I am interested in why it is not on your "A" list - not disagreeing at all, just trying to gain insights.

Part of the reason for this post is to ask a broader question. A possible advantage of the Nomad (and I am not yet certain of this) may be that the TransPac platform is a BCD that we can use for divers across a spectrum of development. I have not previously been a big TransPac advocate - it seems a bit bulky, lots of bouyant material (requiring offsetting weight) etc. In looking for ways to get certain newer divers, who want to buy their own gear early on, into something that has the versatility to grow with them, from single tank to double tank, IF that is a direction they ultimately choose, I have heretofore advocated a simple BP/W as a starter BCD. Good for new divers, single tank divers, experienced divers, doubles, etc. I also see SM as an exciting direction in recreational, not just 'technical' diving. If just adding a buttplate to a backplate was fully functional for SM as well, I wouldn't change. But, that doesn't seem to be the case. We have a few new divers who clearly want to immerse themselves in diving, try as many aspects as possible. You can already see it in them in OW. So, I am thinking they can start off diving a TransPac for single tank (backmount), possibly move to single tank SM, later move into (independent) doubles easily (and potentially more cheaply than BM doubles, with bands and manifolds), do initial tec in the rig, etc. Obviously, only a handful of divers end up going into doubles, tec, etc. and I am not suggesting some intention to rush people in that direction. Rather, I am wondering out loud whether the TransPac / Nomad may have more versatility than I intially suspected when I bought it for SM.

iztok:

The more I read the more I think so but I never tried it. I have many more experienced divers telling me otherwise here so not sure what to think.

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I am curious about the 'why' of what these more experienced divers appear to be telling you - that SM is not also great for diving in non-tight spaces.

Pearldiver07:

OK, I've read plenty of posts from Nomad divers, and several from those who have a dived the Armadillo, but I don't recall any direct comparisons. I know of the OMS solution, but so far it is not in my "A" list. If there's others, I would also consider them as well.

I'm seriously looking at converting to sidemount as a primary BCD for all but warm water travel (and, depending on the trip, maybe for that too), but am tossed about which one I would do better getting.

I've reviewed the owner's manuals for both, and see advantages to either one. The Armadillo seems lighter and more streamlined, but has a limited buoyancy. I've had some limited contact with the Nomad, but I know no one who owns an Armadillo.

The Nomad, although appearing to be very flexible with plenty of lift seems to be a considerably more bulky solution.

Both seem very versatile with regard to use in different situations, but can I get some input from those who have tried both? I'd like to hear what specifically was a preference for you, or what you found to be a major limiting factor.

Thanks in advance. Well, off to teach a class (no, not side mount diving) - I'll check back on this later in the afternoon when I am finished.

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I married a Nomad and Armadillo together with some custom changes, pics found on TDS and Cave diver Dot Net, and it works well up here in Minnesota year round. I've done at least 100 dives without tweaking anything now and I like it. But for me it's still to bulky despite trimming everything down to the bare minimum. For me the "Razor" will be the next step, take a look at that as a option before buying anything:

Go Side Mount - Steve Bogaerts

Colliam7:

Apologies if this comes across as a small hijack. That isn't my intention, even if it turns out to be the effect. Unfortunately, I can't respond to one focus of your post - directly comparing the Nomad and the Armadillo, as I haven't used the Armadillo. But, I will offer some Nomad comments. The Nomad really is a bulky solution. I also have some concerns about the routing of the bungees on it for SM, as I am not wild about how they come across the wing from the back. Also, I saw the OMS SM rig at DEMA last month, and I was intrigued. The bungees attach on the diver side of the unit, not on the back side, and it really looks like a nice rig. So, I am interested in why it is not on your "A" list - not disagreeing at all, just trying to gain insights.

Part of the reason for this post is to ask a broader question. A possible advantage of the Nomad (and I am not yet certain of this) may be that the TransPac platform is a BCD that we can use for divers across a spectrum of development. I have not previously been a big TransPac advocate - it seems a bit bulky, lots of bouyant material (requiring offsetting weight) etc.

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You bring up some very good points. But I didn't want to color any initial responses with my first post. I do indeed believe that the Nomad is a bulky solution, and I've considered that the Transpac would add buoyancy. But as you point out, the system adds versatility, if at the expense of specificity of use. Like any multi-functional system, it trades some specific traits for general purpose advantages.

Concerning the Armadillo, I am glad that I am hearing that the limited lift isn't a problem. So now, it ultimately comes down to whether I want to proceed with yet another focused rig (I already have several) or try to consolidate to one configurable system.

For some personal background, I am not a cave diver, though I have done some light wreck diving with limited penetration. I do, however, want' to explore cave diving, if for no other reason than to perfect more aspects of my skills. I enjoy detailed planning, precision in what I execute, and the challenge of doing so in a demanding environment. Who knows, it may become my long-term passion?

I would like to drop the manifolded doubles, as the additional task loading of SM with independent doubles will not be an issue.

I have looked at the razor system, and find it intriguing, but again it is a single-function system. And not the way I am trying to head. I believe the Armadillo may indeed lead me the way I am looking as well, but with somewhat less flexibility , but with a much more streamlined solution.

Pearldiver07:

You bring up some very good points. But I didn't want to color any initial responses with my first post. I do indeed believe that the Nomad is a bulky solution, and I've considered that the Transpac would add buoyancy. But as you point out, the system adds versatility, if at the expense of specificity of use. Like any multi-functional system, it trades some specific traits for general purpose advantages.

Concerning the Armadillo, I am glad that I am hearing that the limited lift isn't a problem. So now, it ultimately comes down to whether I want to proceed with yet another focused rig (I already have several) or try to consolidate to one configurable system.

For some personal background, I am not a cave diver, though I have done some light wreck diving with limited penetration. I do, however, want' to explore cave diving, if for no other reason than to perfect more aspects of my skills. I enjoy detailed planning, precision in what I execute, and the challenge of doing so in a demanding environment. Who knows, it may become my long-term passion?

I would like to drop the manifolded doubles, as the additional task loading of SM with independent doubles will not be an issue.

I have looked at the razor system, and find it intriguing, but again it is a single-function system. And not the way I am trying to head. I believe the Armadillo may indeed lead me the way I am looking as well, but with somewhat less flexibility , but with a much more streamlined solution.

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Do you travel, or want to? do you use a drysuit or wetsuit or do you have both and use whatever you feel is most appropriate for the dive? do you dive steels or aluminums or whatever is most appropriate? all these questions and more will aid in finding a system.

The razor is the most compact and lightest weight rig you can get even if you include a wing or the MSR bags for buoyancy. When traveling size and weight is a huge concern the razor sure seems appealing.

The razor as designed doesn't have a wing or form of buoyancy so you must add your own or weight yourself so it's not necessary. I dive dry 100%of the time so not having a wing which I never use permanently attached is nice. You can however add most any wing you desire, from any size range or adapt the inexpensive msr bags. You can even layer wings or use a a dual bladder should you require it.

I prefer to sidemount aluminums and taking 4 aluminum 80's is easier than 2 120's so that's what I do. I can easily use dual LP72's without adding a wing to my rig too since I dive dry.

The razor is infinitely adjustable and should you cut the webbing to short or gain some weight all you need to spend is $20 on new webbing. No sewing is required for repairs either. You can add or remove D-rings and position them anywhere. depending on specific needs this can be a desirable thing.

It's not going to serve every need but you can dive single or double tanks, add stages or decompression tanks, dive from land or a boat, warm or cold water, deep or shallow, tight cave or open water, etc so I really tend to praise it.

I owned a Nomad and basically destroyed it and added features of the Armadillo all to streamline things as much as possible. I removed the wing too. then the razor came out and solved everything for me.