Hose configuration

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FishDiver

Contributor
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Location
Davis, CA
# of dives
1000 - 2499
I need suggestions, photos and links for optimal sidemount hose configurations.
 
There's about 50 million different, correct, answers for this...

Can you give us a little more information on your diving. Do you dived in mixed groups? SM in OW/Caves/Wrecks? Solo? Were you diving a traditional Hog setup before?



Personally? I run a shorthose on my left tank, 32"-34"(can't remember) and it wraps around my head and hangs on a necklace. I run a longhose on my right tank, it routes across my chest, around my head and I clip it when not in use. Basically, its kinda run like a hog setup. I run a 9" LP inflator hose to my wing inflator which is positioned on my chest. My wing inflator is on the bottom of my wing and my dump is up top(swapped). I open the dump with a string routed on my left shoulder strap.

It ain't right for some, it might not be right for you, but it works for me.
 
There's about 50 million different, correct, answers for this...

Can you give us a little more information on your diving. Do you dived in mixed groups? SM in OW/Caves/Wrecks? Solo? Were you diving a traditional Hog setup before?



Personally? I run a shorthose on my left tank, 32"-34"(can't remember) and it wraps around my head and hangs on a necklace. I run a longhose on my right tank, it routes across my chest, around my head and I clip it when not in use. Basically, its kinda run like a hog setup. I run a 9" LP inflator hose to my wing inflator which is positioned on my chest. My wing inflator is on the bottom of my wing and my dump is up top(swapped). I open the dump with a string routed on my left shoulder strap.

It ain't right for some, it might not be right for you, but it works for me.

I use a HOG configuration. My back can't handle the weight of backmounted doubles anymore. My immediate needs are solo diving and devising a portable rig for travel.
 
If I were diving solo... I'd get short hoses, long enough to come up off the tanks, clip off to whatever, and reach my mouth... If I didn't intend to donate with a buddy, I wouldn't bother with all the extra hose.

This would be alot different than a Hog configuration, so you may preffer something closer to that instead. I'm not sure how a Hog configuration's hose routing would be of any benefit to a solo diver, but if thats how you're already comfortable...
 
Here's how I set-up my tanks, ala Steve Bogaerts.
sidemount_tankrig.jpg


I provide more detail in my article: How to route hoses on sidemount tanks. The routing is similar to HOG, and that's a big plus for me and mixed team diving.

Let me know if you have questions.
 
I am using (solo, OW) something similar to the photos, without the long hose.

Left tank:
- DIN first stage with turret
- SPG with 6" hose.
- 2nd stage with 30" hose, right angle adapter and necklace
- Inflator hose (22"), connected to bottom port.

Right tank:
- DIN first stage with turret
- SPG w/6" hose
- 2nd stage with 40" hose, goes around neck. It has a small dog clip that hangs on harness' right D-ring.

some notes:

In both 2nd stages, the necklace and dog clip are held around the mouthpiece using a fisherman's knot, so any second stage can be easily pulled out of it (if needed). The second stage clipped on the right D-ring can be reached and breathed even without detaching it from the harness, so it is almost as good as the necklace from accessibility point of view.

The inflator hose is in the turret's bottom port, but I put the whole turret facing upwards so inflator hose goes directly into the corrugated hose.

For solo diving, I would try to avoid using Yoke first stages. Granted, if one o-ring fails you have the redundant gas supply, but better avoid altogether this type of problems. IMO DIN is more reliable than Yoke, at least from O-ring aspects.

First stages with turret are sometimes easier to route the hoses and give more possibilities for SM routing.

As I am using several tanks, I connect the lower clips with CAM bands, and added some bike tubingto secure them, so they have less chances to open during a dive.

I'll put my photos later on :)

And finally, I really like Deep-sherpa's blog. Took lots of ideas from him in the past and once in a while I pay him a visit to see if there is something new..
 
Here's how I set-up my tanks, ala Steve Bogaerts.
sidemount_tankrig.jpg


I provide more detail in my article: How to route hoses on sidemount tanks. The routing is similar to HOG, and that's a big plus for me and mixed team diving.

Let me know if you have questions.

I see the comment for mounting the spg straight down along the tank is to reduce entanglement. If tanks are rigged well,and the first stages are facing you,the spgs should ride close to the body. This reduces the need to contort your body to look down at the spg,as well as constant flexing/unflexing of the hose. I have dove sidemount for many years,in sidemount conditions,and this has never been an entanglement issue.
 
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Superbugman gives very solid advice and my set up is similar to bugman's except the left hand short hose is 40 inch, routes under the arm across the shoulder and around the neck. I was routing the long hose hog style around the neck but recently started routing it straight up. Putting a small hole in the exhaust T and attaching the bolt snap there made a difference as it clips off much cleaner now. The devil is in the details.

A variation I am playing with now is a long hose on the left tank as well. So far I am not noting much difference between it and the current 40" hose other than a loop of hose under the bungee,but there is a slight cost in "clean" and you have to take care to keep the hoses next to the tansk (big rubber bands and inner tubes amy be my new best freinds.)

I also butt mount my light and that made a major difference in how the right tank rides. SM is a system and it all needs to work together, so any one suggestion from any one diver may not work perfectly for you.
 
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