Equipment Modifications for Sidemount Diving

Modifying standard technical diving equipment designed for backmount diving can save you some money. I believe right now some of the sidemount systems are overpriced and may put of some of us from switching to sidemount configuration. When it comes to BC system, all you need is 2 backplates, wing and a bungee cord. Most of technical divers already have the wing and the plate so purchasing a 2nd aluminium backplate should not be that expensive. In the picture bellow I actually sandwiched 2 separate wings in order to use it for PADI TecRec courses. I must tell you that it works perfect.

I see your point however strapping a rigid piece of metal to your back defeats one of the major benefits of SM in my opinion.

Yes I understand and this is just an example of what we can do and especially when diving only in open water. I just think that before purchasing something that divers may not like better try modified equipment first. Of course nothing can replace a proper sidemount system when diving in in caves and wrecks.

TecRec Cebu:

Yes I understand and this is just an example of what we can do and especially when diving only in open water. I just think that before purchasing something that divers may not like better try modified equipment first. Of course nothing can replace a proper sidemount system when diving in in caves and wrecks.

Click to expand...

Even in open water I still feel the fact that nothing is rigid across your back as quite possibly the biggest selling point of side mount. A backplate set up does not give you that true free feeling of side mount. With that being said, I see your point on what you are trying to do.

Try taking a Transpac or similar harness and put your wing under it. A lot closer to the side mount harnesses on the market. Then all you need is a butt-plate and your off diving a non-rigid set up.

TecRec Cebu:

When it comes to BC system, all you need is 2 backplates, wing and a bungee cord. . . . In the picture bellow I actually sandwiched 2 separate wings in order to use it for PADI TecRec courses. I must tell you that it works perfect.

Click to expand...

I may get the answer from your website, but I cannot tell from your pictures . . . Since I don't see a buttplate, where are you attaching the bottom tank clips - to the hip D-rings on your waist strap?

I presume the second plate reduces some of the tacoing. That is also the concept with the OMS Profile, which essentially fits a fairly rigid (non-metallic) panel over the wing. With your setup, are you doing anything in particular to hold the bottom corners of the wing down? (With a Profile, I use bungee to keep the corners from floating up.) Just curious.

Interesting idea, thanks for sharing.

Interesting point about the D-rings actually. Since it is not a perfect system so to get my tanks very close and streamlined I wear additional belt (just a regular weight belt with couple of low profile D-rings). In this way the distance from my shoulder D-rings to the waist is longer. Yes I use the bungee to keep my wings in low profile. I actually made the blue aluminium plate that goes behind a little flatter (I stepped on it! hahaha!). In this way I created more space in between the 2 plates and I have more space for the wing to go in. I did some wreck penetration with my setup already and it was pretty good. Please look at the picture how the belt looks. I secure my crotch strap around the belt instead of the main harness. in this way the belt stays in place.

I'm also using a similar kit for the same reason, i.e. teach courses where redundant BC is a requirement. I'm using Apeks Wtx6R wing with inside bungees, a stainless backplate placed on the outside and a hogarthian style harness going over the wing. I've solved the hip D-ring issue by using the rubber rings that come with the xDeep Stealth harness. Those rings can be moved across the waist strap as the tanks (S80) get empty. Great way to solve this issue. Before I was using 2 fixed Billy rings on each side. I keep a regular D-ring on the left side for an additional tank. I also use bungees to maintain the tanks close to the shoulders. It works surprisingly well.
I hear the point about adding rigidity to the rig. I don't feel that it's a big deal when I compare diving with the xDeep Stealth. I actually feel more comfortable with my home-made rig and dive it now as my main OC rig... Application is non-Trimix ocean dives. Different rigs may be suited to different applications.
I have not seen any commercial rig that fits my requirement 100%. I need redundancy, one size fits all, ease of adaptation to different body types, a reputable brand with standard elements that can be serviced locally (Indonesia) and a system that will not set me back 1000$. Until that becomes available, I'll stick to my rig. I'm very happy to try other rigs though.

Good point about the rubber rings! I also use them sometimes. Depends on how many tanks I carry. With aluminium tanks even when full, they are not so negative, a rubber ring that is sliding across the belt is a good solution too. The tank adjustments can be much faster and more precise. I don't think it would be a good idea with steel tanks but with aluminium the idea works well.

I agree that many of the 'off-the-shelf' sidemount rigs are cost prohibitive towards divers 'giving it a try'. They are grossly over-priced, when considering the actual process and materials needed for construction (one must assume low volume manufacture/sales account for high prices?).

IMHO the Hollis SMS50 is an ideal rig for basic & mainstream sidemount tuition. Sadly, the lack of redundancy vetos that for PADI courses at the tec level - perhaps Hollis will tackle that deficit sometime in the future? Razor and X-Deep are the rigs of choice, of course, but not so attractive from a mainstream dive center (rentals/courses) perspective.

I also approached sidemount through the modification of existing BP&W rigs that I owned. You can read about that in the 'Project Frankenstein' thread from back in April. I opted for a soft-backplate (Oxycheq). Zeagle also do a good alternative soft back-plate, but were not available for testing/purchase here in the Phils. The backplate is rigged with a hog harness, which along with long/short hose configuration, completely matches the configuration I am intimately familiar diving with.

A soft back-plate makes the world of difference. D-rings were swapped out for low-profile versions. Inflator hose was swapped with the left-hip dump position. Wing taco was solved through the use of the OMS Profile adapter. The Profile does a decent job, but I am still hoping for a more lightweight and universal solution to be provided by a mainstream equipment company...

I am using a 30lb donut wing - which has proven sufficient for 2xAl80 & 2xAl80 stages. I can swap out the wing for a redundant bladder alternative, when teaching PADI Tec Sidemount courses - but that's just about fulfilling standards in my mind... there's no need for that volume/bulk with the rig when diving tropical.

My 'Frankenstein' in action...(adjust the resolution to 480p...grrrr youtube!)

[youtubehq]h3sUn6kBiV0[/youtubehq]