Need advise or a link to "step by step" sidemount setup - with zeagle Ranger bcd...

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yaronad

yaronad

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I dive with zeagle Ranger and a 12L steel tank
and Mk25/s700 reg system....


I want to step into the sidemount world :)


Can someone give me a link to a good step by step / video guide ?
I'll dive with a single tank


Many thx!
 
There are a lot of threads that will give you options on how to setup up your rig, but there is no one way. First look at what type of diving you will be doing and the options for SM rigs that will satisfy those needs. It is a bonus to find a experienced instructor that will help you get started. Keep an open mind on setup and keep experimenting until you find what's just right for you. I dive a very minimalist rig in warm water with a single al80. It's made to travel, lightweight, a breeze to setup, and pure joy to dive. It easily handles two cylinders as well, and often does. In contrast is my cold water deco rig, a totally different animal.
 
Zeagle Rangers are not SM friendly -

First you would need to add a butt plate and then a set of bungee attachments in the back off the top band.

Then you would need to put rails on the back and add a crotch strap.

The BCs inflation not idea abs you wold need to wrap the bladder in bungie cord at the top to push air to the lower back ...

Then you would have an awkward unbalanced sm mess...

In sum buy a SM unit...
 
Omisson:
In sum buy a SM unit...
Click to expand...

Or better yet, pursue some SM training with an instructor who will rent you gear & get it dialed in. A session like this need not be expensive or time consuming.

Pursuing sidemount as a DIY effort from the start pretty much guarantees frustration. Learn the proper "feel" of a well adjusted rig first. Then this will help you in your efforts to set up your own configuration down the road.
 
Last edited:
also: with one cylinder SM >> If the cylinder is at my side...instead of my back, and it doesn't affect my trim /
buoyancy
....
Do I have to add extra weights ? instead of the cylinder influence?
 
Last edited:
Need advise or a link to "step by step" sidemount setup - with zeagle Ranger ...

yaronad:
also: with one cylinder SM >> If the cylinder is at my side...instead of my back, and it doesn't affect my trim /
buoyancy....
Do I have to add extra weights ? instead of the cylinder influence?
Click to expand...

This is why I would not recommend trying single tank sidemount with your steel tank. AL80 tanks have the best buoyancy characteristics for single tank use: slightly negative when full, slightly positive when empty. The bottom clip goes on you hip when full, and in front near your buckle when empty. This is manageable, there's no more than a tiny bit of lopsided feel.

Here's me going single tank last weekend.

drbill_001 (1).jpg

Tank is probably around 1000 psi at this point in the dive, floating slightly.
 
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You could have fun with a single tank in the pool even without a sidemount harness, from what I hear, sidemount is all about experimenting on your own, and figuring out what works best for you... I would be curious to play myself, if only I can find a local pool here to try things out in controlled conditions on my own.
 
yaronad:
I dive with zeagle Ranger and a 12L steel tank
Click to expand...

Now as for your Zeagle Ranger BC, you will probably find that it is not the best platform for sidemount. Really no back-mount BCs are any good at this.

The main reason is, they tend to collect the air up high near your shoulders (where you need it for a back mounted tank). For sidemount, you need the lift concentrated lower down, near your hips. Not to mention the extra dangly bits you'll have left on your back, right where you'll want to be the most streamlined.

Now you can probably get it to work .... somehow rig some bungees to it and get D-rings in the right places ... but if you learned the "feel" of a balanced dedicated sidemount rig from the start (see advice above) you will have a very difficult time reproducing the same feel with your Ranger.
 
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Honestly, sell the ranger and pick up a SM rig. There are lots to choose from and start around $350. If you still want the ability to back mount there is always the alpha/delta wing by unified team diving. It's a great BM wing and a good SM wing. I have several in my training and rental fleet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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