Sidemount or Backmount?

[victorzamora]

As far as BM vs SM, I think Doppler brought up the best term: It's a lifestyle choice. TS&M said it, most caves are fine in doubles....and anything a new cave diver should be doing SHOULD be fine in doubles. However, squeezing through tight spaces isn't the only consideration to make. I am a sidemount diver, full disclosure, so if I want to dive doubles I can rent any two tanks and be good to go. A doubles diver has to source doubles, which isn't always easy and is sometimes not possible. Sidemount takes more fiddling, more tweaking, and more DIY-type custom stuff....whereas doubles seem to be a lot more established and standardized (to nobody's surprise). The choice is a personal one as there are pros and cons to both BM and SM.

For SM diving, go straight to a GOOD SM instructor. Plenty of SM instructors have 6 sidemount dives and horrible tank trim and technique. Even big name tech divers with thousands of dives have awful tank trim, technique, and theory. Cave Adventurers is absolutely the FIRST place I'd look. Their pricing is great, but their training is just spectacular. Doppler has tons of good reviews, and I wouldn't hesitate taking an SM class from him for an instant.

The stock SMS100 is actually a fairly awful BCD. Even with a mentor, tons of pool time, and TONS of effort on my part, it just wasn't easy to dive. Edd's mods really make that rig spectacular. The SMS75 and the Halcyon Contour have both distilled those mods into a ground-up SM rig that's been properly designed. The Hog SM rig seems very well-built as well, and it's REALLY hard to beat for the price.....but it's just not as sexy (imho) as the other two. If you're definitely going to order through your LDS, get a 75. It's not that the 100 is "better" than the 75, it's just bigger....but the lift is all in the wrong place. By the time you get it diving well, it has no more lift than the SMS75 or the Halcyon Contour. The SMS75 is absolutely better than the stock SMS100. I'm not sure it's better than Edd's SMS100.

 

[DevonDiver]

There's a myriad of sidemount systems now available. Selection really is about identifying the optimal rig for your personal style of diving. It's worth doing some research - and, of course, talking to your prospective sidemount instructor, along with local sidemount divers (in the area you'll primarily be diving in).

A List of Modern Sidemount Diving Systems

Backmount is much easier to select. Calculate the necessary buoyancy, decide between dual/single bladder, then find a preferred manufacturer within your price range. Not much differs from one wing to another..

 

[Vegan Shark]

Hello,
The shop nearest me does have a killer deal on the Hollis sms100 but do you think I should stick with a BP/W set up or does it matter?

Does the shop have an online store? I've been really thinking about getting an SMS100 lately, since I want to progress to backmount doubles, with the option of going sidemount in the future, but the cost has been keeping me back.

 

[theskull]

Does the shop have an online store? I've been really thinking about getting an SMS100 lately, since I want to progress to backmount doubles, with the option of going sidemount in the future, but the cost has been keeping me back.

Good call! I used my Hollis SMS-100 with backmount doubles a number of times before I made the full switch over to SM.

theskull

 

[Vegan Shark]

Will a single tank work okay on the dual wing version? Not sure if I should sell off my vest BC when I switch, or keep it just for travel/boat dives.

 

[victorzamora]

Yes, it will. With Edd's mods, the inflator gets routed from the bottom so you have to accomodate for that if you're getting one of Edd's. However, why would you need to dive BM with the SMS100? Just sidemount the tank(s) on the boat dives as well.

Also, there's no "dual wing" version. There's a dual bladder version, but they both have the same wing shape/size.....but the SMS100D has a redundant bladder.

The only BCD I dive right now is Edd's SMS100.

 

[Vegan Shark]

I haven't tried sidemount yet, just want to keep my options open and get a system that supports single tank, back doubles, as well as SM. Does Hollis have any weight system that can be used with the SMS100, or is a weight belt the only option?

 

[DevonDiver]

I haven't tried sidemount yet, just want to keep my options open and get a system that supports single tank, back doubles, as well as SM.

Some might say that creates a 'jack of all trades, master of none' system. I'd agree with that. It shares a philosophy with those big, bungeed back-mount wings that are sold as "suitable for single or double tanks", which we all know aren't...

Does Hollis have any weight system that can be used with the SMS100, or is a weight belt the only option?

There is the option to place non-ditchable trim weights up on the shoulders of the SMS100.

There is an additional 'weight pocket' that can be added to the rear of system:

 

[Vegan Shark]

Some might say that creates a 'jack of all trades, master of none' system. I'd agree with that.

Do you think the SMS 100 for BM doubles is inferior to dedicated BM wings, then? Or are you talking about using it with single tank?

 

[Doppler]

Do you think the SMS 100 for BM doubles is inferior to dedicated BM wings, then? Or are you talking about using it with single tank?

There's a whole module in the sidemount coursework on this, so you are not the first to raise this question, and my answer needs to be brief because there simply isn't time to write down a 1,000 word explanation. However, Coles Notes Version.

There are few things about dive gear that are free of compromise, but we have to draw the line somewhere. There are some folks who are perfectly happy putting a yellow bow on a pig's arse and calling it the Easter Bunny. But it simply isn't.

If you wanna dive doubles -- and god knows you are welcome -- you are going to need the stability that comes with a backplate and the distribution of lift that comes from a wing designed to work with a pair of doubles.

If you wanna dive sidemount... properly... and make it work, the last thing you need is a backplate. Running a close second in the what-you-don't-want-sweepstakes is that wing originally and primarily designed for doubles. IT SIMPLY IS NOT going to allow you to trim out correctly because the lift is in exactly the WRONG places. I don't care who says it can. It cannot.

Maybe a very experienced SM diver could make it work because of his or her skill, but they would still look like a bag of hammers on a merry-go-round.

In other words, a sm harness is for sidemount... a couple of bottles at the diver's side, and it will simply be too much of a compromise to work with anything else... NOW all sorts of people with disagree with me... but take a look at someone who is squared away in SM. Watch them maneuver, look at the control they have. Then look at some punter with **** hanging off him looking like a Christmas tree at the mad hatter's tea party.

Which do YOU want to become? Hammer-man or Mister Suave? Your choice.

Take-home message is this: I can fry you an egg on the back of a plasterer's trowel but an omelet pan works better.