Ideas for ultralight solo rig for petite diver gal?

[bamafan]

For anyone looking to carry al80's a ways these bags rock.

• For Stages S80 - KUBI (www.kubi.sk)

They are available in the US too

 

[Ghetto Diver]

QUOTE="bamafan, post: 7804988, member: 395256"]This is one of the advantages of sidemount diving over bm doubles. You can get a Kubi bacpack and carry 2 tanks at a time or you can carry one at a time. In Mexico, Dominican Republic and even some places in Florida the distance from the vehicle to the dive site is definitely not measured in feet. I have personally humped al 80's a lot farther into the jungle than 250 yards. I think it is a valid option and offers a lot more flexibility than dragging around a small pony bottle. Traveling with a pony bottle can be a pain but getting 2 tanks is always an option. Now if almost 160 cuft of gas isn't needed dive 40's or even 30's. As mentioned the lp50's are a great option but rarely are available for rent but for personal tanks on small dives they rock.[/QUOTE]

Not dis'n SM, but please keep OP's parameters in mind....petite gal, South Florida beach diving, solo....
So make two trips and on second trip your gear is gone....just sayin'

I don't see the benefit, BTW, of carrying tanks in a bag on my back vs. BM.

I think, as others have posted, that an AL63 back mounted is the way to go.

YMMV

 

[bamafan]

The big advantage to the bag is you are carrying two independent cylinders. Renting doubles is not always an option. You can also single tank sidemount. Do what you want but it is the most flexible lightest weight system out there. You can easily carry your bc, regs, lights, computers etc in a single carryon bag. This is not possible in bm. If you can find some of the old travel bands that Dive Rite used to make this is an option for bm doubles but again you are gaining weight and have less flexibility. As far as petite their are many female cave divers that are very petite that dive these systems and do a lot of exploration where humping al 80's through the jungle is required. For beach diving I would take my tanks first and leave them then bring down my other stuff so that it isn't left unattended. I am not trying to tell anyone what to do just pointing out a more flexible lighter system.

 

[Aotus]

Not dis'n SM, but please keep OP's parameters in mind....petite gal, South Florida beach diving, solo....
So make two trips and on second trip your gear is gone....just sayin'

This is just silly. Sure, if theft is an issue, two trips is a non starter. But sidemount is not just a way to make two trips easier, it makes a single trip easier because you can carry your (one large or two small) tanks however you want, in hand, on shoulder.

Not dis'n backmount, but please understand that some people who have little or no experience in sidemount assume that it's much more complicated than it is, and don't understand how much of the frustration they deal with in BM is diminished with SM.

...just sayin'

 

[Ghetto Diver]

^ you need to read the whole thread


ETA
No frustration with BM for me, just sayin'

 

[2airishuman]

It appears to me that the original poster has left the building, or at least the thread.

 

[uncfnp]

It appears to me that the original poster has left the building, or at least the thread.

Maybe not. She participated Friday. Maybe just a busy weekend.

I don't know if she realizes it but this has been a great thread and as a petite female I want to thank all of you myself for the many thoughtful solutions. Some of it I don't think is pratical for her circumstances but there have been some really great options given from truly minimilist diving to full blown doubles and sidemount. Hopefully she will be able to shift through the replies and find the right mix for her situation.

 

[aquacat8]

I really appreciate all the answers I got and my mind is spinning with all the possibilities. If my purse would allow I would try every one of them and get back to y'all with my impressons. As it is I feel encouraged to keep trying different rigs, maybe renting or demo-Ingram or borrowing until I find what works great. Thank you Scubaboard buddies!

 

[aquacat8]

Demo-Ingram was auto correct grrr I meant demo-ing

 

[shucksun]

I have the 13 cuft steel, a 19 cuft Al, and 30cuft Al. I tried the rear tank mount approach with the 13 and 19 and stopped that after using the sling style. Sling style puts the tank valve right at your finger tips, it is superior to rear mount in my experience. Look at the Zeagle integrated tank valve/first stage regulator with a lever adjustable 2nd stage. You can replace the stock low pressure 2nd stage hose with a custom length which is fitted to your sling position. I added a "small" spg on its own HP short hose. For you, the 19 might be overkill, but I would suggest anything smaller then the 13 is worthless and here is why I say that: when you go to your redundant air supply, there is a reason why you are doing that. That "reason" is going to cause you some anxiety, the larger redundant air supply will give you the confidence to slow down, problem solve, and make your exit without you feeling rushed.