Approximate Weight of Your Warm Water Rig

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Do you know which side mount rig is better for a very small person, and for carrying the small tanks?

See these Future Sidemounter and Is Side Mount the new DIR??? Building resentment towards us as a group... for how there are Mexico style rigs for neutral/buoyant/small tanks and beefier Florida rigs for big heavy/negative steel tanks. For small tanks you would just need a Mexico rig, and some of them, particularly the Stealth, are also useable closer into the heavy gas/tank load category.

A Mexico sidemount rig is just a web and a few steel bits harness for weighs and to clip tanks on. Plus a bladder attached to it or your body, often held down on you by just thick bungee cord and a strap with some velcro. Plus often a clip on butt pocket for DSMB etc.

The webbing can go as small as you want. The bladder can be as small as an MSR water bladder with an inflation hose and dump valve added. DECO - Dive Equipment Company - Sidemount - BCD's. The tanks have their limits on small, but 2x AL30s could be sweet.

I'm a reasonably trim, 5'9" ~140 lb,, and strong guy. For small tanks, I like my XDeep Stealth tec with redundant bladder, which I got for small tanks, up to, for me, max say 2x LP85 + a two AL stages/deco. Which leaves the small gas/tank load camp, but is does not venture far into the big serious camp. Sometimes the bottom dump feels a bit far to reach, which the tec's solid plastic back protective plate does not give many options for raising closer to my shoulders, although you could route the dump cord various ways. I wanted redundant bladders, as I have a very thick suit, and a broad (small-ish) tank range. I think the tec was the only redundant Stealth at the time.

The stealth classic bladder assembly is more compact with a tiny bit less lift, and may not handle big tanks as well. Its blabber is separate from the harness so its positioning, should be more controllable. Or fit a shorter spine and arms better. I think for just small tanks it would be a good option. Even better than the tec, as the tec's bigger tank capacity is not needed. You seem to give up some ease in handling bigger tanks, but it would seem more suited to a smaller frame. It certainly seems used with 2x AL80s. See rddvet's comments between the tec and classic stealths, Future Sidemounter. XDeep does have a nice weight pocket system, thought you could add it to other Mexico rigs as well.

If you're *just* using tiny tanks, or even *just* AL80s, the Deco rig would be very small. I've considered it as a super small travel option.

One advice, from tbone, was to drive to CaveAdventures in North Florida as they have rental of most all the rigs.

The Stealth tec with 2x AL40s or 2x LP50s is all I know. I did read a lot, or even all, of the sidemount forum before buying.
 
For a given air capacity side mount will always weigh more.Period.
It MAY in some cases put the weight in a more comfortable position.
It is not in keeping with my KISS mindset.

My B/P wing setup with an al80 is just under #40. With a steel 120, under #50. I could lose a couple pounds by deleting welded 90 degree D rings on my hip.
 
Thanks, I love learning about gear!
 
Yes. Clearly two tanks, valves, and 1st stages is less weight efficient than one, particularly if you ignore or have no ballast needs. But I don't see a big difference between 1x AL80 and 2x AL40. Sidemount does give more options of *when* you carry big parts of the weight, and a little bit in how.

DGX lists AL80 as 31.65 lb and +3.35 empty, AL40 as 15.3 lb and +1.6 empty, averaging between Faber and Metal Impact stats.
~31.7 lb for AL 80 (77cu.ft)
~34.6 lb for 2x AL40 (80 cu.ft) + extra valve + extra 1st = ~30.6 + ~2 + ~2
A 3 lb. cost for the two tank option does not seem like much, particularly as it is mostly solid brass and will count against lead. I just grabbed convenient numbers for tanks in question, and a crude estimate for the extra valve and 1st. The total empty buoyancies are within .15 lb.

If you want redundancy, not the subject of this thread, I think the weight differences between pony, side, and doubles is likely in the noise. The manifold and bands might tip that against the doubles, but its still noise compared to other pros and cons among them, with none always a clear winner on suitability.
 
For a given air capacity side mount will always weigh more.Period.
It MAY in some cases put the weight in a more comfortable position.
It is not in keeping with my KISS mindset.

My B/P wing setup with an al80 is just under #40. With a steel 120, under #50. I could lose a couple pounds by deleting welded 90 degree D rings on my hip.

Your single tank setup is what I'm aiming for, although it may require an AL backplate. I have SS at the moment. Is your backplate AL?
 
Your single tank setup is what I'm aiming for, although it may require an AL backplate. I have SS at the moment. Is your backplate AL?

Currently SS but Al is about $50.I use universal velcro weight pouches if I need weight to compensate for thicker wetsuits.With a 120 steel, I am neutral empty.With an Al80 I need a couple pounds.
There are plastic and even heard of carbon fiber backplates for another pound loss.
I have 3 herniated discs and do all I can to keep from further damaging myself to the point of surgery.
 
I don’t think you will shed a couple of pounds by eliminating two SS d-rings. More like a quarter pound.

My single travel rig weighs in a little north of 4.5 pounds with SS hardware. With full AL80, MkV / 156 & 108 reg set, compass, SMB & light, the total is about 47-48 Lbs. 6lbs lead on a belt on the hips. I could maybe cut a couple of pounds by going with one of those new fangled regulator sets with plastic second stages like my kids dive. I would have to add those 2 Lbs back to my weight belt, however.

You will be hard pressed to get any lighter than about 45 Lbs I’m thinking and you would need to move to a weight belt to do that. This would be for warm water diving with minimal exposure protection.
 
Just setup my warm water rig, going as light as I can.

3.6 lbs scuba pro titanium mk25t and 620ti with yoke connector and miflex hose (got a great deal on this set used, wouldn’t have bought it new)
8 lbs hydros pro bcd
8-10 lbs of lead (haven’t dived it warm yet but figuring in there)
31.5 lbs for the tank
- this on the back with tank is about ~51 lbs

To round out the rest of the rig
0.25 lbs computer
1.5 lights and camera rig

3.3 lbs fins
1.5 lbs booties
0.25 lbs mask

All this fits (besides tank and weight) in the hydros backpack coming in just over 20lbs

I usually dive warm water with a 1 mm farmer John just to keep the chill and scrapes a way.

Looking forward to getting it in warm water
 
Remember, 31.5# is an empty cylinder. If you want to carry air on the dive you would be at about 57#. I would recommend that. :wink:
 
Remember, 31.5# is an empty cylinder. If you want to carry air on the dive you would be at about 57#. I would recommend that. :wink:

Probably a good idea :) Still 57# doesn’t seem like too heavy of a rig fully loaded.

I don’t even want to calculate my cold water rig with 26 lbs of weight and a steel 100 that’s going on my back.
 

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