You dive in extreme conditions (referring to extremely tight wreck penetrations not missing any part of a wreck), while my limits are recreational diving with some mild wreck penetration in the future... While I can totally see that horizontal routing makes sense, I am also keen to understand whether the 5th port is a nice to have (for recreational SM) or rather an essential that I cannot miss under any circumstances.
I guess it depends on what you want from your sidemount experience. I dived a very clean backmount/long-hose for years and didn't switch to sidemount do as to suffer a muddle of hoses.
I'm at a stage where I really feel frustrated when a rig isn't finely tuned and dialled down. It ruins the sublime experience of sidemount.
Essential? No.. and budget is certainly a factor.
Unsafe? No.... but.... convoluted rigs add a lot of stress and confusion. In a worst case scenario it could be a tipping point to diver failure. That's vitally important on consequence-laden dives.... but for a less experienced diver, even on a benign dive, it can overload minimal rig familiarity. Keeping a rig clean and tidy makes incidents so much easier to manage. I see this with students at all levels, rec and tech.
Besides routing, any other major difference that you would suggest not to take the Mikron in SM?
None, really - providing performance is equal to the task on the dives you complete.
... my SM setup using a Decodive bladder is considerably lean, it is still 1kg (and those only 500g lighter than my current Oxycheq 18 BM setup). So total weight concerns for dive equipment remains
To get it lower, you have to change the little things. Replace big D-rings with low profile ones. Replace standard waist buckle with a slim 'rolling-pin' type. If you've got the money, order some titanium parts from Russia (
HE2).
Force Fins Pro are my favorite, however, considering the FF SD1 discussion in this forum, I am not fully convinced that they will support me equally in a strong currents as Jetties do.
The main issue with FF is that they require some changes to technique. Some divers try them.... a few dives... not enough to understand the refinement needed... and judge them badly.
The same is true when people disparage FF for weak frog, back kick and helicopter turns etc...
Of course, they don't have the brute power of Jets. But there's few divers who have the cardio and muscle strength to effectively harness that power. FF give accessible power that won't blow the hamstrings and calves quickly.
IMHO, anyone who goes on about the power of Jets....but doesnt themselves do serious gym and pool work...is just a dreamer.
Force Fins give efficient power delivery. They won't melt your leg muscles when you need to max them out.
If FF couldn't deal with a current, then your legs probably wouldn't either... and who ever dives currents like that anyway? It'd be time for DPV, a drift dive or a reef hook. The issue would be CO2 management anyway....