About to try Sidemount

[Skorpiov]

What length reg hose do you recommend for left hand bottle, and do you use Miflex?

Currently have 7ft hose on the right.

[sontek]

Whatever will fit to wrap around your neck and into your mouth. For me thats 30" with a swivel on it.

[CGriffing]

Ask 10 different sidemount divers and you'll get at least 11 answers. ;)

[LakeCountyDiver]

I agree with Sontek... Mine comes up from the tank and then goes around my neck and into my mouth. It depends on your size and they way you want to wear the reg.

[Greenwood_60]

I saw someone with it run simply across their chest and with a 90' fitting, straight in to their mouth... looked clean and simple.

[WJH]

I have 24" miflex with 90* adapter on Right (my right, not as you look at me) tank, coming right up to necklace.
I have 7' miflex on Left tank, one loop bungeed to the tank, then excess around my neck and into mouth.

WJH

[BB1]

I have the same setup as WJH above.

Looking to try an 18" hose on the right with the 90* adaptor to take out a little slack that hangs down.

All miflex

[FFDiver221]

I am just running mine across my chest and using a 90. Just seems cleaner for me. I believe it is just preference and what works good.

[sontek]

I saw someone with it run simply across their chest and with a 90' fitting, straight in to their mouth... looked clean and simple.

I think its safest to always wrap it around your neck to keep leverage from it being pulled from your mouth if the hose gets hooked on a rock.

[stairman]

I run my 7 footer off my left tank, around my neck and over my bungee necklaced short hose [30 inches] that comes off the right and has a hard 90 degree fitting at the 2nd stage. Short hose comes over my right shoulder and works out nicely.

[FW]

Ask 10 different sidemount divers and you'll get at least 11 answers. ;)
So true :-D

I use a standard length hose on the left, since I don't use right handed regulators.

[Skorpiov]

Thanks for all the feedback. Spoke to Carl (CGriffing) yesterday about doing a sidemount class. Plan to do that very soon. Nice to have him in Houston!

[Tom Kreider]

I have a 7' hose on both tanks.

[FFDiver221]

I have a 7' hose on both tanks.

I have thought about doing the same thing. My thoughts were that no matter side it was a long hose would always be available. Any thoughts bad or good on having two long hoses?

[Greenwood_60]

I have thought about doing the same thing. My thoughts were that no matter side it was a long hose would always be available. Any thoughts bad or good on having two long hoses?

Well, you could donate the tank with lower pressure that way :)

[sontek]

I have thought about doing the same thing. My thoughts were that no matter side it was a long hose would always be available. Any thoughts bad or good on having two long hoses?

You are increasing your entanglement hazards by having more hose than you really need. A single 7ft hose for donating should be more than enough if you are breathing your tanks equally and keeping to thirds.

[FFDiver221]

You are increasing your entanglement hazards by having more hose than you really need. A single 7ft hose for donating should be more than enough if you are breathing your tanks equally and keeping to thirds.

I agree that could pose a problem but then having does also create a problem. I think that either should be kept tucked in and not pose any more entanglement hazard than any other gear. Any gear not worn in a clean and streamlined manner can be problematic. With people using long hose on both sides there is no uniform method. What if a stranger came up needing air and was expecting it on the right and it was on the left?

[Jax]

I have thought about doing the same thing. My thoughts were that no matter side it was a long hose would always be available. Any thoughts bad or good on having two long hoses?


You are increasing your entanglement hazards by having more hose than you really need. A single 7ft hose for donating should be more than enough if you are breathing your tanks equally and keeping to thirds.

A newbie (~9 mo) sidemount diver's take: I tried the dual long hoses, and I THOUGHT I had it down pretty well, but once in class under RN's tender care, he quickly showed how fast the two long hoses could become spaghetti around my neck.

One reason I went two long hoses is I thought I would do better just donating whatever was in my mouth. With practice, and Rob throwing OOG drills, I found it really wasn't all that hard to know what tank / regulator I'm on at any given time.

I learned an awful lot playing with my rig myself, but it was nothing compared to what I learned and continued to learn after my sidemount class. There's just something about being mentored by someone to whom sidemount is second nature.

[sontek]

I agree that could pose a problem but then having does also create a problem. I think that either should be kept tucked in and not pose any more entanglement hazard than any other gear. Any gear not worn in a clean and streamlined manner can be problematic. With people using long hose on both sides there is no uniform method. What if a stranger came up needing air and was expecting it on the right and it was on the left?

If someone is in need, I'm willing to give them whatever regulator is closer to them. We can sort it out and switch them to the long hose while they are breathing.

[Tom Kreider]

With regards to two long hoses being entangled around ones neck, this hasn't surfaced yet as a problem for me, because neither go around my neck. They are each banded to their respective tank.

Not suggesting that anyone dive my setup, just sharing what has worked for me so far.

[sideways]

40" Miflex on left with a 70 Degree DR elbow, 7 foot on right.

[LakeCountyDiver]

Well, you could donate the tank with lower pressure that way :)

My right tank has my long hose on it and that is the tank I start breathing off of first because that is the side I have my can light and therefore a little heavier on to start. Once I breath down a certain amount of gas from the right I start to breath off my left tank and only breath that one down to match the PSI in my left one. So if I ever have to donate a tank it will always be the one with less air and a long hose.

[J.TravisB.]

i am looking to get into SM and am have read many difference`s in hose lenghts,, i was wondering what most of you are doing with your can lights,off to the side or across the back above the butt

[WJH]

My can light is on the waist belt, right side, tucked back against the wing, just like it was when I dived BM.

WJH

[sontek]

i am looking to get into SM and am have read many difference`s in hose lenghts,, i was wondering what most of you are doing with your can lights,off to the side or across the back above the butt

Mine is on my back

[Merlin Rhoda]

i am looking to get into SM and am have read many difference`s in hose lenghts,, i was wondering what most of you are doing with your can lights,off to the side or across the back above the butt

I picked up a Light Monkey 10w LED with a longer cord for sidemount. It mounts on the crotch strap just below my butt with a cord measured to be the same as my armspan. I like this light because the cord exits the canister at a 90 degree angle, the canister itself is tiny, it has a decent burn time, and the switch for the light is on the light head. An unexpected benefit of mounting the light under the butt is that when scootering it acts like a little seat thus avoiding crotch strap wedgies...

[stairman]

My can light is mounted on my back, just above the buttplate. Standard cord length is perfect for me and I can reach it no problem. Reels hang directly below the light.

[Jax]

With regards to two long hoses being entangled around ones neck, this hasn't surfaced yet as a problem for me, because neither go around my neck. They are each banded to their respective tank.

Not suggesting that anyone dive my setup, just sharing what has worked for me so far.

I tried two long hoses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4wT8qD4OMQ

[scuba127]

During class I used a 7' hose on the right tank and a 40' hose on the left tank per my instructor - both wrapped. Thats alot of hose. The 40" hose on the left displayed this tendancy to float up over my head. The 7' hose I thought was unnecessary for open water diving so my plan is to switch to a 5' hose on the right tank for that. I use a 5' hose in open water on my single tank backplate and wing. What I'm trying to decide on the left tank is should I use a left handed reg with a short hose not wrapped or a shorter than 40" hose wrapped?

[BillGraham]

I guess you can put me in the "different answer" category. I've never liked hoses behind my head for sidemount. I use Poseidon regs so that eliminates the need for it. As described above, I just cross the hoses on my chest. I usually put the long hose on the right tank, because I'm right handed. I have been using some of the Phantom hoses for inflators and short pressure gauge hoses, has anyone tried them for regulators?

[Slüdge]

and a 40' hose ... That's a lot of hose.

You got that right!:rollguy

[scuba127]

What took you so long.....

[DA Aquamaster]

A 7' hose results in a lot of hose banded to the tank. I found that 5' stows much easier and much neater on the tank yet still offers enough hose to share gas in trail through a snug restriction.

The reality of it however is that total gas loss is an unlikely event and that sharing on a 5' hose, 7' hose etc is unlikely in an all sidemount team. However given that we often dive in mixed teams having the capability to share gas is important in our team and a 5' hose allows that with minimum compromise.

I route the hose from the right side tank straight up to my mouth. And clip it off to the right shoulder D-ring when it's not in use. That still leaves just a single long loop of hose along side the tank. I normally route the left side hose around the back of my neck with the reg secured with a bungee necklace. When done this way it leaves lust a short loop on the tank secured by the top bungee. However you also have the option of just routing it straight up to your mouth, especially if using a reg like a poseiden where the inlet side is a moot issue.

----

We both butt mount our can lights using 5' cords.

[scuba127]

I assume the left side hose is also 5'?

[DA Aquamaster]

Yes, both are 5'. Among other things it solved the optimum hose length issue as you can slide out as much as you want/need in either a straight up the front or around the neck configuration. I've found that routing around the neck does not create a snag issue as long as the hose is not overly long and does not rise up off the neck.