Carrying stages - sidemount

[Serota]

I'm looking for tips and tricks on the best way to carry stage bottles when diving sidemount. Thanks.

[chimie007]

My new trick playing with stages: a bunch of double enders.

Doesn't mean it's best but it works well.

Full tank goes on top of SM tank. Left shoulder ring to butt plate. I add 1-2 double enders to reach the butt plate railing. With AL80, I can reach shoulder ring with regular stage kit with no double ender added. With AL40, I need a double ender to reach shoulder ring.

Empty tank goes under SM tank. Left shoulder ring to left waist ring/or bolt snap on SM tank. No need for a double ender.

I have have carried an AL40 and AL80 both on top and the same side. I have yet to carry two AL80 but when I will, the second one will go on the right side to balance better. No reason not to use the right side since there is no issue with long hose deployment with my rig.

[mpoucher]

I've always staged just as I do backmount. I just elbow the SM tank out of the way and clip the bottom off on a belt D-ring and the top to a shoulder d-ring. My tethers to the clips are long enough to get my hand in to clip off. I've done quads this way with two tanks on each side in addition to the SM tanks.

[Line Squirrel]

Mike - so you're stage bottles are riding on top or below your sm bottles?

[rchrds]

I'm with Poucher- same as backmount (standard DIR stage rig), though I'm usually pretty close to neutral, so I cant carry two or more on one side and none on the other like I used to backmount. They have to be pretty even. If they are med/high trimix, this does not apply. I try to limit myself to two bottles- If I need more I will set them up (deco bottles dont count on this) the advantage you get past two bottles is so small due to drag that they almost aren't worth it. Taking them out, they are so light I'll pull as many as five, but that is a rare case, and never swimming. I have never been able to get used to carring stages on top of my sidemount tanks- just upsets my balance for some reason.

Jason

[chimie007]

I have never been able to get used to carring stages on top of my sidemount tanks- just upsets my balance for some reason.

Can't trap air on one side like in backmount. Having the tank on top brings the center of gravity more to the left.

[mpoucher]

Mike - so you're stage bottles are riding on top or below your sm bottles?

They ride below the sm bottles. Obviously, with that many bottles I'm not in real small passage, but its surprising what you can go through. With just one or two stages, you can unclip them and push them ahead of you, if need be or do like Jason and do set up dives.

[Jerry]

I clip them to the shoulder d-ring and use longer leads on the bottom connection. I flip them on top of the side-mounts and then clip the lower lead to the side-mount rail. This pulls them in nice and tight. This also allows me to go in pretty tight places.

Jerry

[Line Squirrel]

They ride below the sm bottles. Obviously, with that many bottles I'm not in real small passage, but its surprising what you can go through. With just one or two stages, you can unclip them and push them ahead of you, if need be or do like Jason and do set up dives.

Thanks Mike,

I've been doing it the same way as you but mainly because I have rotator cuff tears in both shoulders and it's painful [and possibly doing more damage] to try and get the bottles over my sm tanks so I have been hanging them below. Maybe I need to shorten up the clip on the tail because they [the stage bottles] seem to hang way too low and make swimming stages very inefficient.

Not being one to give up easily, I would still try [carefully] from time to time and just recently I managed to get a stage over the top of my sm tanks with not too much pain. I did the same sort of thing that Raphael did, clip an extra bolt snap to the existing bolt snap. Once I got it clipped in and the weight in the right position, I was able to remove the extra bolt snap and clip directly to the sm rail and put the extra snap in my pocket. Not a very fast way of doing it though.

I seemed to be able to swim it better/more efficiently in higher flow [Ginnie] the other day with it on top but it felt very awkward since I have gotten used to hanging them below.

[aainslie]

This is a silly minor point but I thought I'd pass this tip on - I got sick of clipping and unclipping an O2 tank over the stage. So now I put it between my legs while dropping to the point where I drop it off. Works really well at Ginnie, and makes getting rid of the O2 a breeze!

There's a thread a while back where someone posted a really cool system using a bungied clip to hold the tank close to you when it's empty - I don't have time right now to search for it but it was a sweet way to set up stages.

[Line Squirrel]

Andrew,

I think I found the thread you are talking about. I copied it over to this sidemount forum. Look for the thread labeled Bungee Stage Bottles.

[tj]

I put a D-ring on each of my cam straps. The d-ring rides just above the attachment bolt snap. The top of the stage connects to a check d-ring on my harness. The 1st bottle will ride beside my sidemount tank. The 2nd would be atop the others. I can somewhat easily attach 4 stages that way.

[RN]

So far I've been carrying my stage bottles the same as when I was backmount. I've tried to carry them behind me, but still haven't gotten the hang of it. The bottle keeps getting caught up on my dry suit exhaust valve. I've managed to get it over, but it takes some work. I placed a loop of bungee on the bottom clip to help me reach the door handle. I just got some advice to try some bungee from my shoulder d-ring up along the shoulder harness towards the back and clip the neck of the bottle onto that rather than the d ring. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it will work better than clipping to the non-stretchable d ring.

[DogDiver]

TJ, I like your D-ring setup...think I'll try that system out soon...Ken

[defunct]

I clip them to the shoulder d-ring and use longer leads on the bottom connection. I flip them on top of the side-mounts and then clip the lower lead to the side-mount rail. This pulls them in nice and tight. This also allows me to go in pretty tight places.

Jerry

Jerry's way is the way my buddies and I do it...

I have seen both ways (below and above the SM tanks) and just like everything else in cavediving the preference is personal.

Example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI9BzDxgKWk

[Kelly Jessop]

I clip them to the shoulder d-ring and use longer leads on the bottom connection. I flip them on top of the side-mounts and then clip the lower lead to the side-mount rail. This pulls them in nice and tight. This also allows me to go in pretty tight places.

Jerry

I prefer this method,but I have one of the large rings that people use for tank necks in place between my sidemount tank and harness,that easily pulls up for the lower stage bottle connection to clip to. Deco bottles I will clip off the conventional method.

[standingbear56]

I notice a lot of people saying to move the stage bottle on top of the SM bottle. Is there any reason a stage/deco bottle can't be carried below the SM bottle? The stage/deco bottle reg would be attached to that bottle so it cannot be confused with that of the SM bottle. When it's time for the stage/deco bottle to be used, take that reg, remove it's safety cover and mouthpiece plug and use it. The SM reg would be attached back on to the SM bottle, so again no confusion. I've done this before and never had a problem when BM'ing. Couldn't the same work for SM?
Thanks,
George

[FW]

I notice a lot of people saying to move the stage bottle on top of the SM bottle. Is there any reason a stage/deco bottle can't be carried below the SM bottle? The stage/deco bottle reg would be attached to that bottle so it cannot be confused with that of the SM bottle. When it's time for the stage/deco bottle to be used, take that reg, remove it's safety cover and mouthpiece plug and use it. The SM reg would be attached back on to the SM bottle, so again no confusion. I've done this before and never had a problem when BM'ing. Couldn't the same work for SM?
Thanks,
George
They can be on top, or bottom, but on the bottom, they tend to drag in the silt in low passages. If they are on top, they can bang on the ceiling. You can't win :-)

[chimie007]

I notice a lot of people saying to move the stage bottle on top of the SM bottle. Is there any reason a stage/deco bottle can't be carried below the SM bottle?

FW said it. You can't win but....

My thinking is that I'm already sticking more things above my tank than below (my head is already pointing up so are my fins/feet in a swimming position). I have more room on top when I swim. I also like to know that the lowest part of my gear/body is my belly/waist and not a stage or something else that is harder to judge.

Also, I personally I have a hard time reaching around my SM (8" diameter) to clip things to my waist D ring. On the other hand it is very easy to clip a stage on my shoulder D-ring, then swing the tank above my SM tank and clip it to the railing. I now use only one double ender on the lower leach to reach the railing. I was told by one of dive buddy that my stage looked good in SM but he's a BM so who know if I can trust him ;)

[chimie007]

The stage/deco bottle reg would be attached to that bottle so it cannot be confused with that of the SM bottle. When it's time for the stage/deco bottle to be used, take that reg, remove it's safety cover and mouthpiece plug and use it. The SM reg would be attached back on to the SM bottle, so again no confusion. I've done this before and never had a problem when BM'ing. Couldn't the same work for SM?
Thanks,
George

George,

IMHO deciding to carry a stage on top or bottom of SM tank has NOTHING to do with the proper deployment or use of the stage. In either case, you can make sure that is the right gas and use it. The procedure is the same either way.

IMHO it has to do with being streamlined and how easy it is to clip/unclip tanks.