Doubles advice

[knfmn]

The horror of back mounted doubles! If anyone has the dough to get me going in side mount, I'd be happy to convert.

Kristopher

[graepaep]

Hey Kristopher,
I'd be happy to help you with a couple dives in doubles up here before you go down. Ultimately you really should get into doubles with the route your going, additionally it will make you more balanced. I have some doubles you can borrow if you'd like.

-Matt

This is what I like about the caving (in general) community

[RAL]

The horror of back mounted doubles! If anyone has the dough to get me going in side mount, I'd be happy to convert.

Kristopher

You will likely save money in the not so long run by going sidemount from the getgo. You are at the perfect point to go sidemount. Getting a backplate, wing, manifold and bands will run about $600 to $700. You can get setup in a 1st rate side mount harness, wing and rigging for the same money........ Granted you can get set up a little cheaper back mount these days because there is sooooo much lightly used backmount gear gathering dust in garages that like new used stuff can be had cheap. You might want to ask yourself ....why that is.

RAL

[DA Aquamaster]

The horror of back mounted doubles! If anyone has the dough to get me going in side mount, I'd be happy to convert.

Kristopher

It really depends on what you have now. If you already have manifolded doubles, it's one thing, otherwise by the time you buy bands and an isolator manifold, you are more than half way to the cost of a new side mount rig. If you've got to buy a back plate and wing as well, sidemount is less expensive than backmount.

If I still spent some weekends in the DC area, we'd arrange to meet you at Dutch Springs in PA to try out a Nomad and an SMS 50. Sort of "the first hit is free" approach to spreading the sidemount addiction. If we get to N FL at the same time, we'd be happy to do the same somewhere fairly time like the Ball Room.

If you start thinking sidemount at some point and are looking for used equipment to cut some costs, I have a used Nomad wing and we still have Fauxmad (a DR Rec wing on a harness using an Oxyxheq soft travel plate) that Marci would probably sell.

[offroadr1]

Good deals on sidemount wings are out there. I bought an "open box" sms100 for $350. When it arrived it was still sealed in the bag and brand spanking new. Back mounted doubles are going the way of the dodo...

[offroadr1]

boom! here is your huckleberry!
http://www.cavediver.net/forum/showt...MS100-For-Sale

[a64pilot]

Yeah, that is a great price, I just bought my son's a couple of weeks ago and paid a lot more than that.

[offroadr1]

I thought about buying it as well. That's a great price for a modded Hollis

[allen]

It is perfectly possible to cave dive in a backmounted single. Your range will be short, but at the intro level your range should be short. 1/3 of a single is as good as or better than 1/6 of doubles. When I was an intro cave diver, I dived a single backmounted 130 with a Cochrane Y valve. The 130 fitted nicely onto my Beuchat jacket-type BC. This rig was a little tippy, but I mastered it just before I got into doubles in my apprentice course.

[TONY CHANEY]

You will likely save money in the not so long run by going sidemount from the getgo. You are at the perfect point to go sidemount. Getting a backplate, wing, manifold and bands will run about $600 to $700. You can get setup in a 1st rate side mount harness, wing and rigging for the same money........ Granted you can get set up a little cheaper back mount these days because there is sooooo much lightly used backmount gear gathering dust in garages that like new used stuff can be had cheap. You might want to ask yourself ....why that is.RAL

you really are saying the same thing both for and against."you can save money..," "you can get a 1st rate side mount...for the same money," "...you can get a set up a little cheaper back mount these days..." So he can go back mount cheaper. Right?