Kit Configuration
There are many ways to set your kit up so don't take this as gospel according to ADM. This is one neat way of setting up your kit, with minimum hazards, simple and very realiable method. You will see other articles and methods, they may in places be better for you, they may also be not thought through as thoroughly... As we maintain - it is essential in Technical Diving for you to become a highly thinking and pre-planning diving amongst other things).
I'm sure if I got in a room with my peers and we had exactly the same kit we would prety much set these up differently. Why?
This is due to one crucial issue. It is for you to have near reflex familiarity with your kit. That also requires you to take into account your flexibility - I can shut down the right hand valve with my left hand (and vice-versa) - that takes practice - unless i'm odd!!!).
There are a few good guidelines though to follow..
- Keep it Simple
- Streamlined
- Eliminate ALL snag points for line
- Mount the stages via a Marine grade stainless Jubilee clip at its neck (under valve and valve thread (DIN config not A-Clamp) pointing upwards to protect the 1st stage. Use a 200mm lenght webbing folded in two around a large boltsnap, stitch this to secure boltsnap and make a channel to fit 5mm bungie to hold Reg DV in a loop of bungie/
- Stages 2nd mounting a streatched handspan apart (i.e. distance from your nipple to hip) use a Marine grade stainless Jubilee clip with a single D ring. Use a double bolt snap 115mm to secure to ring on your harness (at hip)
- Carry your stages using double bolt snap cliped to neck boltsnap, nothing else like an integrated bit of rope or webbing handle arrangement
- Add a couple of bungies to hold hoses around the stage and leave 60mm ends free after knot so you can grab the bungie to stuff hoses away when hands in thick gloves
- All Main Twinset Regs stripped down to simplicity, one with long hose with DV and inflator hose and another with standard hose with DV, an inflator hose that can feed Dry Suit and 2nd bladder as they have the same Sytech/Schrader Nipple (change the Dry Suit Nipple if you have to) and a single SPG - YES only one side of your main regs has an SPG and it is on your right hand side - ie reserve side
- All Stages Reg Sets stripped down to simplicity too, each with standard hose with DV and a short 15cm HP hose with SPG. If you are Trimix diving then add a single infaltor hose to the 40% Nitrox Mix Stage for your Dry Suit. Put a small loop of bungie with large knot and tails over the mouthpiece of the DV that is on the Rich Gas mix (i.e. 80% Nitrox) this is an Oxygen Regulator Guard or ORG to prevent you killing yourself. You deliberately have to remove this to breathe a shallow gas.
- In your Wing Pocket - empty all the spares and other junk out and keep only emergency items - so it should only have a mirror, pencil, whistle, slate, water proof tables - I have Air/75% IANTD Bhulmann tables as these will prety much if used wisely get you out of jail from any failure or dive error, a spare orange D/SMB and a spare yellow D/SMB and a line cutter
- Shears
- Primary Light
- Backup Light
- EPIRB
- Weight
- Knife
- Compass
- D/SMBs
- Reels
- Lift Bags
- Goody Bags
- Tools
- Drysuit, Pockets and Pee Valves
- Computer
- Base Layers
<< Back to ADM Tech Tips for more information and ideas...
Any further help needed Contact Us and we'll pin Andrew down to answer your query.
|