Sidemount - up there with scooters and HID lights

UWSojourner

Curt,

Is the "Armadillo Sidemount System" shown on the GolemGear site the system you are referring to for RBs? If not, what are the differences?

Thanks

Curt Bowen

There are two systems on the Golem Gear site

1. The new butt plate and bungee only to be used with a standard backplate (or one of Golem gears mini plates)

2. The original Armadillo Exploration Harness

The new complete Rebreather system we are working on is not completed yet, but should be within a month. After we have finnished testing the harness and make it available, I will post an ops manual on both ADM and Golem Gear.

Sorry, I do not really want to get into details about a unit that is currently not available.

Drmike

Hi Jakub,

No problem - As I mentioned I have been in the same situation with my suppliers so I fully sympathize. Rusting stainless dive gear is one of my pet peeves - I just cleaned up some Halcyon inflators that are going as well so everyone has the same problem at times.

Curt,
I know its only a few stainless washers but take note of Jakubs reply compared to yours. This is how you deal with customers. I know this is only a small thing (heck I have a store in my factory full of stainless washers) but just telling a customer to sort it out themselves is not very professional.
If you dont give service over a small (as in small cost to you to rectify) thing how can anyone expect service over a bigger (more expensive for you to rectify) thing?

__________________
Cave diving is a sport
Wreck diving is a sport
Diving in general is a sport

'Rebreather diving' is not a sport
its the delusional obsession with a highly dangerous and often inappropriate piece of equipment

RobPot

Jakub/Curt,
Quite interested in the Armadillo butt plate (might even go so far as to buy my own stainless washers !), one question though:
In the Armadillo manual there's a note:
"These attachments are not designed to carry the weight of the cylinders out of the water. Cylinders should be attached after you enter the water."

Does this mean you would not recommend the system for hard-boat diving where I typically stagger 4 to 5 m to the boat's exit gate with all kit on?

Thanks,

Robert

decoweenie

Also...

Even when gearing up near the gate, what happens if the current is ripping and it is not safe to hand carry multiple un-clipped stages when jumping in ?

__________________
"...after a while you get bored offering advice to a bull that like to keep butting the fence with its head rather than walking through the open gate..."

- Rebreather World PM

Duncan Price

Interesting - we wear our tanks on our sidemount harnesses for caving to, from and in-between sumps. Crawling or walking or climbing - sometimes for over a mile...

EDIT: Like the Armadillo, our rigs have waist mounted D-rings (over the kindneys) and underarm mounted bungy cord with a snap link to connect to the chest D-ring. Cylinders have a snap-link or similar attachement about 1/3 from the base to the waist D-ring. The bungy is pulled around the neck of the cylinder and clipped to the chest D-ring. Unlike the Armadillo or harnesses do not incorporate their own BC.

Curt Bowen

This is why Jakub is in charge of customer service, and not me :-)

Curt Bowen

The armadillo rig was first designed for my exploration projects in the Yucatan where most of the time you had to reppel or climb 50 to 100 feet just to get to the water plus a kilometer or more walk to the cave. The tanks were lowered on rope to you once in the water.

Thus, the attachment points and shoulder straps were not designed to carry heavy weight for long distances. Are they strong enough, Yes, but I didnt design them for that purpose.

I have done many boat dives with my armadillo harness with only one small addition to the tanks. The bungees are not strong enough to hold the nect of the tank in place out of the water, so I attach a small cord with a clip on the neck of each tank. Clip these onto one of the stainless d-rings on your upper chest while setting on the boat. Clip your cylinders bottom clip onto the butt handle, then stand up. the added clip will help hold the weight of the heavy tank and the bunge can be attached once your in the water or on the bottom. If you make the cord long enough on the tank neck, you can leave it into place, so climbing back onto the boat would be possible.

I hope I have answered your question

Curt Bowen

Curt Bowen

What do you wear for bouyancy lift, if your wearing a wet suit?
I cant see putting on my dry suit in 102 degree heat in the yucatan in august to dive in 78 degree water.

JonnyB

Does this also apply for the but harness for the ccr?
I am not going to drop my bottles when i jump in or try to climb up the ladder?
Tell me, how do you unclip the bottles? is that easier or more difficult that the normal way i do today, hanging the bottle from the chest d-ring and the hi d-ring.
Do i have to reach above the bottle in order ot unclip it, or do i reach the clip from underneeth?

/Jonny