| Side Mount Rigs |
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Side mounting has evolved over the past 20 years in Australia from cave divers putting together their own bespoke rigs to the situation now where most divers purchase an off the shelf product from a technical dive equipment manufacturer. The two most common side mount rigs used by Australian cave divers are the Dive Rite Nomad and the Armadillo. A more minimalist rig is the Razor Harness.
The Nomad is built on the foundation of the very successful Dive Rite Transpac harness. It incorporates a specially designed BC wing that provides lift on the diver where it is needed for carrying cylinders on the side. The wing provides 60lbs of lift but can be adjusted using the gusset control where less lift and a lower profile is needed. Cylinders attach via clips to rails on the butt plate and by bungee around the cylinder valve. This rig can be dived "off the shelf" with little adjustment needed and is ideal for those divers who are keen to start side mounting. http://www.diverite.com.au/catalogue/dive_rite/product.php/1/33
The Armadillo harness is a one piece unit incorporating harness, wing and butt plate. Cylinders attach via clips to rails on the butt plate and by bungee around the cylinder valve. The wing only provides a maximum of 34lbs of lift so is not suitable when using heavy cylinders. The rig needs some adjustment prior to using but once set up provides a streamlined profile for side mounting. http://www.golemgear.com/p-33-armadillo-sidemount-exploration-harness-a2.aspx
Razor Harness
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Dive Rite Nomad
Armadillo
The Razor harness works on the principle "less is more". It consists of only two continuous pieces of webbing and one closure point. It is simple, strong, rugged, reliable, low profile and extremely minimalist in design. It is designed to fit anyone no matter what their physical size or shape, is quick and easy to set up and can be adjusted at several points to ensure optimal fit. Weight can be added to exactly where you need it on the harness to optimize trim.