Common Modifications of the Dive Rite Nomad
There isn’t a single sidemount diving rig that should be put to use without some modifications. The rig may only need one minor modification, or it may need several. The key is to customize the rig to your body and your diving.
Chest Strap
Lower Wing Attachment
Upper Wing Attachment
Exhaust Valve Modifications
Bungee Loop System
Chest Strap
The stock chest straps on many sidemount harnesses are made of 1 inch/2.5 cm webbing and a plastic buckle. These work fine when they are brand new, but after repeated exposure to water, they become loose and slide quite easily. I use a chest strap for a specific purpose. When it gets longer, it defeats that purpose.
This is a photo of the front of my rig that shows the new chest strap. I replaced the stock strap with static cord and a bolt snap.
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Lower Wing Attachment
Horseshoe and donut shaped wings are usually attached to the harness webbing through sliding hardware. While this helps the wing achieve full lift capacity during dives, it also allows the wing to get a very high profile, which defeats the purpose of sidemount. This modification reduces lift capacity slightly, but it keeps the wing in a low, streamlined profile.
These photos show the modification necessary to keep the wing from getting a high profile.
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Upper Wing Attachment
As with the chest straps, new wings are stiff enough to remain in place for the first several dives. Once the material has been exposed to water repeatedly, it softens and loses that stiffness. The loss of stiffness can result in trapped air.
Secure the tabs on top of the wing by locking them in place on the shoulder straps. This keeps the top of the wing from sliding down and bunching up, in turn trapping air.
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Exhaust Valve Modifications
The Nomad, as well as many other sidemount rigs, come with the standard configuration that has the inflator hose position at the shoulder and the exhaust valve position at the hip. While this works fine with backmounted cylinders, it is suboptimal with sidemounted cylinders.
This modification can make it difficult to find the pull cord unless you secure it in place as shown in the photo.
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Bungee Loop System
The original bungee loop that comes with many sidemount rigs can actually cause the cylinders to not be streamlined. There are alternative options that can be used to secure the valves and ensure that the cylinders remain streamlined, as long as the other cylinder rigging is configured correctly. The Sidemount Diving Guide covers a variety of bungee systems, as well as cylinder rigging configuration in detail across several chapters.
The bungee loop system is one such system that works to maintain a streamlined cylinder. It cinches the cylinder valves up much closer to my torso.
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Related Articles
How to Choose the Right Sidemount Cylinders
How to Set Up a Sidemount Harness
How to Properly Manage Gas in Your Cylinders
How to Choose Proper Hose Lengths
Proper Sidemount Cylinder Rigging: What Matters Most
Proper Sidemount Stage Rigging for Cave Diving
How to Properly Rig Top Mounted Stage Cylinders
For a complete overview of how these elements work together, see The Complete Guide to Sidemount Diving Configuration.