This is pretty minimalist. Trade out my test Argonaut for a Mistral, what could be more simple.
I hardly call anything I do in the range of a PadI poodle jacket. I have only used a jacket BC once in my entire life just to aggravate Luis. Yes, we discuss secondary regulators, octos, wings and BCs because those items are required for nearly any boat trip or resort diving. When I shore dive or dive from buy own boat, I am often full vintage. Here for example, not quite full vintage, off Destin, no BC, no octopus, spg on a banjo, steel 72:
No BC here either, nearly full vintage, as I lurk awaiting a , doo, do, dooo, dum, uh, manatee:
No BC or wing or octopus here either:
A few years ago at Commercial Blvd Pier I swam two miles offshore solo with this, no BC, no octopus and not even an spg:
Minimalism is defined by having the minimum equipment that can suffice for a dive. For a resort dive or any commercial dive boat, that list will include at a minimum:
1. BC usually with power inflator
2. octopus/secondary regulator for air share
3. spg
4. computer
and
5. If you are drift diving, a spool and sausage
I have spent years attempting to realize the most streamlined configurations that meet bare minimum requirements for my typical dive profiles. Here again, this is about as streamlined and minimal as I can get and meet requirements for charter dives:
And, we do have the vintage forum for the vintage only guys. I guess I cannot post there anymore because my Mistral has a non-vintage replacement O-ring and a band clamp. As to D rings on some of my rigs, I have been into the Hogarthian concept before I knew that is what it was called. While I am not a pure Hog proponent, it is a simple concept. As to D rings, I use them. My camera clips to the crotch (scooter ring) and the emergency clip for my camera goes to the left chest D ring. My spg clips to my left waist D ring and my secondary regulator (for air share) clips to the right chest D ring until I am ready to dive in which time it goes around my neck or the snorkel keeper on my right chest D ring. I sometimes keep a small light on my left chest strap as well clipped to my D ring there. My spool and sausage, which is mandatory for SoFla drift diving and should be in Coz sometimes clips to my right waist D ring though recently I have started carrying it in an XS weight pouch tucked on the right chest strap back by the plate. My BFK goes on the left side waist strap.
And, for plates, metal anyways, the Freedom Plate and the VDH plate, those are pretty minimal as plates go and both have vintage inspiration.
My camera, as mentioned, it normally clips on a tether to my crotch scooter ring. The double ender emergency clip goes to the left chest strap D ring. This results in two points of attachment so I can have both arms free to rescue my wife, beat off sharks and wield my Sea Hawk BFK.
Nem