During a sidemount training course you instructor should be talking to you about being correctly weighted based on the dive being undertaken the environmental conditions and the exposure suit and cylinders you will require.

This generally means the amount of lift you would require from your sidemount BCD will vary. The lift required can be less if diving just in a wetsuit and using aluminum cylinders compared to diving in a drysuit and diving with steel cylinders, the idea being you need a BCD or wing that will provide enough lift to support you at the surface with your cylinders full and still support you at the deepest point of your dive, as you dive you then need less and less lift from your BCD as the air in cylinders is being used etc. This can mean that a 50lbs (22 kilo) wing can offer way more lift than is necessary and you may find this then is not as streamlined and efficient as a modular type of BCD found on "sidemount only" systems.

If you are looking for something that may suit all the types of diving you may do, then these BCD and harness systems below are worth looking at. With any "one does all" there has to be a compromise somewhere along the line, this usually means size and features are sometimes more than is needed.

If you are looking to teach sidemount diving, then these "multi-use" sidemount systems might be the best way to go, especially the ones that have C.E approval which all dive instructors working in Europe must be have when instructing other divers during training courses.