BP/W Travel Weight Pockets

[decompression]

Sad about the pockets, I've had about a dozen for teaching, no issues. The best pockets I've used but twice the price are these: http://utdequipment.com/product_info.php?products_id=251 , very cool that you don't have to re thread webbing, I use them on my open water rigs. The xs pockets go one the pool set ups.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

---------- Post added October 21st, 2014 at 02:40 PM ----------

If you're doing tropical, 3mm with SS BP, you should be good with 6 lbs of lead. 12 lbs minus 8 for tank and suit. Leaves you 4 neg.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[boulderjohn]

I travel with an aluminum plate now to save luggage weight. If I dive in a 3mm suit with a steel BP, I don't need much weight at all.

I just got back from a tropical dive vacation where I dived with AL 80s on my AL BP. I used a total of 9 pounds, which is about 2 pounds over ideal weight. (I like it about that way.) I had an XS Scuba weight pocket on each of my cam bands (with a light STA), each with a 3 pound weight. (I have the cam bands going in opposite directions so I can easily put the weights on opposite sides.) I normally bring two such pockets with me and place them on my waist strap. In fact, I would even put just one of them on the left side of the belt alone, knowing it will be pretty close to center the way I have my BP buckle placed. Unfortunately, in my packing haste I left those pockets home. So what i did was simply thread another 3 pound weight onto the right side of the best before diving. Not ideal, but no problem.

If I needed to ditch the weight on the waist, it takes but a second to open the velcro flap and pull the weight out. In the case of a threaded weight, it would just be opening the belt buckle to slide it off. That is not exactly quick release, but it is quick enough for me. If I have to go beyond that with the weights on the back, well, I have a buddy for that.

If you are reasonably close to being properly weighted, if your tank is empty, your difficulty would be getting down, not staying up.

 

[rongoodman]

I am also looking for detachable weight pouches but I need them to be able to attach to the webbing between two fixed points, I can not slide the webbing through the pouch. Anyone know of anything like that?

There's a version of the XS Scuba pocket I mentioned which will do what you want. There's also a version in which you pull the tab and the weight just falls out. I like the simple one because it's less bulky, and will still allow you to dump the weight in the rare event that you'll actually need to. There are links to both on the page referenced.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
If you are reasonably close to being properly weighted, if your tank is empty, your difficulty would be getting down, not staying up.

Is it prudent or just plain OCD to plan for worst case--that is, wing failure while the tank is still almost full? In a 3/2 mm suit and diving an Al 80, I use a steel plate with just 2 lbs. in camband pockets. As far as I can determine by testing it out, it's "balanced": I can descend with a full tank and empty wing and then swim it up, and I can hold a safety stop with a nearly empty tank. I can't imagine that going to great lengths to make those 2 lbs. more quickly ditchable is worth it. But if I or my buddy really wanted to "ditch" them, the XS Scuba pockets seem easy enough to open and "pop out" the weights--not quite like pulling a ripcord or something, but easy enough. No?

 

[rhwestfall]

I have been using various modes of the XS Scuba pockets for a number of years. Very satisfied.

There are ones that can be used the way Rich Keller needs, there are "quick dump" ones, etc.

 

[boulderjohn]

Is it prudent or just plain OCD to plan for worst case--that is, wing failure while the tank is still almost full? In a 3/2 mm suit and diving an Al 80, I use a steel plate with just 2 lbs. in camband pockets. As far as I can determine by testing it out, it's "balanced": I can descend with a full tank and empty wing and then swim it up, and I can hold a safety stop with a nearly empty tank. I can't imagine that going to great lengths to make those 2 lbs. more quickly ditchable is worth it. But if I or my buddy really wanted to "ditch" them, the XS Scuba pockets seem easy enough to open and "pop out" the weights--not quite like pulling a ripcord or something, but easy enough. No?

I agree. How much difference in time is there between pulling some device to let the weight fall out and lifting a flap to pull it out yourself? Will that difference in time be a life saver? The odds that it would make a difference in a full tank wing failure event are so very remote that it is more than a reasonable risk.

My attitude toward ditchable weight took a turn when I started technical diving and was carrying enough extra weight in the quantity of gas I carried that I had to start the dives overweighted without any extra weight at all, ditchable or nonditchable. I still don't carry any weight at all in most of my diving, so I have had to take different approaches to the issue of becoming neutrally buoyant in an emergency. All of those approaches take more time than pulling the release on a pocket or releasing a weight belt buckle, so I am not as inclined to see that as a major requirement any more.

 

[rhwestfall]

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=gcsSearch&Term=weight+pocket&Filter=brand=XS+Scuba

 

[DaveV]

Tbar - Yes, with a 7mm 2 piece with boots, hood and gloves I wear 23-26 pounds plus the plate.

For the tropical dive, I will have the plate, plus 4-8 pounds, NOT 19-28 pounds! I would definitely be overweighted!

 

[RJP]

I use those pockets. I've been under the impression that "ditchable" meant some kind of quick-release mechanism.

Velcro is a pretty "quick" release mechanism.

 

[halocline]

Hi All,

I am looking for some recommendations for ditchable weight pockets for a BP/W....I am headed to a nice tropical location in December, and will only need 4-8 pounds total extra weight... the last thing I want to deal with under duress is trying to ditch my whole rig on the surface or mess with dumping weight out of the trim pockets...
Dave

If you don't like the XS scuba camband pockets (that's what I use) then I would suggest a weight belt. It's probably the overall easiest option and it has the bonus of being supplied free at your tropical dive op.

But with such a small amount of weight, I would just put a single weight in each of two camband pockets on the waist belt. It's pretty easy to dig them out. I have heard of people turning them upside down so when you're on the surface you could just open the velcro flap and they fall out. In horizontal trim the pocket lids are on the side either way. I wouldn't bother with it, to me there's at least as much to lose by unexpectedly dropping weights as there is to gain by having surface-ditchable with one hand.