avpro4
Registered
Hey gang,
Well my new BARE Velocity 7/6 finally came, and I got it wet 2 weekends ago. I am not in any way disappointed. Being rather "middle aged American" in size and weight, I had tried on all the suits I could find in all the LDS's I could find, and BARE's XLShort has proved to be my salvation. Knee pads actually go on the knees, ankle zippers are on the ankles, and the new Progressive Stretch does accomodate my personal pulchritude while allowing me to zip up the back all by myself! (Of course I feel a litttle like a toddler in a snowsuit, but doesn't everyone?)
JUmped into the quarry and stayed nice and toasty at 47 degrees at 60 feet. No leaks, no restrictions. Although on a subsequent shallower dive without a hood I found I could let a little "river of refreshment" flow down my spine by arching my back "just so".
I also found that I could just jump in the water without any other gear or weight and put my hands behind my head and completely rest and relax on the surface. Like laying on a water bed! So this got me thinking about how buoyant the suit really is and how I might measure it.
So last weekend when I couldn't go diving, I did as follows:
1) Found a big (30 gallon) tub in the garage, and a clean 5 gallon paint bucket.
2) Put the 5 gal. bucket inside the 30 gal tub and filled both with water.
3) As the 5 gallon bucket began to float I added some solid bits of ballast until the bucket just kind of suspended itself in the water. (If I pushed it down it would stay, if I pulled it up it would stay.)
4) Took my new Velocity 7/6 and rolled it up into as tight a roll as I could and shoved it into the 5 gallon bucket. Making sure the 5 gallon was still full of water, I turned it over so the flat bottom of the bucket was now on top, and the wetsuit was still inside the bucket, pushing up with all of it's buoyancy.
5) I added weight to the top of the bucket until it stopped floating, then swapped the smallest weights around until the bucket just came up off the bottom. This happened at 20.3 lbs. I then repeated the same procedure for my 7mm booths (1# each) and 7mm gloves (1.5 # each).
So Im thinking 21 # for the suit + 2 for the boots and 3 for the gloves = 26 # total.
Question: What do you think of my methodology? Do my results seem accurate in light of your own experience with your own equipment?
Since I currently own only 16#s of softweights, obviously I should buy another 10# minimum. Plus maybe another 3# for a 7mm hood? But I havent bought a tank or regulator yet. How much more should I get to compensate for an AL-80 @ 3000 psi, considering this is what I'll usually find to rent.
Since I haven't bought a tank or reg yet either I am kinda' wondering about steel vs. aluminum too and their relativet effects on my overall weight load. Diving is marvelous fun, but carrying all the heavy stuff to and from the water can be a hassle, y'know?
Well my new BARE Velocity 7/6 finally came, and I got it wet 2 weekends ago. I am not in any way disappointed. Being rather "middle aged American" in size and weight, I had tried on all the suits I could find in all the LDS's I could find, and BARE's XLShort has proved to be my salvation. Knee pads actually go on the knees, ankle zippers are on the ankles, and the new Progressive Stretch does accomodate my personal pulchritude while allowing me to zip up the back all by myself! (Of course I feel a litttle like a toddler in a snowsuit, but doesn't everyone?)
JUmped into the quarry and stayed nice and toasty at 47 degrees at 60 feet. No leaks, no restrictions. Although on a subsequent shallower dive without a hood I found I could let a little "river of refreshment" flow down my spine by arching my back "just so".
I also found that I could just jump in the water without any other gear or weight and put my hands behind my head and completely rest and relax on the surface. Like laying on a water bed! So this got me thinking about how buoyant the suit really is and how I might measure it.
So last weekend when I couldn't go diving, I did as follows:
1) Found a big (30 gallon) tub in the garage, and a clean 5 gallon paint bucket.
2) Put the 5 gal. bucket inside the 30 gal tub and filled both with water.
3) As the 5 gallon bucket began to float I added some solid bits of ballast until the bucket just kind of suspended itself in the water. (If I pushed it down it would stay, if I pulled it up it would stay.)
4) Took my new Velocity 7/6 and rolled it up into as tight a roll as I could and shoved it into the 5 gallon bucket. Making sure the 5 gallon was still full of water, I turned it over so the flat bottom of the bucket was now on top, and the wetsuit was still inside the bucket, pushing up with all of it's buoyancy.
5) I added weight to the top of the bucket until it stopped floating, then swapped the smallest weights around until the bucket just came up off the bottom. This happened at 20.3 lbs. I then repeated the same procedure for my 7mm booths (1# each) and 7mm gloves (1.5 # each).
So Im thinking 21 # for the suit + 2 for the boots and 3 for the gloves = 26 # total.
Question: What do you think of my methodology? Do my results seem accurate in light of your own experience with your own equipment?
Since I currently own only 16#s of softweights, obviously I should buy another 10# minimum. Plus maybe another 3# for a 7mm hood? But I havent bought a tank or regulator yet. How much more should I get to compensate for an AL-80 @ 3000 psi, considering this is what I'll usually find to rent.
Since I haven't bought a tank or reg yet either I am kinda' wondering about steel vs. aluminum too and their relativet effects on my overall weight load. Diving is marvelous fun, but carrying all the heavy stuff to and from the water can be a hassle, y'know?
