Trying to find a solution for weights. . . . I wear a medium harness and there is limited room on my waist strap. . . . I requested a weight belt and the shop owner said we could weave hard weights onto my BC belt but my concern is now the only way to dump weights is to dump my full BC. . . . Can someone tell me if it's normal to wear a weight belt with a transplate?
I wear a weight belt with a backplate, under the harness. it works just fine, is ditchable, etc. But, I usually only have 4-6 lbs on it. I think i am 'normal' (although, opinions may vary), so I would say the answer to your question is 'Yes'.
You've gotten good feedback, to which I will add a few thoughts:
1. Rubber weight belts are great, I have several different styles, and prefer a SS Marseillas buckle to a (plastic or SS) compression buckle. DD is right - rubber belts are uncommonly found in dive shops right now, but the number of commercial offerings is growing rapidly and I suspect rubber belts will become much more visible in shops as time goes by. I prefer uncoated weights when I use a rubber belt - much easier, at least for me - to thread. I really like the T weights that Mako sells (
MAKO 2 Pound "I" Weight), but they only come in 2 lb sizes, and are best used to fine tuning.
2. Although you mention you have limited space on the waist strap, putting integrated weight pockets on the strap is an option. Dive Rite offers two IW waist pocket options - a 16 and a 32 lb capacity version (
SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Pockets). So, you can have ditchable weight without a belt.
3. You want to keep in mind not only the goal of meeting the total weight need, but the distribution of that weight along your torso. Putting a lot of weight on your waist may pull your waist / legs / feet down and make maintaining good horizontal trim a bit more challenging. One option is to add a couple of trim pockets to the upper cylinder cam strap on your rig, to move a portion of the weight closer to your head. Obviously, your individual buoyancy characteristics influence whether / how much you put in higher pockets, but keep that in mind.
4. Tbone makes a good point - be conservative in adding weight. Too often, I see divers move to a very buoyant exposure suit that requires additional weight, and they get frustrated by the tedious process of adding small amounts of weight in increments, and simply strap on an excess of weight to ensure that they can start a descent. Don't fall prey to that inclination. Do a real / proper / whatever weight check, and learn what is necessary for YOU, in YOUR new exposure suit.
5. If you are using AL cylinders, consider a move to steel.