weight belts or integrated?

[eelnoraa]

It seems that divers who have been trained and are " attached " to their weight belts and love them.

Newer divers that have been trained with wt. integrated B.C.'s tend to stick with them.

We sell 100 wt. integrated B.C. to 1 non-integrated.

It maybe true, but when new divers start training, they really didn't know why this why that (belt vs integrated in this case). Most of the time, they don't even know what to ask because they don't know what they don't know. Even if some do their homewor and know what they want, they may not have much choices if they are using dive shops gear. So the true is they actually don't get the knowledge exposure, advantage/disadvantage, of certain gears. So they stick to what they know after training. This only show the inefficiency of today's OW training.

 

[redacted]

It maybe true, but when new divers start training, they really didn't know why this why that (belt vs integrated in this case). Most of the time, they don't even know what to ask because they don't know what they don't know. Even if some do their homewor and know what they want, they may not have much choices if they are using dive shops gear. So the true is they actually don't get the knowledge exposure, advantage/disadvantage, of certain gears. So they stick to what they know after training. This only show the inefficiency of today's OW training.

And, purely coincidentally, weight integrated BCDs mean more profit for the shop - but that has nothing to do with the selection of gear used for training or recommended by sales personnel.

 

[Paladin]

For integrated, I've only used the velcro. What are the other types of integrated weight?

I have encountered three types of weight integration. One is where the weight pocket is part of the BC and is sealed by velcro flaps. Open the flaps and the weight falls out. Another type has removable weight pockets that are fastened into sleeves and held in place by velcro flaps. Pull a handle and the pocket comes out, taking the weights with it. The third type has removable weight pockets that fit into sleeves and are held in place by big, quick release clips. Undo the clips and pull the pocket out to dump. My youngest son's H2Odyssey BC is the first type, my oldest son's TommyDSports BC is of the second type and my Aeris EX100 is of the third type.

There may be other systems, but these are the ones I am familiar with.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I like integrated weights for easier ditching, but I don't mind either - weight belts are pretty easy to ditch anyway (I've never had to ditch either, but it's better to have the option). Both are comfortable for me, though I've had more dives with integrated.

PS my integrated weights are the system where you push the weight pouch in to the pocket to click and lock.

 

[gcarter]

My current weighting is 24 lbs. I wear 4 in my Balance trim pockets, 5 each in the integrated pockets, and 10 on the belt. I have tried it all on the belt and not found it comfortable. The 10 total in my pockets is much as I like to sling about and even there, I prefer to remove the pockets before donning / doffing. I find splitting it like this a good compromise.

 

[divin'dog]

+1 integrated weights
For me it's all about the comfort level. I can't stand the weight of a belt around my waist.

 

[CT Sean]

It seems that divers who have been trained and are " attached " to their weight belts and love them.

Newer divers that have been trained with wt. integrated B.C.'s tend to stick with them.

We sell 100 wt. integrated B.C. to 1 non-integrated.

I trained in a WI BC, then bought a WI BC, then sold it because I hated it and bought a backplate wing setup. I didn't like the vast amount of real estate the WI pockets required - neither on my body nor in my luggage. I also didn't like that my BC weight a ton when fully loaded. Nor was it at all stable when diving.

Even in colder water up here in New England I only have 12 lbs on my belt - which is barely noticeable underwater. I admit I might feel differently if I had a "normal" non-WI BC and needed to wear 20ish lbs of weight on a belt. My wife won;t dive her Zeagle Express Tech up here because it requires too much weight on her belt.

 

[CT-Rich]

I like a belt myself. I dive a steel 100 and that is more than enough haul around. I use a belt with 4 six pounder ( I cast them my self when I was a teenager and admit a sentimental attachment). The problem with ditching any weight system is that, if you are at depth you are purchasing a one way ticket. I have never had to ditch either but I would tip the balance towards integrated because you have the option of only dumping sum and thus having more control. On a deep dive if you were about to black out and wanted to die on the surface as opposed to the bottom, you will probably have to ditch all of it to start heading up with a compressed wetsuit. I do like the ability to ditch and don gear which goes in favor of a belt instead of integrated. if you have to get out of your gear with integrated weights, you better hold on tight or you will leave $1000 on the bottom while you try to remember how to do a free ascent.... I do like the simplified kit of the integrated, but I have watched enough dry suited divers trying to find places to hide and extra set of lead. I think for warm water I would go with an integrated and for cold either a mix or a belt. Personal preference rules this one.

 

[NCadiver]

Integrated. Your weight and buoyancy are together. With the weight belt and BC you have the BC pulling you up and the weight belt pulling you down. Back in the day scubapro said you would die if you had an integrated BCD but that was before they had one on the market

 

[Oldbear]

I am very positively buoyant person. The last time I checked, just wearing swim trunks & a SS rash guard it took 22lbs (10kg) to neutral out. With my BP/W I am using about 23-26lbs (11-12kg). If I wear a 3mm wetsuit or use my BDC I am using about 28lbs (13kgs). Since I too suffer from a diminishing butt condition along with diminutive hip syndrome. Wearing this much weight on a belt is very heavy, hard to put on while on dry land or a boat and all too often slides down until I re-adjust in the horizontal position while in the water. So integrated weights for both my BP/W and BCD are what I use.

The main drawback I have found is orientation while on the surface. With the type of BCD I have my weights are more forward then centered of my central vertical axis and the BDC is a back inflate style. Thus on the surface it takes some effort to keep from floating face down. To help correct this I have cut down on the weight I put into my integrated weight pockets and wear a belt with at least half the weight centered in the small of my back.

With my BP/W my weight packets are to the rear of my central vertical axis and I have found that I am much more comfortable on the surface. So this has become my equipment setup of choice. The only drawback is when I travel. Often I find a dive shop and take a 2-tank dive trip impulsively (schedule permitting). I now travel with my mask, C-Cards & log book and dive computer, unless the trip is a dive expedition, thus I rarely have my full kit with me. So I use rentals a lot. That means back to BCDs (often without integrated weights). I will use their belt weights and also stuff some of the weight in the pockets. My underwater orientation is a little sloppy, but anytine I can get into the water I am a happy camper.

What I want to do is take some time in a confined water space and work with different trim and weight configurations.
I know it should be different for each BCD and BP/W and with and without a wet suit. Plus it will be different when I venture into the realm of drysuits. I am thinking that trim pockets on the cam band might be a good fit for me; plus they are light and small and I take them regardless of my travel plans.

The other thing for me is “Fat Boy” is losing weight (12 lbs in the last 2 months and that includes 3 weeks in Italy). Less fat = less buoyant = less lead. :glad:

:focus: +1 for integrated weights supplemented with a weight belt.

~ME~