What weight system do you use with your harness/backplate set up?

[Superlyte27]

I use a set of LP104's, usually an AL80 Stage and AL50 O2 Bottle for weight....

 

[hypertech]

Every sinew twists when I hear of people placing weight further back than the plate and the suggestion of dumping from a cam band makes my head fall off.

Who cares. Why would you be trying to dump them? If you are properly weighted you should be able to (1) swim up the few pounds past neutral or (2) if you are diving really negative gear, have a secondary buoyancy system.

 

[Crush]

Who cares. Why would you be trying to dump them? If you are properly weighted you should be able to (1) swim up the few pounds past neutral or (2) if you are diving really negative gear, have a secondary buoyancy system.

I often read such posts from warm-water divers or from those who dive only drysuits and have never dived wet in cold water.

When diving a 7mm two-piece wetsuit with hood and gloves I need about 28# to sink, give-or-take whatever other gear I can carrying. At depth my suit compression makes me about 22# negative, so I need 22# of lift in my wing. Who cares? Well, I do if my wing were to develop a sudden, catastrophic failure such as the hose being pulled out of the bladder. I would MUCH rather ditch even 10# and swim up #12 negative than try to swim up #22 negative.

 

[hypertech]

If your are losing that much bouyancy to compression then

(1) buy a drysuit or
(2) carry a lift bag or another alternate buoyancy device

This will be much safer than dropping a bunch of weight and shooting to the surface like a cork. You would have to be pretty deep to have the suit that compressed and that is no place to be dropping weight and starting a rocket ride to a DCS hit.

 

[Crush]

If your are losing that much bouyancy to compression then (1) buy a drysuit or

I did. I love diving dry.

If your are losing that much bouyancy to compression then (2) carry a lift bag or another alternate buoyancy device

I always carry my DSMB with a finger spool.

You would have to be pretty deep to have the suit that compressed...

Do you have any experience diving a 7 mm two-piece wetsuit? Based on your posts I seriously doubt it. What is the thickest wetsuit you have ever worn? Just ask Tobin (cool_hardware52) or any other seasoned diver on SB how much suit compression is possible.

...that is no place to be dropping weight and starting a rocket ride to a DCS hit. This will be much safer than dropping a bunch of weight and shooting to the surface like a cork.

If I am negative by #22 and drop #10, I can swim up at negative #12, hit neutral, and then really slow down by flaring or by swimming down when I get near the surface. You might initially think that near the surface I will be positive #10, but in reality a cold neoprene suit expands slowly, so I will likely be positive by #5 in a worst-case scenario. Also, if I have stayed within my NDL I can risk a direct ascent to the surface. Dive tables were created for direct-to-surface ascents.

I am curious what your experience is diving cold water in a wetsuit. By cold, I mean below 40F.

 

[Kern]

I use a stainless plate with weight plates and a steel 12.2lt x 232 bar tank. In my drysuit with a moderate undergarment, I only put 6 pounds on a weight belt. 2 solid 3lb blocks.

"snip"
If I am negative by #22 and drop #10, I can swim up at negative #12, hit neutral, and then really slow down by flaring or by swimming down when I get near the surface. You might initially think that near the surface I will be positive #10, but in reality a cold neoprene suit expands slowly, so I will likely be positive by #5 in a worst-case scenario. Also, if I have stayed within my NDL I can risk a direct ascent to the surface. Dive tables were created for direct-to-surface ascents.

"snip"

That sounds like fun, but I'm glad it's you playing & not me. How many times have you practiced this?

Dive tables were designed for a direct ascent, as long as that ascent is controlled & below a given rate.

 

[hypertech]

I did. I love diving dry.



I always carry my DSMB with a finger spool.



Do you have any experience diving a 7 mm two-piece wetsuit? Based on your posts I seriously doubt it. What is the thickest wetsuit you have ever worn? Just ask Tobin (cool_hardware52) or any other seasoned diver on SB how much suit compression is possible.



If I am negative by #22 and drop #10, I can swim up at negative #12, hit neutral, and then really slow down by flaring or by swimming down when I get near the surface. You might initially think that near the surface I will be positive #10, but in reality a cold neoprene suit expands slowly, so I will likely be positive by #5 in a worst-case scenario. Also, if I have stayed within my NDL I can risk a direct ascent to the surface. Dive tables were created for direct-to-surface ascents.

I am curious what your experience is diving cold water in a wetsuit. By cold, I mean below 40F.

Been there done that never going to do it again. It's cold and the compression just makes it colder. I've done 39/40 in an 8mm and have since retired from thick wetsuits. If I need more than a 3mm I'll dive dry or I won't dive.

 

[Jbell8289]

Who cares. Why would you be trying to dump them? If you are properly weighted you should be able to (1) swim up the few pounds past neutral or (2) if you are diving really negative gear, have a secondary buoyancy system.

I agree, i dont see the point in ditchable weight for most dives. I know wetsuits do compress but if your diving that deep you should probably be diving dry or its warm enough so that 3mm is sufficient, Most of my dives are 50-80 ft and in a 5mm and i can easily swim my rig up and on the surface and i'm just barely negative. I feel ditchable weight is kind of a compromise for being overweighted in the first place.

 

[fjpatrum]

I agree, i dont see the point in ditchable weight for most dives. I know wetsuits do compress but if your diving that deep you should probably be diving dry or its warm enough so that 3mm is sufficient, Most of my dives are 50-80 ft and in a 5mm and i can easily swim my rig up and on the surface and i'm just barely negative. I feel ditchable weight is kind of a compromise for being overweighted in the first place.

This is an absolutely ridiculous statement. The thermocline at our local quarry is about 15 feet in the spring and only about 30 to 35 feet when the water is warmest. Depth compression of my 13mm worth of neoprene makes a huge difference in my buoyancy well above even 60 ffw depths. Even as a newb (or perhaps especially because I'm a newb) I can tell a dramatic difference in my buoyancy simply based upon my suit. I only wear 14-16 pounds (still haven't dialed it in) with that much neoprene so I could swim it up if I had to, but I'm one of the lucky ones. Temps range from the high 30s to the 70s depending upon depth and time of year. Do you dive dry when the temps are above 50? What about temps above 60?

 

[hypertech]

Do you dive dry when the temps are above 50? What about temps above 60?

Yes.