Weight belt alternative

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flyer

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My wife and I are newly minted divers. We are trying to make some decisions on what equipment to purchase. The BCD & weight system are at the top of the list because they are the most frustrating when dealing with rental equipment.

I won’t go into all the reasons why I’ve come to certain conclusions for brevity’s sake.

I’m leaning toward a Fred T back plate and wings set up. I also want to eliminate the weight belt. I’m not aware of any weight integrated way to do this. I hate the weight belt.

What’s wrong with casting and then bolting replaceable weights on to the center of the back plate to get 80% of the weight I need aligned along my spine close to my center of mass, with the other 20% within reach and ditch able?

In fresh water I’ve been down to 11lbs of weight, and as high as 28lbs in salt water. I’m 6’0”, 195lbs. I’ve always worn the same 3mil wet suit, booties, fins, mask and snorkel. The variables were the BCD and regulator. All cylinders were AL80’s.

BTW – I can’t think of a circumstance where I would ever want to ditch all my weights, with the exception of already being at the surface and wanting more flotation. Actually, I can’t think of a situation where I want to get rid of any of my weights. I only came up with the 80% - 20% split as a concession to what I was taught in class.

I’m also considering the smallest lift capacity wings. I can’t see why I would ever want 30 or 40 pounds worth of lift. Small wings would be more streamlined and if I can get down to a minimum set up I see no reason to have any more than a minimum lift capability.

What’s wrong with my thinking?
 
flyer once bubbled...
What’s wrong with my thinking?
...unless you implement both ideas at the same time.
Just make sure that the wing you get will float the rig equipped with the extra weight.

Also note that wings do not always lift as much as the claim...
And even less in fresh water.
 
(With only 40 dives I would be considered by some to be a cyber diver but my thoughts are:)

If you put all of your weights in the back it will tend to roll you over. (Maybe not if it is aligned on the spine.) This sensation is very annoying and makes the diving much more difficult. A general rule of thumb is to place about one third to one half of your total weight in the back trim pockets, on your back plate, etc. (If you search I think you can find some descriptions on how to fill in a back plate with weight.) I have found diving most comfortable when I place the rest of the weight around my body with some on the sides and in the front. The best way that I have found to do this is with a weight belt. Heath72 sells one that is much more comfortable and usable than what you normally rent. I have tried intergated weights and really hated them. Most of my problems stem from diving cold water and therefore using a lot of weight. Neverthelesss, I have read from other's posts that you can buy intergrated weight pouches for a back plate and wings.

I would think it wise to maintain some ditchable weight. Not neccessarily to be dropped at any kind of depth but rather when struggling or tired on the surface e.g., swimming back to the boat against a current, or if you are injured, etc. I think this is where the ability to ditch weight would become very valuable.

Anyway, welcome to the sport and enjoy your diving! :)
 
You really should look at the DUI harness weight system if you are dead set against a weight belt. I find that a weight belt does not work well with me and my BP/wing setup, so I purchased the DUI weight harness ($79). It works very well for me. If you are concerned about the handles snagging and dropping your weight, you may find a way to modify the pull handles.

There is lots of adjustment with the DUI weight harness, and I actually forgot I had my weight on in between dives it was so comfortable.

I am about the same build as you from the sound of your post, and I am so far very satisfied with my 27lb Halcyon(s) for diving a single tank.
 
I had never heard of DUI before and didn't know that weight harnesses existed.

A scubaboard search for DUI led me to other references that were also enlightening.

Thanks all for pointing me in the right direction.

I'm glad to hear that 27 lbs of lift capacity is sufficient for someone my size.

The caution about a rolling tendency is something to consider. A harness with some weights towards the front to function like a keel makes sense if the problem actually exists. I’m hoping that adding weight near my center of mass won’t cause a rolling tendency. Is that wishful thinking?

The next question I have is what weight category of back plate to purchase.

I suspect that the BC's I've used all must trap some significant quantity of air. During one morning, I switched between 2 bulky BC's and went from 28 to 24 lbs (in salt water) everything else being the same. That makes me think that when using any jacket style BC there is a tendency to require more weight to make up for trapped air not just in the bladder, but in the pockets, nooks and crannies of the device as a whole. A BP/wing set up by definition is minimalist and can’t harbor as much trapped air.

Since I've used as little as 11 lbs in fresh water using a not so bulky jacket BC, I might require even less weight when all I have is webbing, metal, and of course a lift bladder.

I’m strictly a warm water diver. I left the northeast for Texas because I hate the cold. I’m also a single tank diver. The only underwater activity that holds any interest is photography. The only fresh water diving I’ll do is to gain experience and keep up what little skill I’ve managed to acquire, and I’ll only do that as long as my 3 mil Gold core will keep me comfortable in a Texas mud hole (AKA SCUBA park).

Fred T has -9, -6, and -1 lb BP’s, coupled with a -2 lb STA. The -9+-2 combination gives me the -11 lbs I need in fresh water without any additional weights. That doesn’t provide any “keel” weight possibilities to avoid rollover however. I believe conventional wisdom says to add 5+ lbs for salt water diving, so that would provide a keel.

Any suggestions?
 
Hmm.........

I will be honest with ya.... I place all of my heaviest weight towards the back of my weight system. I also did the same when I used a weight belt. I never had any problem ROLLING over uncontrollably in the water..... I am not saying that is a joke or anything.... I just never had a problem with that .... not even close.

On the same hand... I also never had a problem with my BP shoving my face in the water at the surface either :D I always found the easiest way to eliminate that problem was just not pumping the wing so full it farts on you while at the surface. Just let a little bit out and relax...


The DUI weight harness does allow quite a lot of adjustment.
You can find them on Ebay for approx. $76.00. This is for the newer style. You may also want to buy your soft weights there if you don't already have them. I pay only about $1.00 per pound shopping for them there.
 
Don't you think that having some of your weight on a belt might enable you to have more flexibility in case of emergency?

I am for splitting the weight between the BCD and the belt for better control. But that's me.

Ari :)
 
I recently met a young man that dives using conventional gear without any need for a weight belt – in salt water. He is a tri athlete, and confesses that he has to power down to 15 feet to become neutrally buoyant. From that point on, he uses a BC just like anyone else.

He can not ditch what he doesn’t have. Although a rare individual, I don’t believe anyone would suggest he wear Styrofoam blocks with 10 lbs of lift as well as 12 lbs of weight so he has something to “ditch in an emergency”. For the rest of us, weights are there to counteract the effects of not exercising sufficiently or being born with different genes.

Weight is not something I want to ditch under any circumstances I can think of or am likely to find myself in. If one wants to take into consideration some rare occasion where ditching weights is purported to be beneficial, then one might go further and conclude that diving is too dangerous and not enter the water as the ultimate safe thing to do.

Looked at from another perspective, adding your total weight requirements as V lead attached to a Back Plate channel can be viewed as possibly beneficial for a much more common situation; floating at the surface. The mass of weight near your backbone helps offset the rear lift bags rotational tendency to push you face down. Weights towards your navel help create a rotational moment arm to further push your face into the water.

I was taught to ditch someone’s weight belt as a safety measure during open water rescue simulation. I did as I was told, but didn’t believe a word of it. It’s ludicrous on its face yet it’s taught as absolute truth. Therefore, I also conclude that lots of the conventional wisdom floating around is legend repeated often enough to give it an undeserved aura of credibility. I’m just not buying it.
 
I've just returned from a week of diving in Catalina, and a s usual, found 2 weight belts and several weights from bc pockets. People do need to ditch weights sometimes. I have also ditched my on weights at the surface inorder to rescue another diver who failed to ditch hers. I would be very cautious about any system that did not allow all of the weight to be ditched. Have you looked into the soft weight belts? My AT-Pack has an integrated weight system, but I use a belt because I don't like to lug all the weight in one piec ewhen I scramble down cliffs to get to a dive site.
 
You are assuming that the belts were ditched. There is no evidence of that being the case.

Another possibility is that the belts fell off as happened to my wife and almost to me. Admittedly there is no evidence of that either.

I'd bet that for every belt actually ditched, there are several that came undone and fell off, possibly at depth.

As for finding individual weights, they could inadvertantly fall out of the bottom of some BC's with integrated weights because of their design. Some BC's restrict weights to certain types because the bottom of the BC is just laced together and small weights will just fall through.

I guess it boils down to which problem you're most interested in solving - getting rid of weights or retaining them. I see no reason to get rid of them, not even at the surface. I want to make sure I don't lose mine at depth, and while I'm at it I might as well make it as comfortable to wear them as possible so getting them away from my waist seems logical.

There is no right or wrong answer as far as I'm concerned.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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