My first experience with BP/Wing... and a question

Ok, so I have the hammerhead SS, and an Oxycheq Mach V Signature.

Here are a few notes:

* Getting pushed down face first in the water is a HUGE exaggeration. At least for me... I didn't have a problem.
* I do not like the inflater on the Mach V... the mouthpiece is at an odd angle, and there there is no pull dump, making releasing air problematic. These I can live with.
* The biggest problem is the weight belt... Should it go on over or under the crotch strap? When practicing removing the belt and the BC under the water it became apparent that the BP/Wing setup has a severe disadvantage here. I am not really sure how to remedy this actually, but it made the whole "swim down and put on all your gear" maneuver rather awkward.

So let me ask this... what do you guys recommend for integrating weights into the harness? (brand, model, etc) I really want ditch-able weights that have a clasp, instead of (or in addition to) Velcro. I really don't think the weight belt is for me though. I shouldn't have a need for much more than 30lbs total of weight.

Thanks for now!

Sam

I'm using the SeaSoft weight pouches, since they have a clip release. And a way to zipper load from the top without pulling the clips. However, I will mention a huge disadvantage: They take up a LOT of space, and I have a fairly small waist. This means that I have a D-ring, followed by a weight pack, followed by the buckle.. all very tightly spaced. I'm still unsure of how to fit my canister light.

I know Oxycheq makes similar ditchable weight packs. Halcyon has a "you must physically unclip the pouch" ditchable weights (less likely to drop by accident, but much harder for a rescuer to remove if needs do). I don't know how much space those ones take. I haven't tried either of those though.

As for where it should go relative to the crotch strap: I'd say over so that you can remove it if needed. Otherwise, you're gonna have to undo the crotch strap to remove the weight belt (and in theory, you want it to be easy to ditch the weights if things really go wrong).

My weight belt is over my crotch strap. To remove my rig without removing my weight belt. I open my BP waist belt and slide the crotch strap under the weight belt. I have a depth compensating buckle on my weight belt so it id easy to slide the crotch strap for Rig don/doff. My BP waist belt is a couple of inches above my weight belt. I am setup where I can remove my Rig and freedive without having to remove weight from my belt. 30 lbs sounds like a lot of weight to use with a SS PB Rig unless using an Al80 tank?

In my opinion, you don't need more that 6 pounds of ditch-able weight, (for single tank diving). The rest you can secure to your plate one way or another. But I can't see a reason you would ever be more than 6 pounds away from positive buoyancy, assuming you aren't overweighted. So 24 stowed away, 6 pounds ditch-able, if that makes sense.

swinchen:

Ok, so I have the hammerhead SS, and an Oxycheq Mach V Signature.

Here are a few notes:

* Getting pushed down face first in the water is a HUGE exaggeration. At least for me... I didn't have a problem.

Click to expand...

Yea, pretty much no one does.

swinchen:

* I do not like the inflater on the Mach V... the mouthpiece is at an odd angle, and there there is no pull dump, making releasing air problematic. These I can live with.

Click to expand...

It's kinda what you get used to. Pull dumps are terrible, and can be problematic. Sounds like your OW class was a bit dicey. Use the butt dump to release air. If you HAVE to ascend vertically, just use the deflate button on the inflator. Much better than a pull dump.

swinchen:

* The biggest problem is the weight belt... Should it go on over or under the crotch strap? When practicing removing the belt and the BC under the water it became apparent that the BP/Wing setup has a severe disadvantage here. I am not really sure how to remedy this actually, but it made the whole "swim down and put on all your gear" maneuver rather awkward.

Click to expand...

Weight belt goes on last if your diving wet. Goes under the crotch strap if you're diving dry. There really is no problem using a properly fitted BP/W with a weight belt.

Also the swim down and put on your gear is a drill. Try not to judge diving equipment based on some silly OW drill.

swinchen:

So let me ask this... what do you guys recommend for integrating weights into the harness? (brand, model, etc) I really want ditch-able weights that have a clasp, instead of (or in addition to) Velcro. I really don't think the weight belt is for me though. I shouldn't have a need for much more than 30lbs total of weight.

Click to expand...

There's lots of ways to integrate weights into the system, but why on earth are you using so much weight? Are you in the arctic? And honestly, you really shouldn't need more than 6-8 pounds of ditchable weight anyway.

PerroneFord:

Weight belt goes on last if your diving wet. Goes under the crotch strap if you're diving dry. There really is no problem using a properly fitted BP/W with a weight belt.

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Agreed with everything else you posted, by why the suggestion for different procedures for wet vs. dry? I always run my weight belt under my crotch strap, wet or dry.

30 lbs was a rough estimate. I will be diving with a 7 mm Farmer John, Hood and Gloves, using a AL80 tanks. So far I have only dove in Florida, It is probably closer to 15 or 20 lbs of weights that I will need.

Boxcar Overkill:

In my opinion, you don't need more that 6 pounds of ditch-able weight, (for single tank diving). The rest you can secure to your plate one way or another. But I can't see a reason you would ever be more than 6 pounds away from positive buoyancy, assuming you aren't overweighted. So 24 stowed away, 6 pounds ditch-able, if that makes sense.

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This makes a lot of sense! Where do you recommend wearing the non ditch-able weight? It seems like it would be a good idea to keep it on me, and not my rig in case I get entangled and slip out of it to unhook something. I know I am thinking worst case, but why not right? I guess keeping a weight belt makes sense in this case...

Finding those small ditch-able weight pouches online is proving a challenge. I found xs-scuba pouches, they don't look terrible.

Rainer:

Agreed with everything else you posted, by why the suggestion for different procedures for wet vs. dry? I always run my weight belt under my crotch strap, wet or dry.

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The benefit of the weight belt is to have ditchable weight. In a loss of buoyancy failure such as a wing puncture, you are going to be fighting to stay buoyant. Having to undo your harness, AND having to undo your weight belt to drop is an unnecessary complication. Diving dry is different. Because you have a built-in secondary buoyancy device, the danger is not in being too heavy should something go wrong, the danger is in not being heavy enough if you lost that ditchable weight.

A 7mil farmer john with hood and gloves in Florida? There's one problem. What's the water temp?

If, when you get the neoprene situation straightened out, you still need 20lbs or more, I would suggest switching to a steel tank first. That should remove another 6-9 lbs, then you might have a manageable 6lbs in each of two pockets. You can get the fancy dive-rite quick release weight pockets, or I'm sure other companies make them, or just get the XSscuba cam band pockets. I think they hold 5 lbs each, you might be able to get 6 in one. They have a simple velcro closure. If you're ultra set on "quick release" weights, and you don't want to get the actual weight pockets, there are some people that just install the XS scuba pocket upside down, so that if you pull the velcro flap open, the weights fall out. I would not do that, but then again I'm not too worried about ditchable weight. Half the time mine are empty anyhow.

In theory, you're right about keeping some weight on a belt if you have a buoyant wetsuit, in case you need to remove the rig at depth. But, at the surface, which is really the only place you would ever dump weights, it doesn't matter. If you're entangled at depth to the point where you need to remove your rig, and there's nobody there to help get you free, you got bigger problems than whether or not you're wearing a weight belt.

PerroneFord:

The benefit of the weight belt is to have ditchable weight. In a loss of buoyancy failure such as a wing puncture, you are going to be fighting to stay buoyant. Having to undo your harness, AND having to undo your weight belt to drop is an unnecessary complication. Diving dry is different. Because you have a built-in secondary buoyancy device, the danger is not in being too heavy should something go wrong, the danger is in not being heavy enough if you lost that ditchable weight.

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Nope. For me the point of the weight belt is always to offset positive buoyancy. I'm not looking to ditch it. My rig is balanced when diving wet and I can swim up that weight. The last thing I want (wet or dry) is to lose a weight belt. Running it under my crotch strap increases the chances of not losing it should it come open (it's no guarantee of course).