weight belt with a wing setup ... help for newbie

[Andy692]

Hi guys ..

Im pretty new to diving, on our courses we wore weight belts and a jacket BCD , some had integrated pockets ..

But , I bought a wing and back plate set up , I did this because I wanted to future proof myself , I wanted something that packs down small to stow on our yacht , I liked the idea of things being modular and being able to change things to suit our diving..

anyway, Im going to be diving in my 7mm semi wet for the most , be diving single tank setup , Im about 82 kg , I have a SS mares backplate and wing , and will be using a steel tank, diving in salt water ..

I Haven't weighted myself for this set up yet , so unsure how much Im going to need was hoping to do this , this week we we get down to the boat ..

now I have been playing around, and Im finding that the weight belt doesn't fit too great with the one piece harness , I have tried over and under , I find it bashes on the plate a bit , and is pretty uncomfortable, the belts we have are typical old style belt with thread on lead ..

my harness buckles up to the right , so would make sense to have the weight belt buckle up on the left , but we was told that weight belts need a right hand release .. but a left hand would be better suited for this ..

Any tips , advise or a solution .. thanks in advance ..

 

[lowwall]

Keep the weights forward of the plate. Remember you already have 2 kg on your back in the form of the plate. If you need some more weight towards the back for trim, put them in trim pockets on one or both cam bands.

If your class requires a weight belt buckle to face a certain way, then rethread the buckle on your BP harness so it faces the other way.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Weight pockets on your harness / cam bands, best solution.

Diving a weight belt with BP/W is not only uncomfortable but also unsafe, if you have to dump weights you will struggle getting to it and it can get caught on your harness.

If you need a lot of weight try getting a heavier back plate or a P weight (slots on the backplate) so it will reduce the amount you will have to carry on your harness.

Safe diving

 

[Andy692]

dont need it for the class , it for our own diving now .. so I guess it doesn't matter what way the belt buckles up on ..

Ok I did think about some trim pockets for the cam bands , I will order some up now ..

The belt doesn't fit over the harness too well , and with it over the top I cant access my D rings , which I will be using so my only option is to have it under , that means under the crotch strap too .. ?

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

dont need it for the class , it for our own diving now .. so I guess it doesn't matter what way the belt buckles up on ..

Ok I did think about some trim pockets for the cam bands , I will order some up now ..

The belt doesn't fit over the harness too well , and with it over the top I cant access my D rings , which I will be using so my only option is to have it under , that means under the crotch strap too .. ?

Don't use a weight belt with a harness, see my above comment.

Get yourself some pockets, best for your comfort and safety.

 

[M-Cameron]

DUI weight harness works great with backplate.

 

[Andy692]

Ive not seen a weight harness , will have a little look ..

I like the sound of the pockets tho , just seen some which I could fit on the side, to the belt part of my harness between the bk plate and the first D ring ? , and I have seen some trim pockets for the tank straps ..

that seems less fussy and looks to be more comfortable ? is that a better solution ...?? If ever need be I could dump the weights in the side pockets ??

 

[lowwall]

Weight pockets on your harness / cam bands, best solution.

Diving a weight belt with BP/W is not only uncomfortable but also unsafe, if you have to dump weights you will struggle getting to it and it can get caught on your harness.

If you need a lot of weight try getting a heavier back plate or a P weight (slots on the backplate) so it will reduce the amount you will have to carry on your harness.

Safe diving

I don't use a weight belt normally. I have trim pockets on the waist band for warm water and add weight plates to the backplate for cold. But if the class requires it you can certainly make it work.

FWIW, many divers prefer to have at least some weight on a belt for various reasons. For example, see this thread response Dumpable weight vs trim . Also a lot of us feel that ditching weight is something that should almost always be done only at the surface, so having a belt that can't be accidentally dropped is a feature.

 

[Andy692]

That makes a lot of sense , I wouldn't want to drop a weight belt by mistake ..

will have a look at the link cheers . .

 

[lowwall]

I like the sound of the pockets tho , just seen some which I could fit on the side, to the belt part of my harness between the bk plate and the first D ring ? , and I have seen some trim pockets for the tank straps ..

that seems less fussy and looks to be more comfortable ? is that a better solution ...?? If ever need be I could dump the weights in the side pockets ??

I use these little pockets between the plate and hip D-ring that hold up to 2kg (actually 5 pounds) per side.

You can get larger pockets and/or pockets with latches or pulls, but these work fine for me. I can open them and remove the weights with one hand if necessary.