How much weight?

[ameneon]

I have 2*3kg + 2*2kg + 2*1kg.
With the option of mixing these I feel I have enough weights for my needs.
Use a shell suit and thick undergarment, but with a steel W/BP, steel tank and 3kg STA I don't need much weight on the belt.

 

[dannobee]

Between making my own weights early on and all the weights I've found over the years, I probably have 300 lbs or more in the garage.

I have two weight belts set up for my diving. One is 12 lbs (4,4,2,2) for drysuit diving, the other is 16 lbs (4,4,4,4) for drysuit and LP95 doubles.

When I'm diving warm water, the SS backplate is sufficient, no weight needed.


.

 

[scubaAlan]

You should start a personal weight chart which you can use based upon the selection of gear you use, tank type(alum or steel), fresh water/salt water, shore dive/boat dive,exposure suit,etc. Each time you figure out the perfect weight for the combo your write it down. If you were too heavy on a dive, you would know to reduce your weight on your next dive. Good luck on weight selection.

 

[TSandM]

We own a lot of weights . . . bought some and were given the rest. But like dannobee, I have set up two weight belts, one for my single tank rig and one for doubles. Both are using hard weights, which I have found I greatly prefer, as they have a much smaller profile and, since they are threaded onto a belt, you can't lose them unless you lose the whole belt. (I have had a 5 lb weight come out of one of the pocketed weight belts, and that was an unpleasant dive at the end.)

It is nice to get your weighting right, but fine-tuning it to the 1 lb level really isn't necessary. (On the other hand, I need 2 lbs total in my 3 mil suit in salt water, but I need those 2 lbs or I'm uncomfortable. One pound in each of the camband weight pockets works well. But a 2 lb hard weight threaded onto the camband works, too, and boats almost always have them!)

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I love weights, seem to collect them and that can be an expensive item to collect. The problem is I rarely use much weight, maybe 7-10lbs, today I had 7lbs of lead and it wasn't quite enough with my thick undergarments on.

I also have an OCD issue so I like to own all the same number of things, its weird and hard to explain.

anyway I own the following seasoft brand weights: 4-5lbs, 2-4lbs, 2-3lbs, 2-2lbs and in ankle weights I own a pair of each 3lb, 2lb, and 1.5lb. In hard weights I only have 3-4lb vinyl coated seapearls brand bricks and 1-2lb one in a clip on style.

so those are the kind you get from a dealer or whatever but I have several hand made soft weights made from tubular webbing and I am waiting to buy even more webbing to experiment more with this since I got another 25lb bag of shot to play with.

So whats that up to 80 or 90lbs? its a start but I would like to get a wider selection of the vinyl coated hard weights and I plan to cast some weights like DSS sells for plates just for my own backplate.

 

[Bryan]

˙˙˙ǝuo sıɥʇ uo ǝɯ ʇsnɹʇ ˙ʞɔɐq ǝɥʇ uı pɹıɥʇ-ǝuo puɐ ʇuoɹɟ ǝɥʇ uı ǝq plnoɥs spɹıɥʇ-oʍʇ--ʎlɹǝdoɹd sʇɥƃıǝʍ ɹnoʎ ǝʇnqıɹʇsıp oʇ ɹǝqɯǝɯǝɹ

 

[elan]

˙˙˙ǝuo sıɥʇ uo ǝɯ ʇsnɹʇ ˙ʞɔɐq ǝɥʇ uı pɹıɥʇ-ǝuo puɐ ʇuoɹɟ ǝɥʇ uı ǝq plnoɥs spɹıɥʇ-oʍʇ--ʎlɹǝdoɹd sʇɥƃıǝʍ ɹnoʎ ǝʇnqıɹʇsıp oʇ ɹǝqɯǝɯǝɹ

˙ʎʃdǝɹ ʎɯ ǝǝs ʃʃıʍ noʎ ʎʃʃnɟǝdoɥ ʇnq ˙ʞɔɐq ʇı uɹnʇ ʇou pʃnoɔ I puɐ ʞɔnʇs ʇoƃ ɹoʇıuoɯ ʎɯ sɐ ʇsod ɹnoʎ ɹǝʍsuɐ oʇ sɹǝʇʇǝʃ uʍop-ǝpısdn ɥʇıʍ pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq oʇ ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɐɥʇ pǝzıʃɐǝɹ ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɐɥʇ ɹǝʇɟ∀ ˙uǝʇʇıɹʍ ǝʌɐɥ noʎ ʇɐɥʍ pɐǝɹ oʇ uʍop-ǝpısdn ɹoʇıuoɯ ʎɯ uɹnʇ oʇ pɐɥ I

 

[Bryan]

˙ʎʃdǝɹ ʎɯ ǝǝs ʃʃıʍ noʎ ʎʃʃnɟǝdoɥ ʇnq ˙ʞɔɐq ʇı uɹnʇ ʇou pʃnoɔ I puɐ ʞɔnʇs ʇoƃ ɹoʇıuoɯ ʎɯ sɐ ʇsod ɹnoʎ ɹǝʍsuɐ oʇ sɹǝʇʇǝʃ uʍop-ǝpısdn ɥʇıʍ pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq oʇ ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɐɥʇ pǝzıʃɐǝɹ ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɐɥʇ ɹǝʇɟ∀ ˙uǝʇʇıɹʍ ǝʌɐɥ noʎ ʇɐɥʍ pɐǝɹ oʇ uʍop-ǝpısdn ɹoʇıuoɯ ʎɯ uɹnʇ oʇ pɐɥ I

ooʇ 'ɹoʇıuoɯ ɹo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ʍǝu ɐ ʎnq oʇ pǝǝu ou s,ǝɹǝɥʇ 'ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ǝʌoɯ noʎ ɟı ˙˙˙ʎɐʍ ɹno sƃuıɥʇ ǝǝs oɥʍ ǝɹǝɥʇ ʇno sɹǝɥʇo s,ǝɹǝɥʇ pɐlƃ ɯ,ı

'uɐlǝ ıɥ

 

[Sas]

I have about 45lb of weight or so. Made up of a few 6lb, bunch of 3lb and heaps of 500g weight blocks. I bought 30lb when I bought my own gear and the rest I guess I've just found underwater, though I've stopped collecting stuff I found underwater as I really don't need any more weights . I either wear 14lb with my wetsuit or 25lb (give or take a few depending on undergarmets) with my drysuit so I have plenty spare for people. One of my buddys collects lead and has tonnes and tonnes of the stuff, including heaps and heaps of sinkers (one dive he collected 54 sinkers), that he will melt down and turn into bigger weights.

 

[spoolin01]

I start with a 10 and two 7s, they balance and handle well. For the 8mm one-piece, that's about right for my 220lbs these days. Without the scuba rig, I'm neutral at about 20-25 ft. Depending on the other gear, I add or subtract weight. With a couple of 5s, 4s, and 2s, I can be at most any weight to match a suit and rig, with reasonable symmetry of placement. For the 7mm drysuit, I'm up around 35 lbs.