Question Integrated weights for first bp/w

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Nev77

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Dublin
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Hi all.

After 100+ dives with a jacket BCD, I recently tried a wing and was instantly converted!

So now (as we do!) I'm looking to buy my own bp/w setup. After a lot of reading, I've settled on the XDeep Zen with the regular harness, not the quick release version.

I was most recently diving in the Med with 4kg on a belt. I could possibly drop a bit more.

With the new rig, I was looking at the XDeep integrated pockets but a) they seem very expensive for a couple of pouches and b) I've read a lot of comments saying they're not great, not easy to access etc.

So I was thinking that if I still need 4kg, I could put 2 x 1kg in trim pockets and 2 x 1 on the harness. If I do that, is it as simple as buying a cheaper pouch and securing it on the waist band with a triglide? Or is there real value in splashing out for the xdeep integrated ones??

Thanks in advance for any guidance!!
 
Cheap and simple are 2 of my favourite things! Can't get Hog where I live but will get something similar.
For cheap and simple some trim weight pouches will work fine. As they typically hold 5# each, two on each side would get you to 20#, and two more on the cam band if you want to bump to 30#. When not in use simply fold and tuck them inside themselves and they are compact and streamlined.

They are readily ditchable if such a thing is of importance to you. Simply pull up on the velcro flap, pull the weight out and let it go.
 
For cheap and simple some trim weight pouches will work fine. As they typically hold 5# each, two on each side would get you to 20#, and two more on the cam band if you want to bump to 30#. When not in use simply fold and tuck them inside themselves and they are compact and streamlined.

They are readily ditchable if such a thing is of importance to you. Simply pull up on the velcro flap, pull the weight out and let it go.
A small loop of bungee through the weight can serve as a small “handle” tucked into the pocket that makes pulling the weight out even easier (I’m not a fan of using them upside down, though some people do that too)
 
I’m in the process of setting up to dive a Dive Rite BP/W with a 30#(?) Oxy Cheq wing. The plate itself is the now-discontinued aluminum version. And it has a pair of X Scuba trim weight pockets on the waist band and a second pair on the tank’s lower cam band.

On my last salt water trip (Nassau) I was using my old Sherwood Silhouette BCD and needed approx 10# of hard weight on my belt. When I got home, I bought this used BP/W rig. I tried it out in a local freshwater pond, I found that 2# blocks in each of the trim pockets on the waist band was sufficient if not too much weight. These were the X Scuba pockets with a Velcro flap on top and no means to ditch them quickly, so I’m wondering whether I would be just as well off with a conventional weight belt. I’m calculating that 4-6# of whatever style weight will be plenty when I account for the extra weight of the BP.

I also picked up a very lightweight conventional BCD for travel, but that’s for another thread. The adventure continues!

🐸
 
These are great:


I have 2 of them on my single tank rig. They are mounted to the back of the plate. The shoulder strap goes through the BP, through a loop of the trim weight pocket, and then back through the back plate to become the waist belt. That holds them perfectly, with no need for a tri-slide and taking up no room on my waist belt or on a cam band.

I almost never use them. But, when diving an AL80 in salt water, I'll put a 1 or 2 # weight in each side and it's perfect.

They also work great to put on the cam bands/tank straps.
 
These are great:


I have 2 of them on my single tank rig. They are mounted to the back of the plate. The shoulder strap goes through the BP, through a loop of the trim weight pocket, and then back through the back plate to become the waist belt. That holds them perfectly, with no need for a tri-slide and taking up no room on my waist belt or on a cam band.

I almost never use them. But, when diving an AL80 in salt water, I'll put a 1 or 2 # weight in each side and it's perfect.

They also work great to put on the cam bands/tank straps.
I sometimes use these mounted horizontally on waist webbing. I like them.

I sometimes use the SP trim weight pockets on my cam bands. They hold weights more securely than the DGX ones and of course given location weight cannot be dumped. I like them too.
 
Cheap and simple are 2 of my favourite things! Can't get Hog where I live but will get something similar.
I use a pair of these on my waist belt. $12 each.

 
For single tank diving, especially if you are considering a drysuit, these are the trim pockets I recommend:


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-Z
 
I sometimes use these mounted horizontally on waist webbing. I like them.

I sometimes use the SP trim weight pockets on my cam bands. They hold weights more securely than the DGX ones and of course given location weight cannot be dumped. I like them too.

Wow, the price for those DGX pockets have nearly doubled in the few years since I bought a pair of them....my only gripe about these pockets is they rely totally on the velcro to retain the weight, and I am always concerned that they will pop open and the weight will slip out.

When I used them, it was typically while diving dry and carrying "more" lead and used them to distribute the weight, so if the velcro did give up the ghost and lost a brick it would only be a kilo and not too critical. I stopped using them because my brain would not let me be comfortable while diving with them.

There are similar weight pockets on the market that have the added benefit of a clip buckle type fastner in addition to the velcro.

-Z
 
Wow, the price for those DGX pockets have nearly doubled in the few years since I bought a pair of them....my only gripe about these pockets is they rely totally on the velcro to retain the weight, and I am always concerned that they will pop open and the weight will slip out.

When I used them, it was typically while diving dry and carrying "more" lead and used them to distribute the weight, so if the velcro did give up the ghost and lost a brick it would only be a kilo and not too critical. I stopped using them because my brain would not let me be comfortable while diving with them.

There are similar weight pockets on the market that have the added benefit of a clip buckle type fastner in addition to the velcro.

-Z
Agree, if my keeping the weight was critical I'd not be using the DGX ones the way I do but like you when I do use them it's only a kilo so would not pose a significant risk if one were to fall out.

Yes, they've doubled in price.

Do you sleep 😂
 

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