Too many trim pockets??? Such a thing?

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Tournesol2000

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Location
Toronto
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hi all. I currently use 2 trim pockets on the top tank straps of my BPW.
Since I use 20lbs of weight in my 3ml wetsuit, I thought of using 2 more trim pockets on the lower tank straps and putting all weight in those 4 pockets.
Good idea or not? Any possible issues short of not having ditchable weight?
Thanks.
 
I have a set of trim pockets on my bottom cam band in addition to ones on top band. Necessary for the amount of weight I need single tank diving dry (even with steel BP and steel tank). Some people need it. No problem.
 
i have a back plate and wing with a sta that has 12 pounds in total. plus 4 trim pockets two on each tank strap and two for my waste also. i take 30 lbs lead on top of my set up as of right now.
 
OP, I'm stunned you use 20 lbs with a 3mm wetsuit. Unless its size is maybe XXXXL, the suit only takes maybe 6 lbs to sink it, and most BCDs are close to neutral when empty, at most maybe 3 lbs positive if highly padded. Add 5-6 lbs for the weight of the air in the tank at the beginning of the dive, you might need 6+3+6=15 at most, more likely 6+0+5 = 11 lbs, and you'll be 5 lbs heavy at the begionning of the dive. However, as others have said, no issue with putting it all on your tanks straps, unless you want to come to the surface from depth at the beginning of the dive. Then, your wetsuit is compressed, so you've lost almost 6 pounds buoyancy, AND you are still 5 lbs overweighted because you haven't used any air in your tank yet. You will therefore need to be able to swim 11 extra pounds to the surface. You might want to grab some weights and try that before you dive with none you can drop if needed. Worse, since it might be that your are diving 5-9 pounds heavy, with too much weight, your test ought to try and swim 16-20 pounds to the surface. Have fun.
 
@tursiops I am not happy carrying that much weight. Believe me.
I did a weight check in a pool without wetsuit and all I needed was 6#. Last dive I did in December in Ft Lauderdale , in 3m wetsuit, I was struggling to stay down for SS for both dives. That was with 20#. At 60feet I had very little air in by wing and non at the end of the dive. Wetsuit is a 15 year old 3m. XXL.

Thank you for the numbers though. I am going to keep those handy as they will definitely help me understand where I am at with weighting.
 
I did a weight check in a pool without wetsuit and all I needed was 6#.
With no air in your lungs or full lungs?

At 60feet I had very little air in by wing and non at the end of the dive.
Hard to tell if all the air is out. Need to keep the inflator high, roll around, reach back and squueze the wing.
Wetsuit is a 15 year old 3m. XXL.
Try puttting weights on your wetsuit and see what it takes to sink it. If it's old, it takes less than when new. A mesh bag will help do this. this is a good time too to look at your wing/BP/harness weight in water.
 
The biggest disadvantage with that is having all of the weight concentrated on your straps, making your balance a lot more tricky due to higher center of gravity.
If you use a BP/W i would suggest getting a P weight of some sorts to help reduce the amount you need to add on your straps.

In terms of ditch able weight its a little controversial , the only reason i can think of you having to ditch your weights is if you jump off a boat and forgot to turn your cylinder on. (which still should not be too much of a problem, but to each his own).

If you are interested in having some ditch able weight just get some small pockets for your waist belt (they hold around 2-3 pounds each) and stuff some weights in there, can still ditch it quickly and will not disturb your center of gravity as much.
 
Thanks for everyone ‘s input. Much appreciated.
@tursiops, 1) I think it was with no air in lungs. Was done a year ago.
2) I did that and figured I over did it when I had to dump water from my wing when I was back in boat.
I will try going into ocean from shore and testing wet suit

@JackOfDiamonds, thanks, I will look at p-weight again. Was not a big fan but I will re think that.
I used to believe in ditchable weight from my OW classes, but after diving for over a dozen dives, I am not sure i believe it makes sense. If I dropped weight today it would be my weight belt and that would be a lot.
 
If I dropped weight today it would be my weight belt and that would be a lot.
Yeah, that is the problem with all the weights in a weight belt; it is all or nothing. Probably better to have some in trim pockets and some droppable (belt or front pockets). Either extreme is problematic.
 
Don’t worry too much about the amount of weight, I’m 20# in a rash guard. But even if you are properly weighted (balanced rig), it’s beneficial to have the equivalent of the gas in your tank as ditchable. So, a couple of pouches on the waist strap that you can ditch is a good idea.
 

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