jimisurf
Contributor
I use weight integration because I can't seem to keep a belt around my waist (and I'm quite skinny). It just seems to end up around my ankles...
Weight Integrated or Not?
- Thread starter scubaredneck
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Not the SeaQuest Pro Unlimited or the Zeagal Ranger Unlimited. They are far more comfortable than Weightbelts or Harnesses - IMPE.
Zept
Contributor
If I'm asking someone to haul my gear out of the water, I hand up the lead separately (apart from the trim weights, but that's only an extra kilo). Sometimes the guys get all macho and offer to lift the whole lot at once, but I don't expect them too. Walter's point of view is perfectly reasonable, in my opinion.
PITA is short for Pain In The Arse... PITB (pain in the back) would probably be more accurate.
Zept
leadweight
Contributor
Several resorts and dive operators in the Caribbean have established a limit of 8 pounds for handling weight integrated BC's. If the BC has over 8 pounds of weight attached to it, they expect the diver to remove enough to bring it to 8 pounds or less, before they will handle the BC. I have seen this at Reef Divers, the largest Cayman Islands dive operator and at Coco View in Roatan.
Having said that, I use integrated weights and do my best to keep the DM's happy.
Fortunately, I am able to climb ladders in not so flat seas with all my gear. Without a doubt, getting back on the boat is more hazardous than any other part of the dive.
Having said that, I use integrated weights and do my best to keep the DM's happy.
Fortunately, I am able to climb ladders in not so flat seas with all my gear. Without a doubt, getting back on the boat is more hazardous than any other part of the dive.
wackodacko,
"are you serious? i never take my weights out .. i strip my BC and hand it to the dude..."
Very inconsiderate of you. Do that to me and you might find you have to fish it out of the water yourself. I'll be happy to take your weights and I'll be happy to take you BC/tank. I will not take them both at once. What makes this even worse is you clearly understand how much more difficult it is to deal with both when you say:
"Shore dives are a different story and i wish I had a weightbelt I could pull and drag around til i get near the water."
You can even use ignorance as an excuse. What you may not know is it is easier to deal with weights and tanks at the same time when you're wearing them.
"are you serious? i never take my weights out .. i strip my BC and hand it to the dude..."
Very inconsiderate of you. Do that to me and you might find you have to fish it out of the water yourself. I'll be happy to take your weights and I'll be happy to take you BC/tank. I will not take them both at once. What makes this even worse is you clearly understand how much more difficult it is to deal with both when you say:
"Shore dives are a different story and i wish I had a weightbelt I could pull and drag around til i get near the water."
You can even use ignorance as an excuse. What you may not know is it is easier to deal with weights and tanks at the same time when you're wearing them.
I don't have a wi bc, but I thought that I've been wanting one. After reading this thread, I'm not sure if I should spend the money. What I have done (and I might get scolded for this) when I'm in my 7 mm suit is to put two of my weight pouches in my bc pockets with the remainder on my belt. This makes the belt more comfy but still has enough that if dumped I'd be plenty positive in an emergency. And when I do this, my buddy is well aware of where all my weights are. I've not done this on boat dives because of the handing up issue. (The crews I'v dived with have complained of the heavy wi bcs).
I started with a Balance and now have a BP&W with ACB. I think that weight integration simplifies the donning/doffing. IMHO anything that is not attached to the BC increases the task loading, one more thing to remember. I also feel that weight integration pouches are a lot less likely to shift position and/or fall off. While Ive heard stories of integrated pouches inadvertently falling out, Ive never seen it. I did find a lost weight belt on the bottom of Millbrook and latter found the owner who said it fell off during a night dive.
On all the boat dives I have been on but one, I climbed out of the water with all my gear (except fins on certain ladders) so the combined weight was not an issue. One time I was low on air and handed by BC to the DM so I could snorkel around on the surface, looking at the Eagle Rays. I handed him the ACB pouches first, which have handles making them easier to handle than a weight belt.
The big advantage to a weight belt is the flexibility of moving weights around on the belt to adjust trim, but I think this is less of an issue as you start diving with steel tanks and back plate and reduce the amount of weight youre caring. I suspect it is also harder to replace certain integrated weight pouches, since Ive never seen them for sale. Thats a bad thing if it results in reluctance to drop them in an appropriate situation.
This is one of those questions that doesnt have a right answer, it comes down to personal preference. But it is also one of those issues for which divers will come up with antidotal stories to defend their position to the death. A funny exception is DIR divers that believe in weight belts but are prevented from lambasting weight integration because Halcyon makes the ACB system; but I digress.
If you do decide to go with weight integration, keep in mind that all are not created equal! There are some that use a complex cable routing mechanism to hold the weights and some that use pouches. I prefer the pouch systems and personally would not use a cable system unless the only other option was to not go diving. The pouches are easier to load and unload and can easily be handed to someone. If you drop them youre looking for a pouch not individual weights on the bottom.
Again Ive heard stories about the Velcro failing and the pouches falling out. I cannot imagine this happening on my Seaquest Balance. Even if the Velcro were not fastened they would not fall out because of the curved shape of the pouch and receptacle. Maybe in the early days of implementing weight integration there were problems. And perhaps some cheap BCs manufactured have problems but as Ive said, I havent seen them
Mike
On all the boat dives I have been on but one, I climbed out of the water with all my gear (except fins on certain ladders) so the combined weight was not an issue. One time I was low on air and handed by BC to the DM so I could snorkel around on the surface, looking at the Eagle Rays. I handed him the ACB pouches first, which have handles making them easier to handle than a weight belt.
The big advantage to a weight belt is the flexibility of moving weights around on the belt to adjust trim, but I think this is less of an issue as you start diving with steel tanks and back plate and reduce the amount of weight youre caring. I suspect it is also harder to replace certain integrated weight pouches, since Ive never seen them for sale. Thats a bad thing if it results in reluctance to drop them in an appropriate situation.
This is one of those questions that doesnt have a right answer, it comes down to personal preference. But it is also one of those issues for which divers will come up with antidotal stories to defend their position to the death. A funny exception is DIR divers that believe in weight belts but are prevented from lambasting weight integration because Halcyon makes the ACB system; but I digress.
If you do decide to go with weight integration, keep in mind that all are not created equal! There are some that use a complex cable routing mechanism to hold the weights and some that use pouches. I prefer the pouch systems and personally would not use a cable system unless the only other option was to not go diving. The pouches are easier to load and unload and can easily be handed to someone. If you drop them youre looking for a pouch not individual weights on the bottom.
Again Ive heard stories about the Velcro failing and the pouches falling out. I cannot imagine this happening on my Seaquest Balance. Even if the Velcro were not fastened they would not fall out because of the curved shape of the pouch and receptacle. Maybe in the early days of implementing weight integration there were problems. And perhaps some cheap BCs manufactured have problems but as Ive said, I havent seen them
Mike
pkmaven
Registered
There is an industry push to load integrate weight into the BCD. The idea being one can dump his weight if in an emergency. Before BCDs, divers could alway jetison their weight belts if such an emergency took place (like what?). If a BCD is purchased for comfort and overall design for convenience, one need not install weights but wear a weight belt and still enjoy diving. The integration of small amount of weight to the BCD is to allow better ballance and neutral dexterity. It is highly unlikely that you will dump this small amount of weight, and since they are pricey to replace, examine the considered purchase of a BCD by checking just how secure these custom weights are retained. One of the most overlooked developments in BCD design is the total lack of clutter in front of the diver's body...it's all behind! Small knives and backup small lights can be securely fastened without getting in the way. P.
landlocked
Contributor
I tried WI but went back to a belt. Most of our diving is cold, hence a lot of weight. I now use a combination of weight belt and trim pockets with about one third of the total weight in the rear trim pockets. This gives me a lot more ability to adjust trim etc. than being dictated to by the intergation pocket on where to put my weights. It also makes the BC much lighter and hence much more manageable. If I were diving in warmer water with less neoprene I suppose that it wouldn't matter that much. 
pcscuba
Contributor
I must say I have experienced all of the problems listed on this thread. My BC is extremely heavy when I have the weights in it. But overall I like integrated weights. I started diving with weight belts but I always had problems at depth, having to adjust them and all. I have never had any problems with weight integrated and I don't think I will ever go back to a weight belt. Just my opinion though.
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