Wow, that's a lot of weight!!!

[TSandM]

Some of us float. When I did the "tread" for my OW class, I sat in the water without moving and looked at the guy with the watch. It takes about five pounds just to sink ME, before we get to any exposure protection . . .

With a 3 mil suit and 2 mil hooded vest and an Al 80, I'm perfectly weighted with my 5 lb SS BP and 2 lbs on the cambands, but I can't give up the 2 lbs without being uncomfortable when the tank is low.

With my double 85s and an Al BP and my compressed neoprene drysuit with the oodles of undergarments it takes to keep me warm, I wear TWENTY POUNDS on a weight belt.

It takes what it takes. As long as you've done the work to make sure you have what you need and not much more, it only matters inasmuch as you have to distribute the weight to balance yourself, and figure out how to haul it in and out of the water.

 

[Charlie99]

You guys are killing me.

I was in the pool last monday, in my drysuit, 300g XXXL Thinsulate undies, twin AL80s with about 800 psi in them (meaning they were floaty), and 11 pounds on.

I'm 6'0" 250.

With a single 80 and a 3mm full, I wear no weight. With a full 5mm I wear 6 pounds.

How much backplate, sta, and other negative gear such as a cannister light?

You guys that don't include info on their gear are killing me.

 

[Rainer]

How much backplate, sta, and other negative gear such as a cannister light?

You guys that don't include info on their gear are killing me.

Don't forget: non-neo DS, freshwater, two regs, SS bands and bolts, probably no thick wool socks, no gloves, no 7mm hood, negative fins. Definitely accounts for some of the differences between what others report.

 

[CBulla]

Some of us float. When I did the "tread" for my OW class, I sat in the water without moving and looked at the guy with the watch. It takes about five pounds just to sink ME, before we get to any exposure protection . . .

With a 3 mil suit and 2 mil hooded vest and an Al 80, I'm perfectly weighted with my 5 lb SS BP and 2 lbs on the cambands, but I can't give up the 2 lbs without being uncomfortable when the tank is low.

With my double 85s and an Al BP and my compressed neoprene drysuit with the oodles of undergarments it takes to keep me warm, I wear TWENTY POUNDS on a weight belt.

It takes what it takes. As long as you've done the work to make sure you have what you need and not much more, it only matters inasmuch as you have to distribute the weight to balance yourself, and figure out how to haul it in and out of the water.

Geeeze... you and my wife use more lead to sink that I shoot down range in a busy afternoon!

I, on the other hand, barely float with my face out of the water and with a 1-2mil suit and a steel 72 still don't need lead of any sort.

 

[PerroneFord]

How much backplate, sta, and other negative gear such as a cannister light?

You guys that don't include info on their gear are killing me.

I use a Dive Rite ABS STA, no can light when I am working on weighting. In fact I don't even count my tailweight pouch when working on my weighting. I do have a steel backplate, but so do many members in these discussions. But if you want to add that as weight, add +5 pounds to all my discussions.

 

[MSilvia]

With a 3mm suit, 6lb stainless steel backplate, and a steel 72, I don't need any additional weight to be neutral at the end of a dive. In a drysuit, the same rig requires 14#. In a 2 piece 7mm wetsuit with hood, boots, gloves, and the same backplate and an AL80, I need 28# on my belt. When I first started diving with that suit using a seaquest spectrum 3 BC, I needed 42#, but was able to get down to 34# after about 25-30 dives. It really depends a lot on exposure protection and equipment choices... depending on what I'm using, I need between 0 and 34# of additional weight.

 

[PerroneFord]

Don't forget: non-neo DS, freshwater, two regs, SS bands and bolts, probably no thick wool socks, no gloves, no 7mm hood, negative fins. Definitely accounts for some of the differences between what others report.

Hmm,

My Oriskany setup:

Twin AL80s that swing from -8# to +4.
5mm Farmer top
7mm hood
Saltwater
manifold and bands
Jetfins with rubber straps
SS Backplate, 1 delrin 3C light

No weightbelt.



My Drysuit setup:

Twin AL80s
Trilam suit
300g undergarment
7mm hood
Two pairs wool socks
No gloves
Jetfins with spring straps
Freshwater

15 pounds of lead.

When I dive the 108s, I drop to 10 pounds of weight.


Perhaps I am underweighted and don't know it, but I was neutrally buoyancy and holding position in a 4ft pool in that drysuit config on Sunday afternoon.

 

[Rainer]

Not suggesting you were/are underweighted, just that your setup doesn't match that of some others who require more weight (e.g. fresh-water, non-neo DS, a relatively light undergarment by NE standards, etc). My cold water DS rig requires more weight than you. My warm water rig wouldn't (I also wouldn't need a weightbelt with the rig you listed). Now, what were you doing wearing a 7mm hood in the pool? That's got to be a killer!

 

[PerroneFord]

Testing my weighting. This drysuit stuff is all new to me!

 

[Rainer]

Why not just see how much weight was needed to sink the hood? My 7mm hood keeps me quite warm in 35F. I'd hate to think what it'd do in 80F!