Recommended Weight Belt

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alewar

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Hello,

I'm buying my first gear after certification and wonder which kind of weight belts does DIR recommend.
A simple one, or one of those with pockets? Is there anything especial I should be aware about?

Thanks
 
Personally, I would recomend the rubber/stretch type belt with the lead weight. They are actually freedive weightbelts, and they work better than the more expensive and much bulkier scuba belts most stores sell.
MAKO Freedive Weight Belt
or
Amazon.com: IST Free Diving Rubber Weight Belt: Sports & Outdoors

Pockets can be glued to wetsuit thigh or to thigh in dry suit.


You put weights in your wet suit pockets? :amazed:
 
You put weights in your wet suit pockets? :amazed:


No .....He asked two separate questions....he asked about the weight belt--what was to be suggested....and..he asked if the pocket should be on the belt--it should NOT.
 
Personally, I would recomend the rubber/stretch type belt with the lead weight. They are actually freedive weightbelts, and they work better than the more expensive and much bulkier scuba belts most stores sell.
MAKO Freedive Weight Belt
or
Amazon.com: IST Free Diving Rubber Weight Belt: Sports & Outdoors

Pockets can be glued to wetsuit thigh or to thigh in dry suit.

Those freedive belts seem cumbersome to drop with thick gloves on.

This kind of belts is what I mean with the pockets:

Oceanic Taschenbleigurt günstig bestellen Blei, Bleigurte Shop - Divestore Shop
 
Those freedive belts seem cumbersome to drop with thick gloves on.

This kind of belts is what I mean with the pockets:

Oceanic Taschenbleigurt günstig bestellen Blei, Bleigurte Shop - Divestore Shop

If it is the buckle, there are rubber belts with the same type that your model just pointed to has on it....
I don't like the monster weight pockets on the belt you show--more surface area and drag, and the belt can be tightened as much without constricting breathing...with the freedive belt, even when it is on tight, the belt lets your diaphram move, unlike the scuba belts.

But hey, do whatever you want.
 
But hey, do whatever you want.

Thanks for that last piece of advice :wink:

Seriously though, I've been reading the DIR book and they mention the possibility to drop part of your weight as an advantage. That's why I'm asking whether that kind of belts with pockets are a good idea or not. They seem bulky to me but in case of emergency you can slowly drop weight instead of everything at once.
 
Thanks for that last piece of advice :wink:

Seriously though, I've been reading the DIR book and they mention the possibility to drop part of your weight as an advantage. That's why I'm asking whether that kind of belts with pockets are a good idea or not. They seem bulky to me but in case of emergency you can slowly drop weight instead of everything at once.

This aspect is valid if you are heavily weighted, and particularly in a technical environment.....
For me, if I had to ditch "some weight", I think it would be as easy to unbuckle my belt, slide off one or two lead weights, and put the belt back on.....the alternative, using the heavy gloves to pull the velcro off, where you can't see what you are doing on your waist , and then pull a weight pouch out of the pocket--seems harder to me to effect the incremental decrease in weight....

Since I rarely use more than 10 pounds on a belt, if an emergency required sudden lightening of my load, I could compensate for 10 pounds dropped if I needed to once in shallow water.....but more than likely, I would have the time to just pull off 3 or 5 pounds.
 
If you are diving a suit thick enough to need a lot of weight, then you probably would not be able to really get to the pockets easily. If you cinch it tight enough around a DS, the suit kinda overlaps the pockets. Plus you will have gloves on, so getting a pocket open to get to the weight is not as easy as it sounds. The only time I wear a weight belt is when I'm in the Great Lakes wearing my super heavy undergarment with my thick base layer. Between steel tanks, steel BP, and some soft weights I actually put in my undergarment pockets, I'm only wearing 5lbs on my weight belt.

Like Dan said, and like Lynne likes to comment weighting is "an individual concern", so you need to do what works for you. Just be careful about some of the solutions out there. You can't tune in your weighting by buying some whizz-bang gizmo, it takes practice and trial and error...and maybe buying a bunch of simple gizmos :)

For general advice though, its best to spread the weight around 5 or 6 lbs here or there versus trying to put everything on your weight belt. I've never found a situation in my personal diving where putting 20+lbs on a weight belt was the best solution. It would be very hard to do that and maintain proper trim.

Tom

---------- Post added March 1st, 2013 at 09:24 AM ----------

Some weighting options that are popular:
  • Switching to steel tanks
  • Switching to steel backplate
  • Backplate weights
  • V-weight or tail weights if diving doubles
  • cam band pockets if diving singles
  • A couple pounds (2-4) of soft weights inside your undergarment pockets
  • switching to heavier fins
  • weight belt with 10lbs or less
  • Trim weights on your shoulder bands
  • 1 to 3 lb Ankle weight around the tank neck on singles (when I'm diving a shorty in freshwater, I am foot heavy, so 2lbs up high works nice.)

Maybe others have other solutions
 
"DIR" takes a little different look at weighting . . . the most important thing is that you can't lose them, because you then can't control your ascent rate. For this reason, the most secure ways of wearing weight are preferred. At the tech or cave level, almost all weight is attached to the rig and may not be ditchable at all.

Using this idea, I would recommend against pocketed weight belts, because I have had the experience of losing a weight out of the pockets. The rubber weight belt that Dan Volker is recommending is what I am using (thank you, Dumpster Diver, who sent it to me). There is no problem releasing it with dry gloves, and mine is carrying 20 lbs of weight without issue.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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