Weight belt or pockets for BP&W?

[Gareth J]

Hi Laikabear

I am not surprised you had difficulties setting up the harness on your own, without any previous experience its quite difficult to know when you've got it right. (Hence my comments about a tame tech instructor, or a buddy who uses one).
Mine is technically too tight, and has a break on the left shoulder .

I would expect that you will steadily be able to reduce the weight you wear if you are diving regularly. It's a mix of technique, being relaxed and confidence, all that comes with practice and regular diving.

My weight is generally split between trim weights on the CCR (or twins), and my weight belt. But ultimately it's personal choice, comfort is as important as convention.

Gareth

 

[Hatul]

I tried the X Scuba belt with pockets for soft weights, which was too bulky and I returned it. I even tried XS Scuba pockets on a rubber belt and I still didn't like having the rubber belt and the harness both on my waist. So I just put the XS Scuba pockets on the harness itself. I have 2 trim pockets for the tank cam bands but when they are on, you have to unlace the cam band every time to remove the wing from the plate (DSS stuff) which is inconvenient.

I am now down to 5 lbs in each of the XS Scuba pockets on the harness waistband and no trim pockets. This weekend I had dives #24-26 at Catalina Island and on Dive #25 everything clicked. I had been overweighted before, and had always struggled with my buoyancy when still. Flutter kicking I was fine, but I was burning through a lot of air. On that dive I finally could hover with no problem, and could use frog kicks. They really don't work if you're trying to counteract sinking because you have too much weight.

I think that the velcro pockets will be easy enough to dump weight if I have to. I am a little concerned about the weights being on the rig and not on myself, should I need to take the rig off underwater, as some folks mentioned. But I suppose that is the case with any integrated-weight BCD also. The belt just wasn't working for me.

After getting everything set up, I really like the bp&w and I'm glad I made the switch. It's an elegant and simple system and it's easier to care for and pack than the BCD. I still have a couple of things I'm mulling over (whether to put a bead or dongle on the butt dump to make it easier to find - it's hard with 5mm gloves, for me; and where to mount my BCD knife that I really like).

Thanks again for following up. All the comments were helpful in some way and I always learn something when I come on Scuba Board.

Laikabear

I also use the DSS system with the glide adapter on the right side. I went against Tobin's recommendation to remove the wing after diving, and replaced the rubber thingies he provides with plastic bolts from DGX, so now my wing is fixed to the plate. I use a rubber weight belt as well as the XS trim pockets on the top tank band.

You do have to be careful not to pinch the wing, and test the wing before diving as part of the predive check.

One other thing. I bought the 8 lb plates from DSS, but don't use them, as I found the BP too heavy for my bad back to handle, so I prefer removable weights in the trim pockets.

 

[Ayisha]

...I still have a couple of things I'm mulling over (whether to put a bead or dongle on the butt dump to make it easier to find - it's hard with 5mm gloves, for me; and where to mount my BCD knife that I really like).

Regarding the rear dump, it's often advised to remove a bead or dongle if it comes with it, because it's potentially an entanglement hazard; and also, if you were to start your diving without checking on it, it could be tucked under the bp and be very difficult to get out. To find the bare string, even with thicker gloves, just find the rear dump valve and start twirling around it with your finger, and the string will wrap onto your finger, making it easy to pull.

Regarding the knife, do you have a sheath to put it in? There are sheaths for knives or EMT shears that have a slot at the back that threads onto your harness webbing.

Glad things are working out!

 

[Wijbrandus]

I have been using a plate for many years, and I use a DUI Weight and Trim harness. The weight belts were always way too awkward and painful for me, and the times I tried adding the weight to the harness just made it practically impossible to gear up without help when in tight quarters on the boat. Might be worth taking a look at for you.

The main advantage I have found is that the weight of the lead is transferred to my shoulders, and it's a lot easier to kit up. The negative is if you jump in and have forgotten your belt, it's also a lot harder to fix the issue. On the bright side, I've only made that mistake once.

DUI Weight & Trim System

 

[Hatul]

I have been using a plate for many years, and I use a DUI Weight and Trim harness. The weight belts were always way too awkward and painful for me, and the times I tried adding the weight to the harness just made it practically impossible to gear up without help when in tight quarters on the boat. Might be worth taking a look at for you.

The main advantage I have found is that the weight of the lead is transferred to my shoulders, and it's a lot easier to kit up. The negative is if you jump in and have forgotten your belt, it's also a lot harder to fix the issue. On the bright side, I've only made that mistake once.

DUI Weight & Trim System

I can't see the point of the harness. Diving in my drysuit and steel plate, after I put 6 lbs in the two trim pockets on the top tank band to correct my trim, I only need 8 lbs on my weight belt. The rubber weight belt holds 8 lbs without problem.

 

[Gareth J]

I can't see the point of the harness. Diving in my drysuit and steel plate, after I put 6 lbs in the two trim pockets on the top tank band to correct my trim, I only need 8 lbs on my weight belt. The rubber weight belt holds 8 lbs without problem.

Its like a lot of things, down to the individual.

In the case of shall we say a rotund individual, they may have no waist/hips to speak of. So they suffer the sliding weight belt saga, where the weight belt ends up round their knees. Which is neither safe nor comfortable, a harness removes this risk, granted at a cost and with added complexity.

There are a surprisingly high number of uncontrolled ascents due to lost weight. The two most common are;

• Loss of weight belt, which is mostly due to it sliding off rather than unintended failure of the buckle.
• Loss of weight from intergrated BCD's. Which is generally because there is too much weight for the integrated mechanism. Personally, I don't like integrated weight, but a better solution for those using it would often be to split the weight between a belt and the BCD, reducing the load on the integrated mechanism, and reducing the weight around the hips/waist.

A common weight belt in the UK is a shot belt. The belt is 3-4 inches wide, with one large pocket, normally with a series of vertical channels, which is filled with shot rather than the use of block weight. This is more comfortable, because it molds to the individuals shape, and there are no hard edges digging into you. They are good once you know what weight you need, but a pain to change the weight. Many come with two pockets that you can add a pair of 4lb weights to, this allows you to add sea weight or remove it for fresh water.


Gareth

 

[WarrenZ]

I use the XS Scuba weight pockets since I prefer soft lead rather then lead blocks if I can avoid it.

 

[The Chairman]

If integrated weights are going to be a problem, I wear my DUI Weight Harness. It holds up to 40 pounds and has a pull release so it's no problem wearing it under your BP harness.

 

[Bob DBF]

I am now down to 5 lbs in each of the XS Scuba pockets on the harness waistband and no trim pockets. This weekend I had dives #24-26 at Catalina Island and on Dive #25 everything clicked. I had been overweighted before, and had always struggled with my buoyancy when still. Flutter kicking I was fine, but I was burning through a lot of air. On that dive I finally could hover with no problem, and could use frog kicks. They really don't work if you're trying to counteract sinking because you have too much weight.

Glad to see you are making progress. Neutral buoyancy is a trick, like balancing while walking on the edge of a 2x6 when framing houses. You have to balance your weight underwater with the lift of the bubble in your BC. Being overweight makes the bubble bigger and harder to control in the shallows.

Buoyancy and weight are not as directly related as you might think. As an example, a while back I found a 15# anchor on the bottom, I picked it up and compensated for the change in buoyancy then swam it back, stopping and hovering to carefully change hands from the one I was carrying it with at the time. It is not an evolution without risk, however I've had practice over the years. The point is that I was quite overweight and neutrally buoyant simultaneously.

I find my ideal weighting when ending my dive, I do a weight check at 15' with 500# in my tank, and an empty BC while breathing normally. I hand off weight to my buddy or set them on the bottom until neutrally buoyant. From this point you can decide how much more weight you want to carry, I carry 2 or 3 more pounds in case I need to breathe the tank down, others 5# or more in boat traffic areas to drop fast if a boat heads at them. Also if you can easily calculate an adjustment for a different tank or gear if you keep notes.

The good thing about an empty BC at the safety stop is that you can control your depth with your breathing, which is quite easy, and have the minimum size bubble in the BC at all depths.



Bob

 

[Nemrod]

Warm water for my Oxy 18 and VDH mini plate I use the XS weight pockets on the waist belt with the QR feature. For cold(er) water I use a weight belt for my Oxy 30 and Freedom Plate rig. N