Best way to carry 54lbs?

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I often add a 4 lb weight to each of my cam-bands when I travel by air with an aluminum plate and have to leave my Fred T behind.
 
and on a weight belt, i can really only comfortably hold 8 lbs or so

Try a pocket belt such as https://ww2.scubapro.com/en-GB/SWE/accessories/other-gear/products/pocket-weight-belts.aspx the large scubapro one has five pockets and can take 12kg easily and probably 15kg if you try hard.

I am a bit dubious of your claimed extra lead requirement from a 7mm to a drysuit. What kind of drysuit? What sort of undersuit? What temperatures? Is this a super thick neo suit plus something like a BZ400? How are you doing the weight check?
 
That is an insane amount of lead...
Steel doubles is a nice way to move some weight from your belt onto your back.
I dive a drysuit with steel doubles and my only weight is a 2kg backplate and a 2kg butt weight, and that is in really cold waters with a thick-ish undersuit.

Is your drysuit neoprene?
 
M...

Assuming you're new to dry suit diving my guess is ''trapped air'' in your dry suit that's keeping you positively buoyant...

I'm always of the opinion that a ''properly fitting'' dry suit system should be no more buoyant than a 7 mm wet suit...

If your suit...when donned...is full of wrinkles and creases...air is being trapped...and if it is unable to be completely evacuated either on boat...or on the surface of the water prior to descent...you're going to have problems...and proper correction...does not mean additional ballast...

If you're having to dive with 54 pounds of ballast...you may as well be diving with double HP 133's...

Your dry-suit should fit like the suit in the attached photo...no wrinkles/creases/over-bulk...and no trapped air...

Practice neutral buoyancy in the shallows or pool with help...start with the smallest ballast pieces first...but first evacuate all the air from your suit...

Best of Luck...

W.M...

View attachment 565440
I tried as best I could to vent the excess air out....vented as much as I could on the surface and then again once I was in the water.

i mistyped earlier, in Salt water, my weight with my 7mm wetsuit is 38lbs


the exact setup i was wearing was the following:
Aqualung fusion bullet drysuit
Fourth element artic undersuit
7mm wetsuit boots
7mm hood
Apeks RK3 HDs

was diving an AL80 with my HOG BC, in 38 degree water


as far as feel underwater, i really didnt feel overweighted, nor could i overtly notice any air moving around the suit.
 
height and weight and tank size/type??
 
2 Diverite travel pouches on each tank band. They are only rated for 4 pounds, but will hold uncoated 6 pound sea pearls weights. 4 x 6 = 24
1 Diverite travel pouch on the belt next to the plate on each side. 2 x 6 = 12
1 small pouch on each shoulder strap to help with trim 2 x 2 = 4

Now at 40 pounds.

keel weight on the inside of the plate 1 x 4 = 4, 44 pounds total

mares 6mm heavy ss plate or xDeep project ss plate about 9-10 pounds.

54 pounds

you would need a big wing in case you needed to float all that without you in it.
 
This is a lot of weight. As many have stated—a balanced, streamlined rig will help alleviate this issue. Steel Backplate (6lbs) and wing (Evolve 60lb wing comes to mind.) then add V weight pouch (10lbs), canister light (2.6lbs), and LP 120 steel doubles (Buoyancy Full: From -3.8lbs to -5.02lbs each) Bands (2 to 4lbs) manifold (2-3 lbs) 1st stages (2-3 lbs) 2nd stages (1-2 lbs) SPG and hoses (1-3lbs) Do you have an instructor or experienced tech diver in your area to help?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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