Difference in weighting.

[Kim]

All other things being equal....what is the rough difference of weighting between a 5mm and a 3mm wetsuit?
For instance: If you use an AL80 with 10 kilos in a 5mm fullsuit, how much less would you need for a 3mm?

 

[Spoon]

All other things being equal....what is the rough difference of weighting between a 5mm and a 3mm wetsuit?
For instance: If you use an AL80 with 10 kilos in a 5mm fullsuit, how much less would you need for a 3mm?

i would say you would need an additional 2-3 lbs of weight if you are moving up to a 5mm from 3mm. i havent actually tried but i have several friends that did.

 

[DiveMaven]

I've been thinking a lot about this too and have decided I'm just going to have to do a buoyancy check to know for sure. I've normally used 12# in a 3mil with an AL72 or AL80. In Belize we had steel 95's and I wore my 5mil for the first time, needing only 6 pounds of weight (might have been able to drop to 4, but didn't). I've heard that a steel tank will drop 4-6 pounds off a weight belt, so using that figure, it would put me at approx 10-12 pounds with an AL80 in a 5mil. Since that's the same as my 3mil, either my liveaboard helped me drop quite a bit of lead or my rough calculations are off.

Either way, my plan is to start with 14 pounds in my 5mil with an AL80 and go from there....

 

[Walter]

Get in the water and find out. There are no short cuts for this one. There are just too many differences from one wet suit to another.

 

[DBailey]

I can safely say that it will probably be less than 10 kilos (22 lbs). So take 10 kilos with you (in various breakdowns), and follow Walter's advice...

Get in the water and find out. There are no short cuts for this one. There are just too many differences from one wet suit to another.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Here's my weighting routine for a new wetsuit:
Take the wetsuit to the pool.
Stack weights on it until it just barely sinks.
Record that on my weighting sheet.
The difference in what's recorded for any old wetsuit and what's recorded for the new one is the difference in the weight required.
Rocket science, eh?
Rick

 

[Nut Bubblefish]

After rocket science, empirism and personal experience.
I did the other way round. I went from an old 3 mm to a brand new 5 mm, and had to add 3 kilos to my weighting.
I also noticed that when I have not been diving for a while, and that all equipment is dry, 3 kilos addition (i.e 6 kilos total) is a bare minimum. After a couple of days, I can easily drop one kilo, and end up with a 2 kilos addition compare to what I used with my 3 mm (actually it is 2.5, but let's keep it simple)
So to answer your question, which I understand as going from an old 5mm to a new 3 mm, I would say that 2 kilos less should make it.
And you know what? This 2 kilos difference is what they taught me in PADI. Pfew!
But at the end of the day, others are right, the buoyancy check will let you know exactly what's the answer. At least, with this first estimate, you will make it quick.
Cheers:14:

 

[Hank49]

All other things being equal....what is the rough difference of weighting between a 5mm and a 3mm wetsuit?
For instance: If you use an AL80 with 10 kilos in a 5mm fullsuit, how much less would you need for a 3mm?

I would guess start with 6-8 kg. But as others said, getting in the water is the acid test. If I go from a 3 mm shortie to a full 3mm, I add 4 lbs. (1.8kg)

 

[Kim]

Thanks for the replies. I almost never dive aluminium tanks so I tend to get a bit confused with this one. The last time was in Hawaii (AL80) using a 5mm suit and I've written 10 kilos in my logbook. Now I'll be on a liveaboard in Thailand using a full 3mm and I was after a safe ball-park figure for the first dive. I reckon I'll be safe enough with 9 kilos from the information here....thanks.

 

[Ed Marshall]

I just recently solved the opposite problem. I normally dive with 6 lbs. in a 3/2 mm (fresh water). I bought a new 5/4 mm for colder water and found that 10 lb. was ideal.

Ed