DIR on Weighing

[nickjb]

I like to keep both my rig and me fairly neutral. For me that means a bit of weight on the backplate and a bit on a weightbelt (worn under the harness).

 

[MikeFerrara]

ElectricZombie once bubbled...




GI3 beleives that the ACB system is not DIR. I would tend to agree with him because the ACB seems to create more clutter and does not really seem necessary. I think weighting issues could be solved more efficiently without the ACB by other means.

I don't know about being DIR but if you have a small waist trying to have two belts around your middle is a pain. Diving wet I only have 4 pounds on my belt so I don't even notice it but if I dive a single tank and a dry suit I need more weight and only one belt can be in the right place. Using the ACB allows the use of only one belt which is the perfect number of belts to wear at one time.

I think DIR is different for guys as big as GI.

 

[Scubaroo]

I have the ACB20 (used to be ACB+) - it does not clutter the waist. The pockets are mounted on either side of the backplate, and when donned, are at your sides, not the front of your waist. The smaller pockets are streamlined. I can't speak for the ACB30 (larger size) - they look to be way too big, and if you need to carry more than 20lbs on your waist with a backplate setup, you need to step back and re-evaluate your weighting choices, like dumping buoyant AL80 tanks for starters. Choosing a steel tank over an aluminum tank can reduce your weightbelt by up to 7 or 8 pounds depending on the tanks.

 

[SteveKL]

While not a direct answer to the OP's question, I remember that when I started diving seriously enough to want to optimize my trim, I asked everybody I could find what weight config *they* used to try and sort out what I was doing wrong (or right). Toward that end, this is my current optimal (and probably permanent) configuration:

Halcyon SS BP, ACB30 pouches, 8# keel weight, ankle weights (4# the pair). Total = 42#. I dive OMS LP 112s (-2# empty, -16# full). Diving Concepts suit, thick Andy's undergarment over 1-pc. climbing fleece over polypro long-johns. I'm 6'3" and 195#.

At 2/3 empty I can hover anywhere up to 10 fsw with no air in my wings. If I drop *any* weight I can no longer hover at the end of the dive. I'm 14# negative at the beginning, and use both my suit and wings for buoyancy. If I'm on a single AL 80 with the same rig, I need to add a couple of pounds.

Just my 2 cents (and 42 lbs.)

 

[Scubaroo]

I was going to say that you're probably overweighted, but then saw you're in Alaska I guess those undergarments add up.