Hard weight question.

[LeadTurn_SD]

You might want to consider moving some of that weight off the belt, and possibly onto weight pockets on the tank straps. I have dove with with 20lbs on a belt before, and while "ok", it felt much better to move about half of that onto my tank straps. You do want to keep enough ditchable weight so that you can get neutral-to-positive on the surface at the start of a dive if your wing fails... but for most folks 10 lbs (if they are not overweighted!!) is plenty to ditch.

I always worried that if I lost my weight belt it with 20 lbs on it, it would be an elevator ride to the surface... if I lose 8-10 lbs, it will be more of a controlled ascent.

Best wishes.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm currently wearing 24 lbs on my waist with a 6 lb plate on my back. That seemed to sink me pretty well. I know it sounds like a lot of weight, but a drysuit and three layers of fleece takes a lot of weight to sink and I like the warmth. I did some diving in the shallows at the end of my dive, ending up with about 1100 psi. I was able to be slightly negative right up to the surface, but my wing was completely empty and I was just beginning to feel a little suit squeeze. So I'm feeling I was pretty well weighted. My trim seemed pretty good too, but I'll probably slide my tank a little farther forward in the future.

The amount of total lead you need...is the right amount.

24 lbs. on a weight belt is a lot. Personally, I wouldn't want that much crap hanging around my waist. I like to have my weight belt be approximately equivalent to the weight of my gas. Accidental ditching of an 8 lb. weight belt at depth at the beginning of the dive shouldn't be an issue. If you happened to lose a 24 lb. weight belt, well, have fun controlling an extremely buoyant ascent.

FYI, weight pouches mounted on the upper and lower tank cambands give more options for shifting weight around to achieve optimal horizontal trim...in case you ended up decreasing the lead on your weight belt.

[Edited later: You win this round, Leadturn SD!]

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

We were on the same wave-length Bubbletrubble.... spooky....

Best wishes.

 

[aquaregia]

Are there benefits of twisting the belt over weight keepers? I sort of assumed it was removal of a failure point, but on my last dive one of my twists started to come loose, so I'm not really convinced that a) I'm doing it right or b) it's a better solution.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Are there benefits of twisting the belt over weight keepers? I sort of assumed it was removal of a failure point, but on my last dive one of my twists started to come loose, so I'm not really convinced that a) I'm doing it right or b) it's a better solution.

I think you might be putting in the twists improperly. The twist should be introduced between the two threading slots on one hard weight. The twist cannot "come loose."

If the weight keeper breaks, the weight will still remain on the weight belt, so no failure really occurs.

The advantage of twisting the belt is that it doesn't take any extra equipment (weight keepers).

The disadvantage of twisting the belt is that it eats up some of the length of the weight belt. If the weight belt is trimmed short, this can be an issue.

Either method can be effective.

 

[knowone]

Drive a screw with washer through the belt into the lead. S/S $1.oo Beauuutiful.

 

[elmer fudd]

May I ask why you decided to switch from integrated weights to a weight belt

I wanted to try a BPW and they generally don't have integrated weights, at least not the kind you have on a BC.

 

[elmer fudd]

Drive a screw with washer through the belt into the lead. S/S $1.oo Beauuutiful.

That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[gsk3]

Are there benefits of twisting the belt over weight keepers? I sort of assumed it was removal of a failure point, but on my last dive one of my twists started to come loose, so I'm not really convinced that a) I'm doing it right or b) it's a better solution.

Twisting is not only cheaper, but it saves equipment (not the cost, which is negligible, but having to lug things all over the world, remember to take it each time, etc.). And it works very well. I'll try to talk you through it, although it's simple to teach by example, and once you figure it out it will only take another half-second.

There are two long holes in the weight that the belt gets threaded through. Thread it through the first one and then, before threading it back through the second, give a half-twist to the belt. I would try it with ASCII art but I'm bad at that.

 

[TSandM]

I use the triglides. They aren't expensive, and they give you the flexibility to pull a weight off the belt for another purpose if you need to. (For example, if you're hanging around after your dive and somebody else is short a weight.)

How much weight to put on a belt depends on how much weight you need to carry, and where you need to put it to balance. With a single tank, I wear a 20 lb weight belt (I use two curved 10 lb weights, and they are quite comfortable). I then have a SS backplate and six pounds on the cambands. I'm pleasantly balanced. I have lost a weight belt once, and the crotch strap caught it.