Hera BCD weight pockets

[Sharon_F]

I love the Hera for the fit. BUT the weight pockets are so skimpy at the front edge. I'm a cold water diver and need to put 10 lbs in both front pockets. I'm using 5 lbs bean bag type weights and need to jiggle the loaded pockets into the BCD each time.
What type of weight should I use in the pockets that will fit in without the stress I'm going through. I bought the soft weights because I was told it would be more comfortable, is this the case? How did you guys load the pockets to 10 pounds each? I have a medium size BCD.

 

[flstarfish44]

How much total weight are you trying to use? Are you utilizing the dual 5 lbs. non-dumpable rear weight pockets too? The front pockets are designed to accomodate 10 pounds on each side, but I've only ever used soft weights. That would give you 30 pounds all the way around. Maybe you could try the hard weights and see if they fit better.

 

[Sharon_F]

How much total weight are you trying to use? Are you utilizing the dual 5 lbs. non-dumpable rear weight pockets too? The front pockets are designed to accomodate 10 pounds on each side, but I've only ever used soft weights. That would give you 30 pounds all the way around. Maybe you could try the hard weights and see if they fit better.

I use the rear pockets too depending on the dry suit underwear I'm using. The pockets seem to have a different size opening depending on the BCD size,what size is yours?

 

[flstarfish44]

Mine is a X-small. You need a total of 30 pounds? That seems like an awful lot, but just wondering. I know they'd pretty much be considered 'non-dumpable', but you could try and put 2 pounds each of soft weights in the actual zippered pockets, if that would help. Good luck, give the hard weights a try.

 

[Sharon_F]

Thanks for the idea. Yes it's alot of weight. I dive with a compressed 4mm neoprene dry suit, 2 layers of underwear and use an aluminum 80 tank in the winter in 34 degree water. It takes a tonne of weight to sink. I love diving so I put up with the cold and the heavy gear.

 

[tstormdiver]

30# is nothing. With my drysuit & in my thick undergarments (650gm + my own "natural Buoyancy"- aka fat), I have to wear 46- 50# to get & stay down in fresh water. What I usually do is divide the weight up between the Hera BC & my weight harness (30# to the harness & 20# to the BC). I have some soft weights, but also have mostly hard weights. With all the padding the Hera has, I can't honestly feel the hard weights when I wear them, so it's no big deal. I, like you, sometimes find the soft weights to be a pain because they tend to bulge on 1 end, thus making insertion of the weight pocket more difficult. You can use hard weights & they are a bit easier to get the pocket to slide in.

 

[Damselfish]

I don't know about the Hera, but most WI BCs are perfectly fine with hard weights and they might be easier to get in the pockets. And there is generally enough fabric and stuff around the weights that they should be pretty comfortable anyway. Not like on a weight belt where the corners are all right out there and strapped against you, and the soft weights might have a bigger comfort advantage.

WI only goes so far. If you need a lot of weight and you're beyond the capacity of the BC maybe best not to push it. I know it's drag to wear a weight belt when you have a WI BC, seems to go against the point, but might be the right thing to do. It will at least be a much lighter belt and there are advantages to splitting the weight between the BC and your body, since after all the buoyancy you need to sink is both places.