Question Integrated weights for first bp/w

[Nev77]

Hi all.

After 100+ dives with a jacket BCD, I recently tried a wing and was instantly converted!

So now (as we do!) I'm looking to buy my own bp/w setup. After a lot of reading, I've settled on the XDeep Zen with the regular harness, not the quick release version.

I was most recently diving in the Med with 4kg on a belt. I could possibly drop a bit more.

With the new rig, I was looking at the XDeep integrated pockets but a) they seem very expensive for a couple of pouches and b) I've read a lot of comments saying they're not great, not easy to access etc.

So I was thinking that if I still need 4kg, I could put 2 x 1kg in trim pockets and 2 x 1 on the harness. If I do that, is it as simple as buying a cheaper pouch and securing it on the waist band with a triglide? Or is there real value in splashing out for the xdeep integrated ones??

Thanks in advance for any guidance!!

 

[Thunder Struck]

Cheap and simple are 2 of my favourite things! Can't get Hog where I live but will get something similar.

For cheap and simple some trim weight pouches will work fine. As they typically hold 5# each, two on each side would get you to 20#, and two more on the cam band if you want to bump to 30#. When not in use simply fold and tuck them inside themselves and they are compact and streamlined.

They are readily ditchable if such a thing is of importance to you. Simply pull up on the velcro flap, pull the weight out and let it go.

 

[Guille G]

For cheap and simple some trim weight pouches will work fine. As they typically hold 5# each, two on each side would get you to 20#, and two more on the cam band if you want to bump to 30#. When not in use simply fold and tuck them inside themselves and they are compact and streamlined.

They are readily ditchable if such a thing is of importance to you. Simply pull up on the velcro flap, pull the weight out and let it go.

A small loop of bungee through the weight can serve as a small “handle” tucked into the pocket that makes pulling the weight out even easier (I’m not a fan of using them upside down, though some people do that too)

 

[EdC]

These aren’t cheap but they are perfect for BPW. You don’t even know they are there, super durable.

 

[Green Frog]

I’m in the process of setting up to dive a Dive Rite BP/W with a 30#(?) Oxy Cheq wing. The plate itself is the now-discontinued aluminum version. And it has a pair of X Scuba trim weight pockets on the waist band and a second pair on the tank’s lower cam band.

On my last salt water trip (Nassau) I was using my old Sherwood Silhouette BCD and needed approx 10# of hard weight on my belt. When I got home, I bought this used BP/W rig. I tried it out in a local freshwater pond, I found that 2# blocks in each of the trim pockets on the waist band was sufficient if not too much weight. These were the X Scuba pockets with a Velcro flap on top and no means to ditch them quickly, so I’m wondering whether I would be just as well off with a conventional weight belt. I’m calculating that 4-6# of whatever style weight will be plenty when I account for the extra weight of the BP.

I also picked up a very lightweight conventional BCD for travel, but that’s for another thread. The adventure continues!

 

[stuartv]

These are great:

DGX Gears Small Trim Weight Pocket {4 lb | 1.8 kg}

The DGX Gears Trim Weight Pocket is compact and works equally well on a waist band or tank strap.

www.divegearexpress.com

I have 2 of them on my single tank rig. They are mounted to the back of the plate. The shoulder strap goes through the BP, through a loop of the trim weight pocket, and then back through the back plate to become the waist belt. That holds them perfectly, with no need for a tri-slide and taking up no room on my waist belt or on a cam band.

I almost never use them. But, when diving an AL80 in salt water, I'll put a 1 or 2 # weight in each side and it's perfect.

They also work great to put on the cam bands/tank straps.

 

[buddhasummer]

These are great:

DGX Gears Small Trim Weight Pocket {4 lb | 1.8 kg}

The DGX Gears Trim Weight Pocket is compact and works equally well on a waist band or tank strap.

www.divegearexpress.com

I have 2 of them on my single tank rig. They are mounted to the back of the plate. The shoulder strap goes through the BP, through a loop of the trim weight pocket, and then back through the back plate to become the waist belt. That holds them perfectly, with no need for a tri-slide and taking up no room on my waist belt or on a cam band.

I almost never use them. But, when diving an AL80 in salt water, I'll put a 1 or 2 # weight in each side and it's perfect.

They also work great to put on the cam bands/tank straps.

I sometimes use these mounted horizontally on waist webbing. I like them.

I sometimes use the SP trim weight pockets on my cam bands. They hold weights more securely than the DGX ones and of course given location weight cannot be dumped. I like them too.

 

[lowwall]

Cheap and simple are 2 of my favourite things! Can't get Hog where I live but will get something similar.

I use a pair of these on my waist belt. $12 each.

XS Scuba Single Weight Pocket

Does your tank get to buoyant near the end of a dive and you keep getting banged in the head from the valve, or maybe you would like to relieve your hips from all that weight from your weight belt or y

www.scuba.com

 

[Zef]

For single tank diving, especially if you are considering a drysuit, these are the trim pockets I recommend:

Trim pockets long pair, black (max. 6kg/pc) | Tecline Catalog

LONG TRIM POCKETS DESCRIPTION: - Long trim pockets allow for perfect weights distribution to achieve the perfect position underwater - Our pockets can be attached to the tank bands of your BCD - Ideal tool for scuba diving instructors SPECIFICATION: - The set includes: 2 pockets + additional...

katalog.tecline.com.pl

-Z

 

[Zef]

I sometimes use these mounted horizontally on waist webbing. I like them.

I sometimes use the SP trim weight pockets on my cam bands. They hold weights more securely than the DGX ones and of course given location weight cannot be dumped. I like them too.

Wow, the price for those DGX pockets have nearly doubled in the few years since I bought a pair of them....my only gripe about these pockets is they rely totally on the velcro to retain the weight, and I am always concerned that they will pop open and the weight will slip out.

When I used them, it was typically while diving dry and carrying "more" lead and used them to distribute the weight, so if the velcro did give up the ghost and lost a brick it would only be a kilo and not too critical. I stopped using them because my brain would not let me be comfortable while diving with them.

There are similar weight pockets on the market that have the added benefit of a clip buckle type fastner in addition to the velcro.

-Z

 

[buddhasummer]

Wow, the price for those DGX pockets have nearly doubled in the few years since I bought a pair of them....my only gripe about these pockets is they rely totally on the velcro to retain the weight, and I am always concerned that they will pop open and the weight will slip out.

When I used them, it was typically while diving dry and carrying "more" lead and used them to distribute the weight, so if the velcro did give up the ghost and lost a brick it would only be a kilo and not too critical. I stopped using them because my brain would not let me be comfortable while diving with them.

There are similar weight pockets on the market that have the added benefit of a clip buckle type fastner in addition to the velcro.

-Z

Agree, if my keeping the weight was critical I'd not be using the DGX ones the way I do but like you when I do use them it's only a kilo so would not pose a significant risk if one were to fall out.

Yes, they've doubled in price.

Do you sleep