Integrated weights?

[InTheDrink]

My BC is a Mares Dragon and I quite like it. It has integrated weights too, with nice red pully things.

Here's my question: whilst trying to do a drill in a pool involving my dumping my BC and swimming down to re-don, it became apparent that I was very positive and it was very negative. Not such a big deal except I'd clipped my fins into the BC buckle to stop them from floating. And so I needed two hands to perform my drill. But because I was buoyant it was more or less impossible. So far so no big deal.

Out in the wild, there must be times when two hands are required when you're de-kitted. In which case you've a fairly difficult problem to deal with because you're buoyant and need to use one hand to keep neutral (by holding on to BC).

I know this shouldn't normally be an issue but it does seem to be a fairly major design flaw - all your weight in one place: take off your BC and your flying! Or would this be different at depth so one's positive buoyancy wouldn't be so problematic?

I'm considering keeping my BC but using a weight belt and forgetting about the integrated weight pockets. Which is kind of annoying as I only got the BC 9 months ago.

J

 

[String]

Thats one of the 2 main reasons i dislike integrated weights.

 

[Thalassamania]

It is a problem in my book.

Take a look at the second post in this thread.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

What you are describing is certainly a potential problem if you ever really need to remove your BC underwater (as in an entanglement). An answer is to wear a weight belt as you noted, and maybe divide your total weight requirement between the integrated BC and the weight belt.

[EDIT: See Thal's post for a great description of an entanglement].

You are right that you will be less "floaty" at depth, but with all the weight in the BC it will still be "sinky", to use a scientific term. In a perfect world, both you and your rig would be "neutral" at all times, but this is rarely achieved in the "real" world, so hang onto that BC if you have to remove it underwater!

How much of a real danger is having all of the ballast weight in your integrated BC? I'm not really sure. With integrated BC's I think a more common (likely?) danger is accidental release of the weights from the pockets followed by an uncontrolled ascent rather than the chance of "floating away" from the BC if you had to remove it... but both are risks you need to think about.

Good luck!

 

[alchemist117]

Depends how much weight you're carrying. If you're in a dry suit, you might be carrying 8-16Kg, being able to split the weight between a belt and a BC means you can actually pick your kit up without doing you back in.

 

[rstofer]

The BC, when coupled to a tank, is heavy enough without adding weights. My preference is for a weight harness completely separate from the BC. But...

There is a good reason to split the weights between the harness and the BC: it would be nice if you were buoyant at the surface wearing the harness but without the BC and that the BC could support itself, the integrated weights and the tank without your buoyancy.

So, the right answer is probably something like: put some weight in the integrated pockets and the rest in a harness.

Richard

 

[Tigerman]

Depends how much weight you're carrying. If you're in a dry suit, you might be carrying 8-16Kg, being able to split the weight between a belt and a BC means you can actually pick your kit up without doing you back in.

Or you could actually do something thats a bit safer both for your back and your BC.. Make sure the weights is the last thing to go in and the first thing to come out. This way the rig is a lot easier to lug around and you also avoid the risk of the weights squeezing/grinding/slamming a hole in your BC bladder if you should be unfortunate enough to drop it, knock it over or god forbid drag it..

The drills for don/dof a intergrated BC is something you should train. Basically the idea is that if you need to fix anything "on your back" in an integrated BC is that you "put it on backwards" and in that way have both hands free. I can however see some EXTREMELY messed up situations where thats not viable..

 

[Teamcasa]

If you need to doff and don your BC at depth you already have a problem that needs to be dealt with. However, there are a myriad of these situations and solutions, too numerous to go over in one thread.

First rule of doff and don, don’t let go of your rig.

The real question is how best to practice this drill safely. Some will have alternate gear solutions but regardless of the gear configuration, you do need to practice this. Plan the drill, have a buddy near by with extra weights and practice it.

 

[seaducer]

How much of a real danger is having all of the ballast weight in your integrated BC? I'm not really sure. With integrated BC's I think a more common (likely?) danger is accidental release of the weights from the pockets followed by an uncontrolled ascent rather than the chance of "floating away" from the BC if you had to remove it... but both are risks you need to think about.

Good luck!

Leadturn nails it I think, well, the problem, if not his scientific definitions

I dive this BCD in the aquarium I volunteer at, and have witnessed others as well as personally lost a weight pocket, this is a very real danger with the clip design, please be careful. It can sound clipped in, and even take a test shake or two, and then still come out when you least expect it. We found that making a visual inspection that the clip is flush, and when snapping in make sure there is no chance that fabric or other foriegn substances could be trapped in the buckle.

 

[Tigerman]

To err is human..