Integrated weights?

[Tigerman]

Assuming your reg is over the right shoulder.. Left hand out, into right shoulderstrap, right hand out, into left shoulderstrap, 2 hands free..

if you cant turn around with a weight intergrated bc, I wouldnt like to be in that tangle with a weight belt either.. Infact, come to think of it, I just dont want to be tangled whatsoever

 

[seaducer]

I didn't realise that people use integrated weights secured only by velcro... In that case I can see the point why some people are hesitant to use them, I wouldn't use weight pockets secured by velco (or ones like Tusa were you pull a tab and they come out)... I've never seen velcro pockets, what kind of BCs use these?

The old BCDs at teh aquarium were Seaquest Lattitudes. These were velcro only, and surpisingly enough there was never an issue with those, at least on my team. Even as the velcro got worn out, which it will after 1000's of dives. The trouble with the Dragons is that you can "clip" the wieght pocket in slightly crooked if you aren't careful, and a quick visual it looks fine. Thing is it can move a little bit, one way it secures, the other way it pops free.

I have no problem diving them in the aquarium, they are very comfortable, easy to trim etc. I personally would never use one in open water, I just don't trust them, but I can see why so many people use them.

 

[SkipperJohn]

That makes me feel a whole lot better. Velcro AND a bit of plastic

I used to own an Aqualung Malibu. The integrated weights were only held on by velcro.

Losing,say,6 pounds of weight at depth could really spoil your day if you were near an NDL when it happened. Just seems like a danger that is easily avoided.

I completely agree. But dont most belts use a plastic buckle?

 

[String]

I completely agree. But dont most belts use a plastic buckle?

No. Most decent ones are metal. Only cheap rental ones seem to be plastic.

 

[ianr33]

I completely agree. But dont most belts use a plastic buckle?

Yes. But if I were to use a weight belt I would have either have a stainless buckle,or use 2 plastic ones.

If I need to add weight to my rig then I will use what I call "semi ditchable" weight.
I dive BP/Wing and will thread a regular weight through the waist strap on the right (free) end. To ditch it I would undo the buckle,pull the strap free then pull the weight off the strap.
Using this method weights are not going to be dropped accidentally but can be removed in a few seconds if needed. Also eliminates an extra weight belt (something I hate!!) I normally use up to a 4 pound weight but 6 would probably work as well.
Any extra weight needed can go on the camstraps and be arranged for optimal trim.

 

[diverbob]

My old custom divers BC had Velcro only weight pockets. I had close to 500 dives on it before I went to BP and wing, and I never lost a pocket. It was hard to pull them out after the dive, which I remembered thinking this wouldn't be a good thing if I had an emergency and had to ditch them anyway.

I have seen a lot of people come close, and some actually losing them, weight belts due to the suit compression as you descend. Ihad this issue in OW class, and thats why I wanted the weight integrated BC. The other thing I like about them, is if you do have to ditch, you can choose to ditch one pocket to help control your ascent a little more than if you ditched all your weight with a belt.

Now this can be avoided, like it has been mentioned, by using both methods, or a harness.

 

[InTheDrink]

Im just thinking of the most common reason - entanglement. Any situation like that is likely to require 2 hands. I wouldnt want to be finning like hell as well just to stay in contact with it.
The problem is due to pivots as soon as the kit is off your very buoyant body is trying to go up and you are just holding on to the now very heavy gear on the bottom which is now vertically below you. I cant imagine actually being able to use the hands to solve any problem in that situation.

Precisely right. When practising my drill I ended up inverted, trying to wrap one arm around a BC strap to stabilise myself. It basically takes one arm and hand out of action and I still needed to fin down. As you end up breathing hard you end up more buoyant, compounding the problem. This is why I posted in the first place: it seems to me that having all the negativity in your BC and all the buoyancy in yourself effectively means you need to stay one unit. Which limits your ability to completely remove your BC and even partially will destabilise you.

 

[Standingbear56]

Hello All,
What I find amazing is that all the reps I've talked with whose companies manufacture integrated systems say that the companies themselves have never really addressed the issue.
Not one to my knowledge had developed a procedure on how to ditch and don an integrated system without all the buoyancy problems. So far the best ideas are the ones already mentioned - distributing your weight between the BCD and some other system or ignore the integrated system all together. However there is a 3rd way that has been proven to work, at least by myself. In order to be able to do this, you need large secure thigh pockets. If you need to remove the bcd for any reason, 1st take out the integrated weights and place them into the thigh pockets. Now you are not floaty at all and can ditch & don the unit just like any non integrated system. Now, I'm NOT saying this method is perfect, it's not by any means, but it can be done, and it works. Try it in a confined environment with a buddy as a back up till you get used to it, and see what you think.
Take care & Happy Holidays,
George

 

[gotthebug]

The thigh pockets are a great tip. Think I'll try that.

 

[rstofer]

I think the reason integrated weights are so popular is the tourist industry. In many parts of the world, people dive with just a few pounds of weight and an Al 80. Perhaps they need just 6#. They aren't wearing a wetsuit so any weight they are carrying is really there to offset the gas usage plus, maybe, a couple of pounds.

That's the picture of a diver: a lycra suit, coral reefs, warm water and no weight belt.

Where the plan comes apart is in cold water where the weights are required to sink the highly buoyant wetsuit. But what would R&D know about cold water? All they deal with is what marketing worries about: warm water and resorts.

Personally, I have come to the conclusion that integrated weights are evil. I know that opinion isn't shared by all or even many, but that's the way I see it. The BC gets too heavy, there is a chance of losing the weight pockets, and the BC probably has fewer or smaller pockets.

I am a strong proponent of weight harnesses and, at the moment, I prefer the DUI. There's virtually no chance of accidentally dropping the weights, the weight is not added to an already hard-to-lift BC and the weight is supported on the shoulders rather than the hips.

At the moment, we have one integrated BC among the 4 of us. I am in the process of moving that weight to a harness.

Richard