Mares MRS Plus Weight Pouch Dropping Root Cause

[Locus]

Agreed. Could you please describe your weighting configuration for me? Most SS backplates I have seen only weigh in at 6 lbs. I'm shopping for a cold water rig and I want to integrate the bulk of the weight with the bpw, leaving just 10lbs or so on a QR belt.

 

[sphyrnidus]

Well of course you're in Vancouver, where btw almost all of my relatives reside, and I'm in Europe. So there is difference in what's available. I dive with an Agir-Brokk plate of 5 kg. I think on your end of the planet Halcyon makes a 6 mm BP, that should be about 6 kg. If extra weight is needed I just put it on the belt part of the harness. If you dive with a double tank and a dry suit, you could at a V weight, but that is a fixed amount so not very flexible. I dive with a steel 12 L tank, so that in itself ads some weight.
When diving dry I need about 6 kg on my belt, which is 3 kg on either side in one piece. If I dive with a single 7 mm, I do not ad weight, just the bp. If the 5 mm hooded thing is added, I put some soft lead in a pocket on my belt, about 2-3 kg. I'm btw 194 cm tall and weigh just over 110 kg. Interesting is that my So is 168 and weighs 70 kg. She uses almost the same amount of weight as I do. I never figured that out, because she is very well balanced.

 

[Locus]

Well of course you're in Vancouver, where btw almost all of my relatives reside, and I'm in Europe. So there is difference in what's available. I dive with an Agir-Brokk plate of 5 kg. I think on your end of the planet Halcyon makes a 6 mm BP, that should be about 6 kg. If extra weight is needed I just put it on the belt part of the harness. If you dive with a double tank and a dry suit, you could at a V weight, but that is a fixed amount so not very flexible. I dive with a steel 12 L tank, so that in itself ads some weight.
When diving dry I need about 6 kg on my belt, which is 3 kg on either side in one piece. If I dive with a single 7 mm, I do not ad weight, just the bp. If the 5 mm hooded thing is added, I put some soft lead in a pocket on my belt, about 2-3 kg. I'm btw 194 cm tall and weigh just over 110 kg. Interesting is that my So is 168 and weighs 70 kg. She uses almost the same amount of weight as I do. I never figured that out, because she is very well balanced.

Interesting. I dive single tank and use 95 cu ft LP steel tanks, quite similar to your 12L's (sorry for the imperial measuring. It's a horrible system compared to metric but it's just what divers and shops seem to use, even here in Canada). I'll have to look into a 6mm bp. I had no idea they existed. I feel an aversion to weight pockets in the harness as I want to keep my front as unencumbered as possible. The most elegant weighting solution I've seen so far is Deep Sea Supply's bp with added bolt-on weight plates, which add a little over 3 integrated Kg, at a cost of $100. It's a bit steep but they seem to get recommended a lot.

Your SO being as heavily weighted as you is no surprise to me. My girlfriend weighs herself down as much as me or more despite being much smaller. Another female diver I know is so bouyant that she can hold 2Kg out of the water and float in a pool without kicking.

 

[sphyrnidus]

Those sure are expensive 3 kg. I totally agree with you about the extra weights. They are annoying. My LD developed a pocket that can be placed on the backplate. You can fill it up with soft weights. I have not seen them yet, let alone tried it, but will try it after my trip to the Maldives this coming week.

 

[Don Quixote]

You guys are superdivers. For me and my buddy, who are simply sightseeing divers, we need comfort more than anything else. My wife (buddy) cannot dive without her Mares Kaila. Weight belts bites into her waist. She felt secure with a BC that wraps around her. Most of the dives we made going with the dive center members are multiple dives of typically 4 dives a day on a boat. Reef around Taiwan are mostly in the east side facing the Pacific ocean. The waves can be as high as 2 meters. We drop weights after every dive. We need a way to remove the weights fast once we surface so that we can move around and sit down. None of us is strong enough to lift the BC with the weight intact and change tanks. Yes, we know that most dive places will have helpers doing all these for you. But here, we have to set-up our equipment ourselves.

We do own BIs, got it as a rebate from buying our equipment. The BI or BP, again, is not an option for us. You can float straight by not inflating it too much but your face will be barely out of the water. With rolling waves, it is quite scary and unpleasant. The jacket BC allows us to sit high above the wave. Yes, the instructors and the dive masters are using mostly BIs, sometiime BPs. But, they stay mostly underwater helping us remove our fins, etc. We do have both options but prefer the dorky jackets and stay as comfortable as possible.

~Don Quixote

I had a Mares BCD and lost a pocket on three separate occasions. Once while I was watching my SO completing her DM (I just noticed I was lopsided and couldn't stay down, so I hang on to a part of a wreck, till she had finished) and one when I just jumped in the water and couldn't get t down. SO retrieved that with her search and rescue After the second one I went to the DS and they told me there had been an update and I got new ones from Mares. So what happened next: diving on a wreck in Egypt (Giannis D) last April a surge grabbed me while swimming by a port hole and set me aside and on to the railing of the ship. I felt the weight releasing it self and saw it going down and landing some 10 ft below me. So I grabbed the ship and worked my way down. I retrieved it, but as I had an expensive camera in my hand, I couldn't let go of obviously, I had a predicament. SO was behind me, and had no idea what my dilemma was. So I turned around and held the pocket in front of her and she put it back. I liked the idea of integrated weights, but after this last situation I went for a wing and bp.

By the way I wonder why people mention the ditching of weights in an emergency. I have trouble thinking of what they might mean. What emergency does you want to ditch your weights down below??

 

[krimney]

I too recently purchased a Mares Prestige with MRS. I only have 4 dives in it to date but from day one the releases "didn't seem right" After finding this post and checking my weight pockets, I find them as in picture 1 of the original post. I have threaded the extra end in as shown and will hope I never have an issue.

 

[scotthowes]

I've lost my weights from MARES ICON a few times.I think the buckle is a poor set up the waist buckle will pop off as well. You have to really make sure they are locked in tight. My 2 cents thinks the plastic buckle gets worn and lose from use.

 

[AndrewStick]

Hi guys. Couple of days ago I faced the same problem. At test in the pool (thank God it there was a pool), I lost a weight pocket from my 100% new hybrid protec. The pocket fell out together with the handle. So, today I looked at the lock and thought what was wrong... And I found the solution! Problem that "ears" aren't enough taken away in sides.

Before modification. If I hold the lock body (not the red handle) and pull it swinging in different directions, it will drop out!

After modification. swinging test passed.

So, how I did this.
I bought some "upholstery holder" in a car shop.

I drilled a hole in an ear and cut a thread in it (M3x0.6)

Then I screwed a middle part of the holder in a hole with epoxy.

I cut part of a hat with Dremel tool. So that the mobile plate easily would come on it.

Thats all

Tomorrow I will test this mod in the pool.

 

[claymore]

If the BC is new you have just voided the warranty on the bc by altering it and released the manufacturer from any liability if something happens with the weight system. You would be better served to deal with the seller and the manufacturer to solve the problem or return it as defective and get a bc that does not have a history of weight pockets that release when they should not.

 

[AndrewStick]

If the BC is new you have just voided the warranty on the bc by altering it and released the manufacturer from any liability if something happens with the weight system. You would be better served to deal with the seller and the manufacturer to solve the problem or return it as defective and get a bc that does not have a history of weight pockets that release when they should not.

This is Russia, friend. We dont have normal warranty service. Official dealers do everything what not to recognize a case guarantee. So, Russians got used to solve all problems independently. By the way, judging by number of messages and lack of distinct reaction from Mares, it is a mistake in a design. And I understood as it to correct

---------- Post added December 22nd, 2013 at 06:21 PM ----------

Tested in pool today. Perfect! Now I am completely sure that the idea was correct and that I solved a problem of suddenly dropping out pockets.