weight belts or integrated weights?

[H2O 70]

When working with classes or in the Aquarium I dive WI. If there are pouches on the cam band I always try to throw a few pounds in them.

When diving for pleasure, I'm in my BP/W and any weight is on a belt.

It is about 50/50.

 

[AndrewA]

When I dive in a BCD I use integrated weights but as I now dive a BP wing set up I use either a weight belt (if I only have a couple of pounds) or a harness (I find it stops me getting back ache with more weight)
One important thing when wearing integrateds (or harness) make sure your buddy knows how to release them (I have yet to find anything approaching standardisation of the mechanisnms)

 

[Gerbs]

My Seaqeust ProQD+SL has pretty resistant-to-drop weight pockets. I've had more issues with belts than with the pockets (something to do with my shape). My evolution was:

1. Weight Belt
2. Integrated Weights (bought own BCD - ended up with 5kg(11lbs)+steel tank with 7mm+7mm vest in the end)
3. Integrated Weights + Belt (bought dry suit, needed extra weight, started with 14kg(30lbs)
4. Integrated weights (bought lead slabs more suited to the BCD pockets, currently with 11kg(25-26lbs))

Next evolution is going to be BP/W+Doubles. I'm going to go with integrated non-ditchable - V/P weights - and any remainders on a belt, if necessary. Having some ditchable weight is not a bad idea, if I ever dive wet with the doubles rig, I suppose.

My experiences:
Belts hurt your back if you have loads of weight on them.
+SL pockets work reliably, providing you click them shut correctly. The velcro-only pockets are the ones that drop.
it is easier putting in pockets in the water than belts, even with thick gloves (part of CMAS** is removing and replacing your weights underwater)
Never had an issue in needing to separate myself from the rig. Going to be even less so with the doubles when I can reach my own valves.
Weights in the BCD help rotational trim, as they keep the C.o.G. below the C.o.B.

With a dry suit, the amount of weight I would have to belt on would make the belt excessively cumbersome. Any more than 12lbs on a belt gets awkward in my experience.

Gerbs

 

[njedrn]

I enjoy the weight integrated, with trip pockets. Keeps me level. Only used a weight belt once though.

 

[Druid]

I use a BP+W, and if I need any extra weight I use a weightbelt. 10lbs is pretty comfortable on a belt, and those weight pockets are a bit too pricey for what they offer.

I used to own a Seaquest ProQD and used the integrated weight pockets in that, I found it more comfortable (but I needed about 20lbs with that set up)

I don't know why some of the posters above are complaining about the weight of w/i bcds. You surely don't leave the weights in the bcd all the time? The reason they have removable pouches is so that you can take the bloody weights out before you remove the bcd, and replace the weights after you put the bcd on

 

[Scubagolf]

Weight-integrated with about 1/3 in trim pockets, 2/3 in the weight pockets up front.

 

[damage]

with bcd I use weight integrated, I'm really comfortable; with BP/W I'm using weight belt, but I'm considering buying some weight pockets, I really hate the belt.

 

[farsidefan1]

I too hate the belt! My integrated (scubapro glide plus) is very comfortable. Maybe I'm just too fat but the weight belt is hard to keep on.

 

[elmer fudd]

I used to wear most of my weight on a belt with a few pounds on the top left side of my tank in order to balance my pony bottle. I liked the idea of both myself and my BC being close to neutral and the ability to remove the weight belt at the surface for boat dives.

My buddy kept urging me to go integrated and finally I decided to humor him and give it a try. What I found was that my trim improved significantly and so did my comfort, so I've used integrated weights ever since.

Maybe at some point in the future I'll make the switch to a BPW and try to rig things differently again. On a philosophical level there are several things I just plain don't like about integrated weights. I don't like having myself and my suit extremely positive and my BC very negative. If for some crazy reason I ever had to remove my BC underwater I'd rather not shoot straight to the surface or be floating above it anchored by my inflator hose. I also REALLY don't like the idea of accidentally losing my weights under water. It sounds like a great way to get DCI and it's just too easy to visualize it happening. I actually put a few zip ties in the quick releases to prevent this. This will undoubtedly make it harder to dump weight as I will have to unzip the pockets and remove it, but when you're using 30 lbs of lead, I think an uncontrolled ascent is a greater danger. The only time I'd ever want to dump that much weight is if I were already on the surface.

 

[Scuba_snax]

I dive in North Scotland with dry suit and steel tanks. I need about 14Kg of lead - on a single weightbelt I used to feel like i was bending in half, it was really uncomfortable. I then moved on to splitting it between 2 belts, which was comfier as well as safer (less of a disaster if one fell off)
Since 2002 I've used a harness with 2 side pockets with lead shot and its brilliant, I can't even feel it underwater. V easy to pass weights up to the boat at the end of the dive too. Much comfier to suspend the weight from my shoulders than rely on a wastline to hold it up! I find friends' integrated weights in BCD a pain to lift into a boat when attached to the cylinder, but I'm sure its no problem for those warm water divers who don't need to carry much weight