Weight in drysuit pockets

[Beau640]

I was wondering if anyone else has put 1lb weight in their drysuit pockets to help with trim.

I've been experimenting with a couple of other sets of doubles aside from my usual set and have been having a hard time trimming them out. My usual set is double HP 100's by faber. I've been playing around with an older set of double PST 100's which are the shorter in length, 3500 psi set. My usual set of doubles trims out perfectly with only 2lbs of tail weight. For the life of me I can't get this shorter in length set to trim out on my body (have moved wing/plate/bands/everything, have heavy jet fins) without an excessive amount of tail weight.

My drysuit pockets are similar to the picture I posted below, with both a velcro and a zipper compartment. I don't really use the zipper compartment in general. Was wondering if anyone ever put 1lb weights in their zippered drysuit pocket compartment to help with trim. I tried it in the pool the other day with these tanks that are difficult to trim out for my body and it made a giant difference since it moved weight way down my body's axis. It's invisible since it's in the zippered compartment unlike ankle weights. It's only 2 lbs total (1lb each side). Didn't cause leg fatigue since they are sitting on the thigh and am frog kicking. Seemed like a reasonable solution to keep the amount of tail weight needed to a minimum.

 

[DogDiver]

Not a good idea.

 

[PfcAJ]

Fiddle less. Dive more.

 

[Doby45]

I was wondering if anyone else has put 1lb weight in their drysuit pockets to help with trim.

I've been experimenting with a couple of other sets of doubles aside from my usual set and have been having a hard time trimming them out. My usual set is double HP 100's by faber. I've been playing around with an older set of double PST 100's which are the shorter in length, 3500 psi set. My usual set of doubles trims out perfectly with only 2lbs of tail weight. For the life of me I can't get this shorter in length set to trim out on my body (have moved wing/plate/bands/everything, have heavy jet fins) without an excessive amount of tail weight.

My drysuit pockets are similar to the picture I posted below, with both a velcro and a zipper compartment. I don't really use the zipper compartment in general. Was wondering if anyone ever put 1lb weights in their zippered drysuit pocket compartment to help with trim. I tried it in the pool the other day with these tanks that are difficult to trim out for my body and it made a giant difference since it moved weight way down my body's axis. It's invisible since it's in the zippered compartment unlike ankle weights. It's only 2 lbs total (1lb each side). Didn't cause leg fatigue since they are sitting on the thigh and am frog kicking. Seemed like a reasonable solution to keep the amount of tail weight needed to a minimum.

I have considered the same thing before, but actually once I have my load out in my thigh pockets it pretty much does exactly that. Spools some extra snaps, mask and so forth and so on. If you don't have a bunch of stuff already going in your pockets I don't see what it would hurt and it is not like there is someone standing there checking your pockets pre-dive to make sure you did not smuggle a 1lb weight in there. You do you bud..

 

[Beau640]

Why isn't it a good idea?

 

[Doby45]

CAUSE YOU WILL DIE!!!!

 

[decompression]

Dive how you will dive far from now............meaning, later on you may be using your pockets for things they were designed to hold (mask, smb, spools etc) so instead of then having to change, change now. Try more neg fins, tail weights, better body position etc. Large pockets are a horrible place for lead.

 

[lermontov]

-I used lead sheet and folded it up and fixed it with a zip tie- i wouldn't put it in the pockets it might cause other issues like pulling at the stitching when your out of the water. but really its whatever works. As @decompression says when you start filling your pocket up with other stuff particularly if your doing penetration dives you have more weight anyway

 

[Beau640]

Appreciate all the replies.

I just want to make sure there isn't something glaring obvious/wrong with it. I know how we dive is firmly rooted in our training/tradition and deviance from that leads to quick dismissal. Sometimes however little tweaks are needed that will not cause OMG YOU'RE GONNA DIE. Just want to make sure there isn't something horribly obvious I'm missing.

1lb weights (soft ones) are very thin/small, about a half an inch, so they aren't taking up any pocket real estate. 1lb is not tugging on the stiching/causing strain on the pocket. The lead is in the small zippered compartment which I don't use for anything else (Don't like fiddling with the zipper under water). Because this is the very small sub compartment, the weight isn't shifting/sliding around. I wouldn't put any more than 1lb per side in there. Also agree that as my kit grows, it may naturally increase in weight to that amount which would allow the weight to be removed. However as it stands now - with spare mask, dsmb, spools, slate, etc - pockets aren't even close to full and the 1lb is needed for the short tanks on my body. Just wanted to make sure there isn't a glaringly obvious safety issue.

I'm a fiddler. Dive lots, fiddle lots. Strive for perfection.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I've done it as a temporary measure if I felt I didn't quite get my weighting right on a previous dive and don't have the right stuff immediately at hand to fix it. But, once I settle on the weighting I move that pocket weight to my tail weight. I wouldn't dive with it like that long term.