Weight Integrated BC AND a weight belt?

[stevetim]

I am curious as to how many divers use a weight integrated BC together with a weight belt.

I am kinda leaning towards doing this if I need the weight pockets on my BC to be used for storage of gear.

I dive Zeagle Stiletto and love it, but once I fill up the front pockets with weights, the storage pockets' room shrinks to half the usable volume. When lobstering I like to keep gloves, a small light, net.....

Other than a weight belt on these 'hunting' dives, does anyone use any clip-on pockets?

 

[skynscuba]

I wear a lot of weights with my drysuit, so I put some on a belt. The Balance BC is a bit long, at least on me, which means that my rig pushes down on the belt a bit when I'm walking. Having the weights split allows more options for optimizing trim. I usually leave the integrated weights the same, and decrease the belt weights by 4 pounds when I go from AL80 to steel LP80.

I may try a belt for your reason (free up weight pockets for stuff) when I go to the tropics this month.

 

[spectrum]

Mixing and matching is a very ggod way to distribute things. By wearing a significant belt you will have better control of the situation if you need to remove your rig at depth.

On my sSerwood AVID I use the rear trim pockets but have not used the ditchables all summer.

On my belt I run a 5LB on each side and an XS Scuba Velcro pocket on each side. This lets me vary my belt from 10-20 pounds in an instant as I go between suits, fresh and salt, skin and scuba. I have another belt I use when I need something less than 10 LB.

Keeping the ditchables empty does make for more pocket freedom.

I'm not familiar wth the "clip on" pockets. I have seen clip-on weights.

Pete

 

[spectrum]

The Balance BC is a bit long, at least on me, which means that my rig pushes down on the belt a bit when I'm walking.

DUI Weight & Trim II would be worth looking at. We love ours. I use it for diving dry and my wife uses it in the wet season.

 

[spankey]

is lobstering while on scuba not illegal there? I think it just unfair doing it like that

 

[stevetim]

is lobstering while on scuba not illegal there? I think it just unfair doing it like that

Lobstering while scuba'ing:huh: is probably the widest method used for getting the bugs here for the general public.

I dive anywhere from 12fsw to 90fsw looking for them.

If you want to talk about fair, you should see some of the loaded lobster traps sitting on the bottom. Those lobsters just get suckered into a box and wait for their doom. So on a scale of relativeity, I'd say diving for them is very fair.

 

[drbill]

I'm heading towards moving some of my belt weights to BC pockets so I can ditch a limited amount of weight in the event I need to make an emergency ascent. The only two times I've had to do that (over 45 years of diving), I wouldn't drop my belt since the result would be a runaway ascent... and likely embolism or bends. I think it makes good sense.

 

[BCDgirl]

I'm heading towards moving some of my belt weights to BC pockets so I can ditch a limited amount of weight in the event I need to make an emergency ascent. The only two times I've had to do that (over 45 years of diving), I wouldn't drop my belt since the result would be a runaway ascent... and likely embolism or bends. I think it makes good sense.

why have you mostly dove with a weight belt? And are you saying that weight integrated would be better for an emergency ascent because you could only unload one side for only partial weight release?

 

[Walt1957]

I split mine about 60 percent integrated and 40 percent belt, because if I ever were inclined to ditch I would be afraid of ascent rates if I had to ditch it all at once. And if I'm on the surface, it is not that hard to ditch both types if needed. It also distributes them right (for me) so that my trim is not off.

 

[spectrum]

It's an inteersting question that I've contemplated for a while

Distrubuted & ditchable so that you can go slighly positive and avoid a totally uncontrolled buoyant ascent by dropping only a portion of your ballast.

or

Weight on the diver (belt/harness) for ease of dealling with a problem out of your rig. The DUI harness does provide for 50/50 ditching here

There is also the loss of belt possiblity that is covered with a harness or integrated weight options.

Like most thngs scuba there is no clear single answer for everyone.

How well your hips hold a belt, what you are wearing for a suit, the rest of your gear and the kind of diving you do all enter into it along with your personal concerns and comforts.

Pete