Weight integration?

[ShakaZulu]

I wouldn't buy a BC, I'd get a BP/W reduces the amount of weight on your belt.......dropping weights is dangerous my friend.

 

[murphdivers286]

dive under water wearing an upside down bowl aquarium on his head

I like that. that was funny!!!

Anyways, I started out wearing a weight belt. It wasn't really that bad. Personal opinion. I now have a weight integraded BC and love it. It is nice to just hook you gear on in one step.

This past Sunday, I did a boat dive out of WPB. I forgot my weight pouches, and had to use a weight belt from the boat. I didn't like it.

Also, most WI BCs have trim weight pouches in the upper back to help with stability in the water. Nice bonus.

No matter what you chose, remember one thing.

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

 

[Snowbear]

...for freediving in cold water, when a drysuit is simply impossible.

No it's not.

 

[TheStroke]

I dive tropical waters but prefer ALL my weight in the BC or Harness/BP.
1) Its not much weight for tropical anyway, so handing up a weight loaded rig is no stress.
2) I had a near incident when someone tried getting my attention whilst i was looking the other way, insteasd of getting my arm they grabbed the free end of weight belt and tugged, it came loose, i shot out of it but caught it on my legs. the same can be true of WI, some designs have pockets which are velcro or some other such retainer, avoid these like the plague
3) WI and harnesses have a nic feel to them in that with a weight belt, you are being pulled in one direction by the BCD (up) and in another direction by the weight belt (down). in a WI BC, you are bouyant and your rig is negative, so even if the straps are loose you are kind of held in place.

just my 2ct

 

[TravisT]

Well, i've been sort of waiting to respond until I got my first underwater experience.

Lastnight was my first night in the OW class and is a two week course. We didn't do anything two drastic but I got the chance to feel what it is like to have a weight belt on. My dad, who has a bad hip, is also taking the class and he's testing out the weight integrated stuff.

It seems like the general consensus is, is that most people have learned with a standard weight belt, and have moved on to weight integrated and a lot of people love it. While a minority have stuck with their weight belt.

This cold water talk doesn't really bother me much as I have no intentions of going up north to dive. Most all of my diving will be in the spring and summer months when the water here is 80-85 degrees.

I appreciate everyone's input and I did value it. I enjoy getting opinions and will be trying out a different BC tonight that should fit me a little better. (Lastnight I had one that swallowed me horizontally).

 

[EricJ]

It seems to me that the handles on weight pouches should be brightly colored so that they can be more easily found if ditched or more easily found if another diver was to need to pull off someone else's weight. :06:

 

[Sirius]

I started out with everything on a weight belt and have recently moved to a WI BC. Since it is mostly cold water I do a split between the bc and the weight belt.

I still need some more dives but it seems to have improved my trim.

 

[ChrisA]

My opinion...

If you are diving in warm fresh water you will not be needing very much weight I can go in a pool with 6 pounds. The decision to go with a belt or integrated is not very importent. BUT if you were to be divng in cold salt water you might need as much as 30 pounds.

Where you keep 8 pounds of lead maters a lot less then where you keep 30 pounds of lead. I would suspect divers who need 30 pounds have stronger opinions then divers who carry 8 pounds.

Many of us who do dive in cool salt water simply find the integrated BCs more comfortable. Some people even split the weight betwen the BC and the belt.

One other factor. How long is the walk to the water? If you typically need to hike up a big hill to get back to your car after diving, how the BC works as a back pack matters

 

[lanshark]

I've dove with both a Jacket/Weightbelt and my Sherwood Avid BC. Quite frankly I don't really notice I have weights while underwater, my Avid fits like a glove. (I'm 5'7" and 250 lbs and need about 18 pounds of lead for salt water (warm/3mm shorty). The Avid will support 30 pounds of Lead securely (2 10pound pouchs, 10pounds trim). I've never had an accidental release of the pouches, The Avid uses quick clips to secure the weight and not velcro. After a dive, the two weight pouches get handed up to the boat, I can then hand the BC to the first mate or climb up a ladder.


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It seems to me that the handles on weight pouches should be brightly colored so that they can be more easily found if ditched or more easily found if another diver was to need to pull off someone else's weight.
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I've painted the pull handles for my weight pouches a bright safety yellow color. it makes them easy to find. I've also painted the purge valve pull tab as well. When on vacation (I'm a single diver) I will explain how all of my equipment works to my dive buddy for the day.

Cheers,

Lanshark

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I love my Ranger. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I have a short waist (which places the cummerbund/waist strap and weight belt in the same place) and no butt (with which to keep the weight belt above my knees). Weight belts are a real pain for me.

Weight integrated maybe OK if diving in warm waters with a thin suit where you dont have to carry much weight.

Cold water diving i hate the things. Pockets arent secure for large amounts of weight,

I’ve done a bit of cold water diving and haven’t had any problems. I think my weight pockets hold up to 30# total, but I’ve never used more than 26. I’ve read accounts of weight pouches falling out (not secure) but think this is due to the wide assortment of BCs that use Velcro to secure the weight. Velcro doesn’t last long, especially if it gets near sand. If you’re shopping for a either a WI BC or weight belt with pockets for soft weights, I’d recommend staying away from Velcro.

if you need to underwater dekit you suddenly find yourself very buoyant and the jacket very negative so its a nightmare to keep hold/push through a gap/cut free from something etc.

Agreed. I think in the future I will try to split the weight between belt and BC when wearing my 7mm john/jacket, even though I hate belts. With thinner suits, I’ll risk hanging on to it.

Also if diving on a RIB passing up your BC, tank AND 20lbs lead in one go will make you extremely unpopular.

I’ve not dove from a RIB yet (or any boat without a ladder), but it seems to me with WI BCs that use weight pouches, you can hand up the pouches separate from the BC just as easily as you could a belt. BTW, on my Ranger I bought the optional bags that go in the weight pockets, rather than putting the weights directly in the pocket. That way if I have to hand the weights up, I can hand the bag of weights.

Most of my dives have been shore dives. For me, a belt is a real pain for shore dives.

It seems to me that the handles on weight pouches should be brightly colored so that they can be more easily found if ditched or more easily found if another diver was to need to pull off someone else's weight. :06:

Good point. I like high-vis handles too. My Ranger has a bright red toggle.

Each diver should make their own educated decision based on body type, and dive style. Just thought I'd share my reasoning for your consideration.