Weight locations with BP/W

[wetb4igetinthewater]

If you look at the blog series I wrote on how I teach neutral buoyancy and trim in open water, there's a section on addressing the difference between the center of mass and the center of displacement. Placement of weight is so critical, and your fins play a significant part. Some are slightly positive in salt water, like the Deep 6 Eddy, or some are very negative, like the Hollis F1 "bat fins".

No one has mentioned p-weights (a discussion here: BP/W: P-weight vs. weight pouch). These may also be an option to reduce the amount of lead required in various pockets.

But it all comes down to what is required for you to hover motionless horizontally. P-weights are certainly above your center of mass and displacement.

Whatever you do, don't use ankle weights.

 

[Desertlifter]

Whatever you do, don't use ankle weights.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm curious because I know a lot of people who like them to keep their feet from getting too "floaty" but I tried them and hated the dang things. In my case I was diving a drysuit (hence the floating feet) but they just didn't feel right. Is it the combination of both drysuit and fin buoyancy that should be attended to?

 

[rhwestfall]

I use little 5 lb. pockets on the waist belt pushed back close to the plate. In addition, I have a couple 5lb pockets on the top cam band for trim weight.

Yep, exactly how my wife, my daughter, and I dive our plates.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Could you elaborate on this? I'm curious because I know a lot of people who like them to keep their feet from getting too "floaty" but I tried them and hated the dang things. In my case I was diving a drysuit (hence the floating feet) but they just didn't feel right. Is it the combination of both drysuit and fin buoyancy that should be attended to?

I am probably an extremist, but I like to have as little mass on my feet as possible, as that's energy I'm having to expend every fin kick. There are "better" (my opinion) of ways to distributing weight. I'd rather have heavier fins than ankle weights. For example, when I dive in a dry suit in a twinset with round bottomed steel cylinders, I need heavy fins. That's the only configuration I can't dive my Deep 6 Eddy fins, my preferred fins.

 

[MichaelMc]

On getting weight high up, you can zip tie one or two pound weights to the very top part of the plate using the shoulder slots and top cam slot for the zip ties. Also some gorilla tape to hold things snuggly down. Also you can get one pound ingots of lead that fit up there as well. https://www.rotometals.com/lead-mini-ingot-pure-99-9-1-pound-mix-sizes/

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

On getting weight high up, you can zip tie one or two pound weights to the very top part of the plate using the shoulder slots and top cam slot for the zip ties. Also some gorilla tape to hold things snuggly down. Also you can get one pound ingots of lead that fit up there as well. https://www.rotometals.com/lead-mini-ingot-pure-99-9-1-pound-mix-sizes/

I'd rather put more weight in trim pockets in the upper cylinder strap and/or have a heavier BP (6 mm, 10 lbs) and/or p-weight. And also lighter fins if I was so foot heavy.

 

[Cthippo]

Not an issue.
Wear it under the crotch strap.
How difficult to release the waist harness?

It has two large plastic rings, one on each side, probably 2 inches inside diameter. Pull forward on those rings and the weight pockets fall away. Getting them back on in the water is a PITA, but off is no problem at all.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Get a couple of Sub Gravity trim weight pockets that attach to your backplate.

Backplate Trim Weight Pockets (pair) - SubGravity

sub-gravity.com

 

[johndiver999]

And of course... wearing a weight belt with some portion of the required ballast makes it far easier to remove the BP/W rig underwater, should you need to remove and replace. Having ALL the weight on the tank and zero on your body makes things harder than they need to be - obviously this varies depending on the suit buoyancy.

I've always found a weightbelt of 12 lbs or less to be very comfortable in most situations- especially if it is an elastic freedive type belt that requires no adjustment for suit compression.

I personally dislike having much weight on the BC because it makes changing out tanks when it is rough- even more of a pain the A55 ..well actually it is the lower back.

 

[dmaziuk]

So the goal would be to get as much weight as practical into the trim pockets, along with a SS backplate? I'm going to be working on a similar bp/w set up. I figure with a 6lb backplate and a couple small trim pockets for the cam straps, I'll be able to get most of the weight I'll need on my back and not have to put too much in the weight pockets.

Depends on how comfortable you are with having that weight non-ditcheable: you can't easily ditch from camband pockets. A harness, OTOH, lets you ditch weight.