Weight Placement and trim on a simple harness with a drysuit

[Fritz01]

I'm having trouble maintaining my trim in the water with a drysuit. It takes 26-28lb to get me down with a AL80 and a SS backplate. I just switched to a simple harness without weight pockets. So I can't put all that on a weight belt and not have my feet sink like stones. I attempted to put 16 pounds on my cam bands and that got me to a tolerable place, but I was very liable to roll over. Anybody got any suggestions barring switch to steel? I was contemplating threading some weight on the waist strap?

 

[M-diver]

You could use v-weight on your plate to add around 6#, xs scuba (highland) has one that you fill with soft lead and it goes into the grove of your plate. If you put 2x3# Into trim pockets on your cam bands it will leave 2x7# for your weight belt which should be doable. I've used this weight distribution (without v-weight) and it worked well for me. V-weight will be right on your back so shouldn't impact your stability.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[RVBldr]

Could always move to something like the DUI Weight and Trim Harness. You shouldn't have a problem loading that up, but then adjust fore/aft by sliding the tank fore or aft, or use cam band pockets.

 

[JohnN]

I'm having trouble maintaining my trim in the water with a drysuit. It takes 26-28lb to get me down with a AL80 and a SS backplate. I just switched to a simple harness without weight pockets. So I can't put all that on a weight belt and not have my feet sink like stones. I attempted to put 16 pounds on my cam bands and that got me to a tolerable place, but I was very liable to roll over. Anybody got any suggestions barring switch to steel? I was contemplating threading some weight on the waist strap?

I need 30 lbs. 6 from the SS backplate, 10 on the top camband (2x5 in XS pouches), 14 on the waist strap (2x7) in XS quick release pockets

 

[Instructor_Tom]

Your diving a drysuit, put some air in your feet and call it done. If your at the point that you are diving a drysuit you should also be in a steel tank which will help with the trim and weight issues since you will need less dead weight to sink.






Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[GCullen94]

When I dive dry and with an al80 I need 18lbs of lead.. Make sure you really need all that weight first.

I took 2 Highland Vweights and filled them each with 4lbs and then bolted them to the outside edges of the plate, between the plate and the wing using a set of assembly screws. This kept the weight off my belt and gave me about the same buoyancy as using my 119. Because the weight was bolted at the edge of the plate, the CG was kept low and prevented any major rolling feeling.

 

[Locus]

I use a comparable amount of ballast to you, and I split it about 50/50 between a weighted SS backplate (dss weight plates) and a weight belt. I also use a steel tank. Some would say that's a lot of weight, but 2lbs less lead and I am just buoyant enough at safety stop to be uncomfortable. I'm new so I expect to take some off eventually.

Why not switch to steel? I've never regretted selling off my al80's for lp 95's. They made me head-heavy at first so I had floaty feet, but I got used to them, and I strap 1kg of lead to the tank boot, which keeps my butt down.

 

[nimoh]

When single tank diving with aluminum in my drysuit, I wear the following:

6 lb steel backplate
6 lb weight in tank adapter (i.e. v-weight)
4 lb primary light canister
2 - 1 lb weights on top cam band

my jet fins are also slightly negative, not sure exactly how much.

My theory on why the weight on the top cam band works is that it helps balance out how low the canister is, however the theory doesn't really matter since in practice, I trim out quite well in this setup.

 

[rhwestfall]

DSS really has a "winner" in the weight plats that bolt to their BP. I will re-state the above that perhaps it is time to go to steel tanks. I dive my SS BP (-6#), weight plates (-10#), and a single steel HP120 (-12#) for dry suit diving in very cold (33-38 degree) water [crushed neoprene DS and bulky quilted thermals]. No other weight needed. Sling an AL30, my kit is right at the limit of my 32# wing (but the DS is there too). Doubles is a 50# wing.

I have used the XS Scuba weight pouches on cam bands and on my waist belt in the past prior to achieving my current configuration. Just make sure your buddy knows where you have weight stashed in case of an emergency.....

 

[Subcooled]

I'm having trouble maintaining my trim in the water with a drysuit. It takes 26-28lb to get me down with a AL80 and a SS backplate.

Drysuit and aluminum tanks? Not optimal. Heser-tauchtechnik.de sells some 8 lb heavy weight steel back plates (and some absolutely wonderfull backup lights).

You have installed some V-weights on the back plate, haven't you?