Weight preference, hips or back

[RRbbb]

Hey ladies,
Really looking for women's perspective here.
Do you prefer holding weights on your hips on a weight belts or pocket weight belt? OR do you prefer holding more weights in your trim pockets/tank/back/bcd?

I'm looking to move to a steel backplate setup and I plan to have 2 trim weight pockets on the cam strap not sure if I would rather get 2 additional pockets to integrate into the backplate or a long tank weight that also integrates into the backplate or just carry the weight on a weight belt.
At times I feel like it's easier to carry weight on my hips because it rests easily instead of on my bcd/shoulders/back..but could just be totally in my head..

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[TheCoolBeans]

I hate weight belts.
I won’t wear one, I’ll just decline to dive if a dive shop has this as the only option.

 

[Marie13]

For single tank (drysuit and thick undies) I’ve to a DUI weight harness. Puts weight on your hips. Very comfortable to wear. Lead is dumpable. You don’t have a ton of weight on your rig which makes it easier to handle.

 

[jmb]

Definitely prefer integrated weights but will wear a weight belt if renting gear and it's the only option. In that case, I bring my own weight belt with pockets which is more comfortable and I know will fit.

 

[living4experiences]

Definitely prefer integrated weights but will wear a weight belt if renting gear and it's the only option. In that case, I bring my own weight belt with pockets which is more comfortable and I know will fit.

I did exactly what jmb said above. Now I have my own BCD with integrated pockets and love it! Always hated weight belts.

 

[DaniDives]

Sidemount, I dive without weights in salt water
Backmount, I prefer integrated weights rather than a belt but if I have to dive with a belt my weights are on my hipbones rather than on my sides or my back.

 

[Regulatrix]

My BC ( a SCP Ladyhawk) has integrated weight pockets at the waist and trim pockets at the shoulders. I typically put all my weights at the waist. However, on my last dive, I experimented with wearing upper-thigh pockets that I could clip to the bottom of my BC, and I moved 1/3 of my usual weight to them. The thigh pockets straps can get a little off-kilter during the dive, but they're easy to adjust, and overall, I was really pleased with the changed weight distribution.

 

[Damselfish]

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Really about what works for you and your situation. Where someone is diving, how much weight, exposure protection, the rest of the gear including tank, individual bodies will all affect this. There's plenty of options, and you try things until you're happy with it.

 

[laikabear]

Well there are a few considerations. First, needing to have some ditchable weight versus everything in inaccessible trim pockets or as a tank weight. Second, the tank and plate config you will be diving. Third / tangential if you're in a wetsuit or a drysuit (ie whether you have some redundant buoyancy or not). What tanks are you diving and are you diving wet or dry?

I think if you are not diving dry, then I would not put all the weight in inaccessible locations. Also, think about if you are going to be changing over your BCD to a new tank on a boat. If so, and if you have all of your weight on / in the BCD - then it's heavier to swap over versus if you're wearing some of the weight in a belt. I do think it's easier to deal with some weight on the hips versus on / in the rig when walking around, too.

I tend to be head-heavy in my HP 100s (worse in doubles but also a bit in a single) and even worse in my double LP 72s (which I actually just sold for this reason). I dive in a drysuit and since that gives me some redundant buoyancy, I use a tail weight on my double 100s with 4 or 5 lbs in it and nothing else. So, not ditchable. In my double 72s, I needed more like 12 lbs of weight and I'd put some in a tail weight and some on a rubber weight belt around my hips. I didn't put the weight specifically on my hips because I'm female, just because I needed it lower than my waist to balance out the head-heaviness of the 72s. In my single HP 100 I usually wear a weight belt. And I don't like weight belts either, it just is hard to get enough weight in other places. I have some cam band pockets and pockets on my waist straps of my harness, but I can't put enough in the side pockets to drysuit dive, and if I put too much in the cambands then it tips me head heavy again. So I usually end up with some on a belt.

I prefer some type of integrated weights to a weight belt, even it it's just weight pockets on my harness. I feel like the weights on my rubber weight belt dig in. But I need the rubber belt because the webbing belts are hard to get positioned where I want to wear the weight. The rubber belts are nice because you can get them very tight and they stay tight underwater. The one I have is from Mako and I got coated hard weights.

I need less weight when wetsuit / tropical diving and so in those cases I just put weights in my pockets that are on my harness. Those hit about waist level not hip level. The pockets on the waist are nice because I can use whatever type of weights the dive op has if I'm traveling, hard or soft. The Mako belt I need hard weights with slots.

 

[Marie13]

For a lot of weight on your hips, I like the DUI weight harness. The weight pockets are ditchable