Weights & placement issues for drysuit divers

[WhiteSands]

I'm a new drysuit diver. I was previously diving 3mms warm water with only 4lbs (2 x 2lbs) of weights placed in the integrated weight pockets on my waistband.

I was surprised at how much weight a drysuit diver had to carry. Wearing 4th element dry base + arctic undergarments (14 - 16 deg C water) I needed:

1. Steel 80s singles + 20 lbs weights
2. Al 80s + 30 lbs weights

After renting steel 80s and finding them filled to only 160 - 170 bar, I opted for Al80s instead to increase my dive time. I was told that's the most the steel tanks could take. The Al80s were filled to 220 - 230 bar.

Have a few questions:
1. I am pretty dialed in with 30lbs and AL80s. A little overweighted when I tested my buoyancy at 3m at end of dive. But I had no way to tell more precisely as all my weights were in 5lb increments and were rented.

Is carrying this amount of weight typical? I'm 5' 10. About 140lbs.

2. My buddy, my wife, is also carrying the same amount of weights. She is really struggling on land. How do other ladies handle this? Even I am not having an easy time especially on shore dives where you need to hike some distance from car to beach and climb stairs.

3. If I upgrade to doubles in the future, will I need even more weight? I have to use Ali BP & light STA as I fly budget most times and weight is very limited.

4 I had to place 20lbs on weight belt & 10lbs on 2 pouches on lower tank cam band. I really dont like weight belts. They tend to come off, slip down your waist and are a pain to put on when carrying a lot of weight.

I can't place trim pouches on the top cam bands. I am thinking of adding 2 more pouches to the lower tank cam bands making it a total of 4 pouches on one cam band. I can then load 20lbs on the cam band and carry 10lbs on the waist strap weight pockets.

I imagine it is going to be a pain to tighten those straps, but I can't use the top cam band as I am head heavy.

What are my options?

 

[claymore]

There should only be a 4 to 6 pound weighting difference between steel and AL tanks (16-17 bar is correct for a LP steel tank). Fresh or salt water? 30# sounds a little high for fresh water. I'm at 20# with steel tanks and still dropping weight slowly.
Her weighting should be less if she is smaller but the big issue in a drysuit is thickness of the under garments and how much air you keep in the suit, more air less squeeze more bouyancy less air less squeeze less bouyancy.

Double will take weight off.

I got a DUI Weight and Trim Harness and really like it, I don't like weight belts.

I am sure more knowledgable people will post moe informative answers.

 

[WhiteSands]

There should only be a 4 to 6 pound weighting difference between steel and AL tanks (16-17 bar is correct for a LP steel tank). Fresh or salt water? 30# sounds a little high for fresh water. I'm at 20# with steel tanks and still dropping weight slowly.
Her weighting should be less if she is smaller but the big issue in a drysuit is thickness of the under garments and how much air you keep in the suit, more air less squeeze more bouyancy less air less squeeze less bouyancy.

Double will take weight off.

I got a DUI Weight and Trim Harness and really like it, I don't like weight belts.

I am sure more knowledgable people will post moe informative answers.

Hi, thanks for the great info. 30lbs was for salt water.

Is there a guideline of how much more weight to add when going from fresh to salt water with the same rig?

 

[MSltr]

I only use a drysuit in fresh water. I wear a DUI TLS-350 with a Thinsulate 200 weight undergarment. I'm 5' 6" and 140 lbs; and need 22 lbs with an AL80. I have a steel backplate (6 lbs) and wear a DUI trim & weight harness (16 lbs). If I wear a hood (5mm) and DUI ZIP CN gloves, I add another 2 lbs to my trim pockets on the BP/W. I believe the recommendation is to add 5 lbs going from fresh to salt water. Using that recommendation I would probably need 29-30 lbs for salt water dive.

 

[KD8NPB]

As I mentioned in another thread:

With a Viking Extreme, Arctic + Xerotherm garments, AL80, Zeagle Ranger, Apeks XTX100, 12mm hood, 5mm gloves, and Hollis F1 fins, I utilize 32-34 lbs of lead in fresh water (I'm 5'8", 158 lbs, about 23 bmi).

If possible, don your gear in the water to remove the strain on your back & knees. Or gear up closer to the water.

 

[00wabbit]

Weight and trim harness, Steel backplate and steel tanks can help you drop a bit of weight.

Do you know if the steel tank they are renting you is filled to its rated pressure? Meaning is it a low pressure tank? If so then being filled to a low pressure than the AL80 doesn't matter. If it is filled to its rated pressure then it has the total volume available to the tank.

A low pressure 80 when filled all the way is actually 78cuft
A normal al80 is 77 cu ft.

Choosing one over the other if they are filled to their rated capacity doesn't really give you much more air.

 

[TSandM]

By my calculations, 170 bar is just about the 2640 psi which is a plus rated fill on an LP steel tank. If your tanks are LPs (working pressure should be stamped on the tank), you are better off with the steels, because you have the same amount of gas (or a bit more) and can take about five pounds off your total weight. This is because an Al80 is four pounds POSITIVE when empty, and the typical steel is about a pound or two negative. So you have to carry four pounds of lead to sink the aluminum tank.

Somewhere in the 25 to 30 pound range of total ballast is quite typical for dry suit divers using thick undergarments. And yes, as a new diver, I (5'4", 120 lbs, and not very athletic) thought the weight was HORRIBLE. It has gotten much easier with time, but I also use some strategies -- I keep my weight in several places, and only assemble it all at the very last. This makes moving things around on land much easier for me. (This is why I don't like the weight plates on DSS rigs -- you can't easily take them off and set them aside to move the gear around.) But at the end, when you are going to get in the water, yes, you have to walk all that stuff around. I like dive sites where the parking is close to the water!

As far as places to put weight, if you want to put it all on your rig, you can, but it does make things very unwieldy. If you don't like weight belts, you can use a weight harness like the DUI weight and trim. This allows you ditchable weight that doesn't hang from your hips.

If you go to doubles, you can take off a little weight with steels (you get the extra pound negative from the second tank, and about five pounds or so from the bands, manifold and extra reg). Aluminum 80 doubles are just about neutral when empty, so you still have to carry a fair bit of weight with them. Don't make the mistake of thinking that, because you sink like a stone when the tanks are full, you can take off a lot of weight -- you have to consider staying underwater when they are EMPTY, and remember you're dealing with more than ten pounds of gas swing weight.

Cold water diving is just harder work, which is one of the reasons I think there are far fewer women doing it.

 

[Imla]

I also thought diving was heavy in the beginning. I was diving a 10L 300Bar tank and need a horrendous amount of lead to sink.
Over a few years I have gone from 10L300Bar to D12L 232Bar. The amount of lead I carry varies with every dive depending on the undergarments.
Diving my doubles in local waters in the summer, i use around 8lbs. This can easily double to 16lbs in wintergarments.

You do not say how much you have been diving, but many divers tend to lose a few pounds of needed weight as they get to know their suit, and more effectively dive the drysuit. For example, today, I went diving, and wore a brand new undergarment. It is the exact same as one I had before, but it is new, and unwashed and has a lot more loft. SO I needed more lead.

Personally, if I were you, I would get a separate steel plate if you are planning to do a lot of local diving. That gets around 5,5lbs on your back just there. Second, you can get a P-veight. 5lbs, or 14lbs... up to you. Personally I tend to get too top heavy with them, so I place 4lbs on my left waiststrap, behind my canisterlight. (Oh, get a canistert light, that is 3lbs just there). I Wouldn't put more than 4+4lbs on the cambands, but you can get weightpockets that can take 10lbs for each side. That leaves

So.. with these options. 30lbs

5,5lbs in the steel plate = 5,5lbs
5 lbs on each side of the lower camband = 10lbs
5lbs in pocket on each side of waist = 10lbs
5 lbs on weightbelt

Gives a good balance between ditchable and non ditchable weights. Ample opportunity to play around with configurations regarding trim, and lots of room for safety.

I also second TSandMs suggestions on "smart" diving. Learn to carry your gear in several trips. I always dive doubles. If the entry is rocky, I carry my set as close to the water as I can. I then carry all my "stuff"
Get a small campingtable to put it on, so you can put it on standing.
Put your rig on first.. then your weight.