Whats the best way to add weight to a maxed out integrated BCD?

[MichaelMc]

I would NOT fix it all permanently (not easily ditchable) to the BP/W for safety reasons. You want ditchable weight. But I understand how a heavy weight belt will kill your back muscles after a while. Some people dive with no ditchable, but they have fine tuned their weighing to be neutral, you are deliberately very negative.

Agir-Brokk thick plate would be good. OMS pockets are huge, that might still be a lot in one pocket, even in your application.

You have 55 lb. and just about float with 40lb. So maybe you float with 35lb.

Below might be one option.
Long Plate ~7 lb.
Weight plates ~10 lb.
Weighted STA ~ 6 lb. (or trim weights on tank or harness straps)
Ditch pockets ~16 lb.
39 lb.
Belt/harness 16 lb.

Make sure you can swim up after you ditch your weights. Weight belts are useful and a default that everyone, including your buddies, know how to release. They also help distribute weight down if needed, and when not massive, are not any real pain.

Pro-Fit Stainless Steel BackPlate, LONG PATTERN scuba
9.8 Lbs (per pair) bolt on weight plates for LONG PATTERN SS Backplates, w/hardware scuba

 

[Rred]

Switch to tungsten, it is about 80% denser than lead. You can either pay a lot for rod/bar/plate stock, or buy scrap and melt it down. If you are really lucky, you'll find some old elevator counterweights in a junk yard. Commercial installations used tungsten for counterweights in many things.

Or, you may find lead sheeting in plumbing supplies. I found a thigh-sized roll being put out in the trash one day and (ugh!) managed to lift it and give it a good home. You could easily add a layer to your tank and backplate and lard on the pounds that way too.

 

[Charles2]

Switch to tungsten, it is about 80% denser than lead. You can either pay a lot for rod/bar/plate stock, or buy scrap and melt it down.

Melt it down? Good luck with that!

 

[Swimbait]

Switch to tungsten, it is about 80% denser than lead. You can either pay a lot for rod/bar/plate stock, or buy scrap and melt it down. If you are really lucky, you'll find some old elevator counterweights in a junk yard. Commercial installations used tungsten for counterweights in many things.

Or, you may find lead sheeting in plumbing supplies. I found a thigh-sized roll being put out in the trash one day and (ugh!) managed to lift it and give it a good home. You could easily add a layer to your tank and backplate and lard on the pounds that way too.

I actually tried to find tungsten dive weights but couldn't find any. I have 1oz tungsten fishing weights, but at $2 an oz, that would get expensive quick! Tungsten melts at 6,192°F. If you can do that in your back yard, you are a better man that me! haha.

 

[dmaziuk]

I actually tried to find tungsten dive weights but couldn't find any. I have 1oz tungsten fishing weights, but at $2 an oz, that would get expensive quick! Tungsten melts at 6,192°F. If you can do that in your back yard, you are a better man that me! haha.

Gold is the answer. Same density, you're already looking for it, and once you look at the electricity bill for melting tungsten, you'll realize that gold is actually cheap.

 

[Swimbait]

Gold is the answer. Same density, you're already looking for it, and once you look at the electricity bill for melting tungsten, you'll realize that gold is actually cheap.

HA HA HA. True! Gold is actually free (if i can find it. ). Now you got me thinking that i dont need a weight belt at all! Just grab huge rock, sink to the bottom, fill pockets with gold. Sounds easy enough. lol

 

[dmaziuk]

Yeah, you just have to get good at finding the stuff is all.

 

[Erik 1]

Maybe you could go to a backplate and wing setup with a molle chest rig (molle chest rig - Google Search as your harness amd mount some quick release weight pockets to the front.