Drysuit weighting

[fdog]

How much do you use? Specifically, what's on your belt?

I know what I need on my belt - 32 pounds in a single, and 28 pounds in doubles. It takes 46 pounds to sink my 6'2" 195 lb. body in a Fusion with a Mk3 & Duofold (at Lake Tahoe). That's measured right as I get out of the water from a dive, when the undies are smashed down a bit.

Shocking. Yet it's true. And I do NOT want to struggle with holding the last two stops with near-empty stages and backgas, I've been there and hate carrying around rocks.

The reason I brought this up is the thread about the recent Gilboa fatality, and all the stuff being thrown around about being horribly overweighted. I read what the victim had - 8 pounds and doubled Genesis 100's - and the water temperature, 42 degrees F at depth - and it didn't seem overweighted at all.

So how about it? What's on your belt?


All the best, James

[dherbert]

#25 with the Weezle Extreme+, Fusion, SST BP and a steel 100. 5'10" 180lbs.

[ligersandtions]

I have 6 pounds on my weight belt....I also have 6 pounds worth of weight plates, 4 pounds worth of back plate, 2 pounds worth of can light, and a couple pounds of other miscellaneous gear.

This is with a crushed neoprene drysuit, 300g SoftWear undies, and an HP130.

[Mo2vation]

How much do you use? Specifically, what's on your belt?

I know what I need on my belt - 32 pounds in a single, and 28 pounds in doubles. It takes 46 pounds to sink my 6'2" 195 lb. body in a Fusion with a Mk3 & Duofold (at Lake Tahoe). That's measured right as I get out of the water from a dive, when the undies are smashed down a bit.

Shocking. Yet it's true. And I do NOT want to struggle with holding the last two stops with near-empty stages and backgas, I've been there and hate carrying around rocks.

The reason I brought this up is the thread about the recent Gilboa fatality, and all the stuff being thrown around about being horribly overweighted. I read what the victim had - 8 pounds and doubled Genesis 100's - and the water temperature, 42 degrees F at depth - and it didn't seem overweighted at all.

So how about it? What's on your belt?


All the best, James

Depends on the suit.

I dive a single PST E8-130 (the master cylinder) and a PST old skool HP100 (prince o' cylinders.) I don't change weight when going back and forf between these two.

With my TriLam 350 (RIP) I was diving with 6 on the belt. Of course I have a DSS plate with the heavy weight plates. It was a little heavy, but I like being heavy as I can drop faster to get the shot.

With my CF200 Crushed Neo (RIP) I dive with 8 on the belt, same set up with the DSS rig. It wasn't that heavy I liked - it was closer to "perfect weighting" and I didn't like it. I eventually went to 10 on the belt.

With my current CLX450 I dive with 8 on the belt. I have new DUI Polartec Undies which are way fluffier than my 3Year old zillion dive matted flat undies. I'll be out tonight with them, but I suspect I'll have to go to 10 on the belt with these new undies.

When I dive in MoCal or Seattle with the Thinsulate 400 g, I add 5 to the back of the belt. Plus I'm carrying the Deathstar and a scooter and a 40, can light, blah blah...

5'9", 175 pounds

---
Ken

[Jason B.]

Aluminum backplate, can light and double 95's (not sure what that equates to in lbs).

Drysuit is a DUI TLS350 with a Santi CDS40 or DUI 300g fleece undergarment.

[amascuba]

I'm 5'8'', 155lbs. I dive in a Mobbys Twin Shell Drysuit and a 200gram thinsulate undergarment (very lofty undergarment, but oh so comfy and warm).

In double AL80's and a 6# backplate I wear a 4# tail wait and 6# on my belt, for a total of 16 pounds. I'm sure that I could shed some of the lead on my belt if I wore steel LP doubles, but the double AL 80's have been serving their purpose.

In a single AL80 and a 6# backplate I wear 8# on my belt and 4# on my cam bands, for a grand total of 18 pounds.

If I'm diving the same configuration, but a low-loft 200gram polypropylene undergarment instead of the 200gram thinsulate, I remove the belt all together, but leave the tail or cam weights.

[JS1scuba]

Hi James,

I wear a Diving Concepts Pinnacle 2mm Compressed neo suit.

Sometimes with stock thin u/g sometimes with Fourth Element Arctic.

I'm 6'1" 258-268 and solid -

I dive with one of the following rigs

Apeks WTX pack with 30lbs wing
TDL plate and Apeks 45 or 60 lbs wing with doubles 85s, 108s
Kiss Rebreather with TDL plate and Apeks 45 lbs wing and 19s or 14s


FRESH WATER
Single Tank Diving
95 Faber = 10lbs
Super 80 = 10 lbs
Alum 63 = 10 lbs

Twin Tank Diving
85s = 0 weight (dont like 85s in fresh water)
108s = 4 weight for trim
121s = 6 lbs v weight (they get light)

Rebreather
no weights - this thing is a slug

Salt Water
Singles I add = 4 lbs
Doubles I add 8 lbs for the 108s and 121s none for 85s
Helium I add 2 lbs additional
Rebreather no change

Caveats

My plate weighs in at 6 lbs only.
WTX pack has zero inherent buoyancy
My dry suit fits like a wet suit.
If I use my USIA bi-lam suit I add a butt weight of 4 lbs for trim.
My wing and suit get very little air in them.
On OC my gas in back tanks never gets below 750 psi
Stage bottles at 3 80s I add 4 lbs
With camera I add 2 lbs to the camera in fresh 3 in salt.

Cheers
JDS

[fdog]

<big sigh>

Thanks folks! I guess I'm just cursed because I get cold so darn easily, and I'm tall and skinny. Hence I'm in undies that are sooo wonderfully warm. The price is lead.

I hear roughly the same weight ranges from Weezle wearers in 39-49 degree water.

Every couple months I'll question how much I'm wearing, and take off a lump o' lead. About 4 pounds. By the end of the dive I'm swearing at myself because I'm on the verge of floating, and my suit is shrink-wrapped....this lesson will stick with me until a season has gone by, when I'll scratch my head and repeat the process.

I've noticed that when I'm wearing undies that are closer to "the norm" I'm usually about 16 pounds on the belt. ...note this is with a SS plate with weight plates, about 6 lbs.


All the best, James

[SparticleBrane]

If I had to wear 32lbs of lead I'd probably quit diving. That isn't meant as an insult -- it's just that I can't stand weight belts, and 32lbs would drive me crazy.

[TobinGeorge]

With my LP85's I usually don't wear a weigh belt at all.

SS plate and harness, can light, 3 lbs in a tail weight bag.

I just don't get cold very easily and consequently don't wear heavy undergarments.

Tobin

[JS1scuba]

<big sigh>

Thanks folks! I guess I'm just cursed because I get cold so darn easily, and I'm tall and skinny. Hence I'm in undies that are sooo wonderfully warm. The price is lead.

I hear roughly the same weight ranges from Weezle wearers in 39-49 degree water.

Every couple months I'll question how much I'm wearing, and take off a lump o' lead. About 4 pounds. By the end of the dive I'm swearing at myself because I'm on the verge of floating, and my suit is shrink-wrapped....this lesson will stick with me until a season has gone by, when I'll scratch my head and repeat the process.

I've noticed that when I'm wearing undies that are closer to "the norm" I'm usually about 16 pounds on the belt. ...note this is with a SS plate with weight plates, about 6 lbs.


All the best, James

James, try this on for size. Head to a pool where you wont freeze. Put on some underarmor or any very thin garment and your dry suit and get in the water no air in the suit. wear a mask and snorkel and regular fins -- (have someone do this with you) have a bunch of soft weights available.

Lay flat in the water without movement and have your partner start to add weight to your body - just laying some here and there until you are awash. Now you will know what it takes to get you neutral.

From there take your rig and put it on with NO air in the wing and 500 psi in the cylinder (any cylinder) and do it again. This now lets you know what you need to get under without the heavy U/Gs

Keep doing this with each U/G till you get the final weighting.

U/Gs like Weezle require a LOT of weight to make them work. They require "lofting" to get the suit away from you to allow the U/G to develop its insulation. (its why i dont use them)

Consider a high density u/g like the Fouth Element Xerotherm Arctic and you should be warm and be able to shed about 10 lbs.

Another thing to consider to enhance your thermal protection but not use heavy undies is to do a preflush with argon in your suit (if you dont dive with the bottle) (I do this a lot) Purge the suit. Inflate it to where you are Ooompa Loompa Man with argon, let it settle, purge it again, go Ooompa Loompa again then purge again. The trapped gas will help keep you blanketed in the argon for a good while. Now the air you put in the suit will dilute the argon but not replace it. It will vent on ascent.

The things we do to stay warm.

Cheers
JDS

[scubamountaingirl]

can i get back to you on this next week>?? I am adding an STA to my rig and wearing different fins so my weights are changing for the better...i started on overweighted but I love this conversation and I am very interested in what everyone is doing...

thanks
wendy

[Mo2vation]

James, try this on for size. Head to a pool where you wont freeze. Put on some underarmor or any very thin garment and your dry suit and get in the water no air in the suit. wear a mask and snorkel and regular fins -- (have someone do this with you) have a bunch of soft weights available.

Lay flat in the water without movement and have your partner start to add weight to your body - just laying some here and there until you are awash. Now you will know what it takes to get you neutral.

From there take your rig and put it on with NO air in the wing and 500 psi in the cylinder (any cylinder) and do it again. This now lets you know what you need to get under without the heavy U/Gs

Keep doing this with each U/G till you get the final weighting.

U/Gs like Weezle require a LOT of weight to make them work. They require "lofting" to get the suit away from you to allow the U/G to develop its insulation. (its why i dont use them)

Consider a high density u/g like the Fouth Element Xerotherm Arctic and you should be warm and be able to shed about 10 lbs.

Another thing to consider to enhance your thermal protection but not use heavy undies is to do a preflush with argon in your suit (if you dont dive with the bottle) (I do this a lot) Purge the suit. Inflate it to where you are Ooompa Loompa Man with argon, let it settle, purge it again, go Ooompa Loompa again then purge again. The trapped gas will help keep you blanketed in the argon for a good while. Now the air you put in the suit will dilute the argon but not replace it. It will vent on ascent.

The things we do to stay warm.

Cheers
JDS

Electric Vest, anyone???



---
Ken

[fdog]

Thanks for the pointers Joel; I've actually been through this though. It's both a combination of me (big lungs) and my undies.

The historical trend for me has been:

• I've been getting colder more easily
• my suits have been getting warmer
• I'm diving in colder water longer
• more lead

Given #1, #2 & #3, #4 isn't surprising.


All the best, James

[Blitz]

12 pounds on a belt with a single rig and a 95. 6 pounds if I have a HP faber 100.

No weights on a belt with either double 95s or 130s.

I wear a weezle year round and I am 5'11"/ 170.