Drysuit Weight placement.

I know many of you dive dry and I do too and my questions has to do with the weight placement. I currently put all of my weights in my BC pocket and back pockets and I'm not sold on it as it makes everything so darn heavy to put on and take off. Is there an advantage to wearing a belt or buying a weight harness to put some of the weights on me instead of the BC? Would it be easier diving that way Just wondering.

Thanks,

Wendy

Its a matter of personal choice! I use a weight belt with pockets into which I load shot bags - currently I use 12 kilos in 4 pockets of 3 kilos in each. I also use 0.5 kilo ankle weights. I've used this set-up for long enough for the belt to show wear and never had any problems with it. Mind you I also use a 12 litre dumpy cylinder and a 3 litre 'pony' bail-out cylinder as matter of course too, and this is a combination that many criticise as being uneven - again I don't find it a problem.

I reckon one unit with everything in it is asking for back trouble myself, and anything above twinned 7 litre tanks is also a weight problem. Although I'm not a great fan of Health & Safety (who seem to invent problems to deal with much of the time), I have heard of firemen saying that the weight some divers carry is unacceptable under their regulations!

In my opinion you need to experiment to see what works best for yo, in the conditions in which you dive, and the surface conditions too (hardboat, rib, shore diving). I like everything seperate and distributed myself, and have never found much of a problem with viable buoyancy adjustment once everythin ha been sorted to my liking.

I've never tried a weight harness as I've never really got to grips with the way they hold weights! By all accounts many people find them extremely comfortable, but I'm very happy with a shot bag belt.

There is a great topic about photographing with drysuits over at Best of Wetpixel. Here is the link:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7725

I use the DUI weight harness system with both my dry and wet suits. It works great. I use to use a weight intergrated system but it was harder on my back.

I only use 4 more lbs. with my dry suit vs. my wet suit (9mm).

I too use the DUI harness with a drysuit and wish it had been invented decades earlier! On a recent trip to B.C. I added 8# (two 4# blocks) to an AL80 tank using an extra cam strap on a Hogarthian rig. Prefer to use steel tanks but they are not always available. With certain dry suits I have used ankle weights but they are not needed with my current rock boot equipped DUI suit.

Tom

Thanks everyone for you input. if I can't get a weight harness right away is a belt a better way to go?

I switched from bc weights to a belt and thought it was better. I'd still advocate saving for the harness system. I was surprised how superior the harness system was compared to a belt or weight integration.

Thanks for the insights. Most of my weights are soft/shot. Will a harness work with them or will I need to get solid nlead weights? I really like the isea of moving the weight from my BC. I am planning to dive yet this month and the water will be in the mid 40's. I'll use my belt and check out a harness system. Is DUI's the best one out there? My suit is made by Andy's Drysuits.

Thanks.

I use exclusively soft weights with my harness. I think that soft weights work best with a harness. Better than weight integrated or in a belt.

I also use the DUI weight and trim harness. I love it. I put soft weights into it.

One of my gripes about diving cold was the soreness I felt from a weight belt

on my waist and riding on my hips. With the harness you actually disperse the

weight around your lower hips and it doesn't pinch you or press on you. You have

to adjust the harness so it is comfortable and low, not up at your waist. Your shoulders help with the weight.

My 2 cents

Terry