Weight Vests- Omer "Schienalino light backsuit"

[jimqpublic]

I'm getting back to diving while trying to coddle my weak back and adjust my trim. The idea of taking some weight off my belt is very appealing. I considered the Beuchat 7 kg weight harness-http://http://www.freediveshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=199

But two problems- One is that it appears less than streamlined. The second is that my Diveskin 2 piece wetsuit seems let in water unless I'm wearing the rubber weight belt.

Then I was in a shop the other day and saw this Omer vest: Omer
It holds up to 4 kg = 8 lb of lead weights. Without a strap around the waist or chest it wouldn't affect breathing. By using both the vest and my belt I could adjust trim in the water. For shallow water I need a good 18 pounds; if I run into trouble it would still be very easy to ditch my belt with part of the ballast.

Anybody with experience on this model? Local shop price was $60 US.

Thanks
Jim
Long Beach, CA USA

 

[spaghetti]

I say: go get it.
I have a very similar one (branded Seatec but very very similar, almost the same) and I'm fully satisfied with it. It fits like a glove, you don't even feel you have something on your back, but the weight works fine to give you a more balanced posture and some relief to your waist/lower back. Buy it.
...
The only warning is for your safety: beware of how much weight you wear! I use my "schienalino" + belt weights only for shallow water hunting, but never use the harness for diving deeper than 10-12meters. Consider that if you find in trouble at depth, it's easy to release your belt and drop it. But wearing off the harness in an emergency situation is a bit more complicated.

 

[Fondueset]

Also - for your back - shift your rubber belt down onto your hips. I use the Omer vest - but I only put 4 lbs in it at most. just enough to help keep the upper body down for photography. Shifting the belt down takes the load off your lower back.

 

[jimqpublic]

I think I'll get it. I really like the idea of being able to spread weight between the vest and belt.

In the PFI class I used 10-12 pounds of weight and it didn't bother my back. Local diving in shallow water required a lot more weight and that's when my back bothered me. I was still slightly positive on the bottom with 18 pounds. Can't remember the depth- I think under 20'.

My other reason for wanting to try the vest is that with my limited experience I have a lot of trouble maintaining a head-down position in the first 5 meters of the dive. Hopefully the vest will help with that.

Jim

 

[Fondueset]

For shallow dives I usually go with reduced lung volume. I like the low profile look of the new smaller omer vest.

 

[jimqpublic]

I've played with partial exhales as well- but that makes me WANT to surface real soon. I know that I have plenty of O2 but can't seem to convince my body of that. A lot of these things will no doubt work themselves out as I get more experience.

Another reason for the adjustable weight vest vs. a fixed amount.

 

[Fondueset]

For sure - try the hip trick though - it really does help.