Dry suit weighting

[beeger]

With a shell drysuit, especially one like the TLS, your ballast requirements will be greatly affected by your underwear/thermo protection. What is critical is that you understand how much weight you need *and* how to distribute that weight. A while back I posted something in the "Drysuit or BC for Inflation" discussion in this forum that breaks down how to determine your ballast needs. You may find it useful.

One way you will be able to drop some weight is to move to a steel tank. The OMS/Faber steel 85 is an excellent tank for recreational dives in this area. I'm sure there are others, but this one seems particularly well suited. It is about the same size as an aluminum 80, but about 3 lbs heavier underwater. Of course, these cost more than aluminum tanks. Some shops around town do rent these, however.

The Balance is a great BC. Do you have the new style with the clips on the weight pockets, or the old with just the velcro? I would be careful putting more than about 7 lbs in each of these. While the pockets can handle up to 10 lbs each (just barely), it is very tight fit and difficult and annoying to slip into the BC. Plus, I woudn't trust the velcro with that much weight.