Yes, I use the Halcyon integrated weight system, and I like it very
much.  Took me a while to figure out how to bolt it onto the backplate
and such.  You can't drop weights accidentally.

Only drawback is you can barely get 20 lbs in it.  With a steel
backplate and double Al 80's, I need to get a V-weight.  With a steel
tank plus 2lb ankleweights, the total of 29 lbs is about right for
drysuit diving.

Cam

Frank Sonnemans wrote:
> 
> How about the Halcyon integrated type weight system?
> 
> I do not have experience with it, but it should be possible to develop
> integrated type weight systems which are more reliable than the (al to often
> dropped) weight belt.
> 
> Does anyone use this system?
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Shimell, David (shimell) <shimell@se*.co*>
> To: <bdi@wh*.ne*>; <cspencer@te*.co*>; <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 17:28
> Subject: RE: Halcyon experience in Australia?
> 
> > Billy
> >
> > >I've seen 2 divers, quite experienced divers who should
> > >know better, struggling to stay afloat, really struggling
> > >to get their heads up out of the water to snatch a breath,
> > >when they should have just dropped the belt (one of them
> > >could have simply inflated his BC, but that's another story).
> >
> > Me too.  We called him the hamster, trying to climb back into a RIB after
> > having a scare.  He was in full kit at the time.  It was like watching a
> > hamster on a wheel!
> >
> > >I remember in my beginning years I once jumped in over-
> > >weighted with a new steel tank and too much weight on the
> > >belt and struggled like a maniac to get round to the back
> > >of the boat. It only occured to me after I got hold of the
> > >ladder that I could have avoided the struggle by dropping
> > >my weight belt.
> >
> > BTDTGTTS.
> >
> > >So if Jack (the nipper) or his buddies ever need to drop
> > >the belt during self rescue or heling out someone else, I
> > >feel happier that it can be done quickly, easily and in a
> > >single movement.
> >
> > The best way IMHO is under the crotch strap, but I understand your points
> > about a newbie being more easily stressed and making the wrong decisions,
> > specifically forgetting to drop the weight belt. We see many sad cases of
> > drowning with newbies who panic and are found on the bottom with weight
> belt
> > still attached.
> >
> > My view is that if they forget to drop a weight belt when using a
> > conventional BC, then whether it is under or over the crotch strap makes
> no
> > difference at all.  If we are considering an inexperienced diver who
> > accidentally loses a weight belt, there is the possibility that in panic
> they
> > will hold their breath on the ascent.  This act is likely to produce
> severe
> > lung damage, whereas any bend would have most likely been curable.  Thus,
> in
> > the case of a newbie,  the ramifications of accidentally dropping a weight
> > belt is not of a bend but of lung damage which can occur at the depths to
> > which a newbie would be diving i.e. it can happen in a  swimming pool.  As
> > the diver progresses in experience and depth, lung damage should be less
> > likely but a bend more likely.  An experienced diver should be able to
> cope
> > with removing the crotch strap to drop the weight belt but can do nothing
> > much to deal with a weight belt which has already been dropped by
> accident.
> > So avoiding the problem in the first place is the best action, i.e. retain
> > the weight belt under the crotch strap.
> >
> > >When they start to dive deeper or get into longer exposures,
> > >still no-deco stuff, but where a quick trip to the surface
> > >might have consequences, I'll introduce the alternate air
> > >source. I'm thinking about a 3 litre pony slung from the
> > >front - sort of early stage-training. What d'you think?
> >
> > I read this paragraph several ways, so please excuse me if I am inferring
> > incorrectly.
> >
> > Inference 1: if you are saying that to deal with the case of a dropped
> > weight belt, you are going to provide an alternative air source, this does
> > not make sense.  Deal with the cause, not the symptom.  I'm sure you don't
> > really mean this.
> >
> > Inference 2: if you are saying that if some problem occurs, you will
> provide
> > an alternate air source to allow the diver to sort the problem, then this
> is
> > common sense and what we all do.  However, I can't see how this has any
> > bearing on how a weight belt is carried.  In fact, having a alternate air
> > source furthers the argument of carrying the weight belt under the crotch
> > strap.  It takes longer to drop the weight belt when under the crotch
> strap.
> > The alternate air source provides additional time over that available from
> > the primary air source.
> >
> > Moving on to your possibly-not-so-related issue of carrying a pony,   I
> > presume you mean having it stage mounted on the left.  I prefer to think
> of
> > ponies as small stage bottles.  This is for two reasons:
> >
> > 1. If you carry one, you rig it the same way as a stage.
> > 2. The gas capacity of the stage must be appropriate to the dive being
> > undertaken.
> >
> > Note that I have not entered the debate on single plus stage vs. Doubles.
> I
> > occasionally dive with a 3 litre stage but carry oxygen in it for deco and
> I
> > dive doubles.  I don't own a 3 litre cylinder so don't dive this
> arrangement
> > very often besides, my deco is requires more gas than is available in a 3
> > litre stage.  However, I don't see how a stage is relevant to your point?
> >
> > David Shimell
> > Project Manager, Sequent Computer Systems Ltd., Sandton, South Africa.
> > Email: shimell@se*.co* <mailto:shimell@se*.co*>
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: bdi@wh*.ne* [SMTP:bdi@wh*.ne*]
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 4:23 PM
> > To: Shimell, David (shimell); cspencer@te*.co*;
> > techdiver@aquanaut.com
> > Subject: RE: Halcyon experience in Australia?
> >
> > At 03:44 AM 12/5/99 -0700, Shimell, David (shimell) wrote:
> > >Billy
> > >
> > >Excellent post.
> > >
> > >You mention:
> > >
> > >>He wears a standard weight belt over the crotch strap.
> > >
> > >One of my dislikes of weight belts is that they can come loose.  I would
> > >prefer to wear the weight belt under my crotch strap so that if it does
> come
> > >loose, the crotch strap will snag the weight belt thereby preventing a
> rapid
> > >ascent.  The disadvantage with this approach is that dropping a weight
> belt
> > >is a two step act: release crotch strap and release weight belt.
> > >
> > >I recognise that a dropped weight belt is less severe a problem in a
> > >recreational dive but I have seen weight belts dropped more frequently by
> > >accident than by design.  Thus the failure mode here is accidental
> dropping
> > >of the weight belt.
> > >
> > >Comments?
> >
> > I've seen 2 divers, quite experienced divers who should
> > know better, struggling to stay afloat, really struggling
> > to get their heads up out of the water to snatch a breath,
> > when they should have just dropped the belt (one of them
> > could have simply inflated his BC, but that's another story).
> >
> > I remember in my beginning years I once jumped in over-
> > weighted with a new steel tank and too much weight on the
> > belt and struggled like a maniac to get round to the back
> > of the boat. It only occured to me after I got hold of the
> > ladder that I could have avoided the struggle by dropping
> > my weight belt.
> >
> > So if Jack (the nipper) or his buddies ever need to drop
> > the belt during self rescue or heling out someone else, I
> > feel happier that it can be done quickly, easily and in a
> > single movement.
> >
> > When they start to dive deeper or get into longer exposures,
> > still no-deco stuff, but where a quick trip to the surface
> > might have consequences, I'll introduce the alternate air
> > source. I'm thinking about a 3 litre pony slung from the
> > front - sort of early stage-training. What d'you think?
> >
> > rgrds  billyw
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > >David Shimell
> > >Project Manager, Sequent Computer Systems Ltd., Sandton, South Africa.
> > >Email: shimell@se*.co* <mailto:shimell@se*.co*>
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: bdi@wh*.ne* [SMTP:bdi@wh*.ne*]
> > >Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 1:41 AM
> > >To: cspencer@te*.co*; techdiver@aquanaut.com
> > >Subject: Re: Halcyon experience in Australia?
> > >
> > >At 01:07 PM 9/5/99 +0930, Cathy Spencer wrote:
> > >>Hi all,
> > >>
> > >>I am a new OW recreational diver, looking for divers in South Australia,
> > >>in the Adelaide area who have experience with the Halcyon style BC and
> > >>long hose.
> > >>
> > >>I agree with the DIR philosophy, and like the simplicity and minimal
> > >>configuration of the gear. However, there are no dealers in Australia
> > >>who can provide (I havent found any) support for this gear..or the
> > >>philosophy.
> > >
> > >Cathy, I dive a hogarth/DIR set up, along with a
> > >couple of other Sydney divers.
> > >
> > >My son did his OW certification last year and I
> > >built him a hogarth single rig.
> > >
> > >I got a small zeagle wing from a dive shop bits &
> > >pieces bin, and attached it to one of those small
> > >triangular plastic back-pacs that were popular before
> > >jacket style BCs came in. You can still find the
> > >plastic back-pacs inside some BCs (Apollo, I think).
> > >Dive shops often have them in the spares pile. They
> > >have a slot for a cam band which attaches to the
> > >cylinder - in our case a 63 cu ft alloy.
> > >
> > >I threaded a single, continuous piece of webbing
> > >through the bac-pac to make shoulder straps and
> > >waist straps. I then added a couple of bent d-rings
> > >to the shoulders, and one to the left waist strap,
> > >a weight-belt buckle to the waist strap, and a crotch
> > >strap that loops round the waist strap at the front.
> > >
> > >We added a pair of line shears in a webbing pouch
> > >that loops onto the waist strap and that's it.
> > >
> > >He uses a normal DIN first stage with a second stage
> > >on a short hose bungied round his neck and the primary
> > >second stage on a longer hose. The inflator hose goes
> > >through a loop of bungee on the left shoulder d-ring
> > >and a contents guage (NOT a boot full of instruments,
> > >JUST the contents guage) is clipped off to his left waist
> > >d-ring. He wears a bottom timer or an older aladin pro
> > >on his right wrist.
> > >
> > >He wears a standard weight belt over the crotch strap.
> > >
> > >The rig is so streamlined that, from the front, Jack
> > >(the nipper) doesn't look like he's wearing a bc at
> > >all. At the back, there's just the small wing protruding
> > >either side of the cylinder.
> > >
> > >It takes an extra 20 seconds to don - the crotch strap
> > >is an extra step - but in the water, his trim (attitude)
> > >and lack of swimming resistance is awesome. It's the
> > >slickest set-up I've seen. He's really happy with it.
> > >
> > >If you want a ready-made solution, you will be able
> > >to mail-order a DIR single tank backplate and harness
> > >from Halcyon in the US.
> > >
> > >Compared to what you'll pay for the full BC catastrophe
> > >here in Oz, it's not expensive and it dives far, far
> > >better.
> > >
> > >rgds    billyw
> > >
> > >ps, If it will help, I'll take some shots of the set-up
> > >and put them on a web site. Let me know.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>
> > >>I would like to try out the gear here in Australia, and would really
> > >>benefit from advice from a local diver who has had the experience with
> > >>Halcyon. Or who could let me dive with the gear.
> > >>
> > >>I have talked to a local prominent cave diver instructor here, and he is
> > >>dead set against the idea of a long hose. So no support there.
> > >>
> > >>So I am stuck between choosing a back lift style BC, from a supported
> > >>brand (ie Sherwood outback) and the Halcyon gear, which I havent tried,
> > >>but think is better.
> > >>
> > >>Any help would be appreciated,
> > >>
> > >>Cathy Spencer
> > >>
> > >>-------------------------------------------------------------------
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