Picked the old weight belt over the new one for a harbor job, zero regrets

Honestly, had to choose between a 30 lb weight belt that's seen 15 years of saltwater or the shiny new 20 lb one the dive shop pushed. I stuck with the old one because it fits my rig better and honestly the extra weight helped me hold bottom in the 3 knot current off Newport last week. Anyone else trust worn gear over new stuff just because you know exactly how it behaves?

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jamesc7912d ago

Three knots? That's moving, I don't care what anyone says. I had a current grab me sideways once off Cape Cod, maybe half that speed, and I felt like a kite on a string. The fact that you held bottom with a 30 pounder is impressive, but the real shocker is that you trusted a belt with 15 years of saltwater on it. I've seen those brass buckles just corrode into green crud after a few seasons, let alone a decade and a half. If that webbing hasn't rotted through, you've got some kind of miracle gear, and honestly, I'd keep using it too. New stuff has that factory stiffness, but your old belt already knows every twist and turn of your body, that's worth more than ten pounds of lead any day.