Cost of Shipping Equipment vs Renting It

[radtype]

If you can afford your own gear, take it. You know the history and it fits. I,ve seen too many people wear BCDs too big because that is all that was left.

 

[wspalding]

If you can afford your own gear, take it. You know the history and it fits. I,ve seen too many people wear BCDs too big because that is all that was left.

I agree. Plus, diving is much more relaxing, especially those first few dives after a long layoff, when you have gear that you are familiar and comfortable with.

 

[eponym]

Another wrinkle: Frontier and at least one other airline will be charging fees to use the overhead bins on their flights.
I am not kidding. How they monitor/enforce that policy is quite another subject.

Would you believe $100? See this article: Frontier Carry-On Fee: Airline Plans To Charge Up To $100 For Luggage In Overhead Bin

 

[DougK]

As I read the replies I thought it very important to point out that the people mostly responding to this have one and only one goal on a trip and that is to dive. In that senariao all you need is t-shirt and some shorts and flip flops as far as clothing goes. I, on the other hand, have always enjoyed a hybrid trip which is spent about 1/2 below water and the other 1/2 above water seeing the countries I am visiting. In that case I find having a few "mission critical" itmes I own and carry is perfect for travel -- a regulator, my wetsuit which lays flat, computer, and rent the rest. Then you can take a few more clothes to see the topside. And yes, I want more time than the final non-dive day to do so. I got into diving becase I was visiting amazing locations so I want to do both.

 

[drdaddy]

It appears that you are asking two questions: 1. Given that I dive a couple of times a year, does it make sense to buy my own equipment, and 2. Is traveling with my own gear challenging / awkward / difficult?

I think you see the consensus among the responses regarding travelling with gear - it really isn't a big deal. I travel to the Caribbean a couple of times a year, take my own gear (regs, BP/W, weight belt, wetsuit, boots, fins, camera, small Save-A--Dive kit with tools, camera, etc. - essentially everything minus cylinders / weights) and I have never had to pay any extra baggage fees, nor have I ever had to rent gear locally because of lost luggage.

Therefore I would encourage you to NOT base a decision about purchasing gear on potential hassles of traveling with it. The cost of annual (or biennial, for a lot of gear now) service is a consideration, but not an imposing one. You apparently don't plan to dive locally (cold water), but you seem to dive with some intensity, albeit episodically. Decide if you are comfortable with rental gear or not.

We just got back from a trip to Thailand to see our daughter and her family. I took BCD, regs, computer, fins, masks, compass, and signal sausage. All was in my carry-on, except the BCD. I only did 2 back to back dives in the 2 weeks we were there but it was worth diving my own stuff. I did leave the BCD (it was one of my 2 spares) at my daughter's, so I won't have to haul it over again.