First time packing for a trip with SCUBA gear. Help!!

[divemonkey33]

A knife with one handle with enterchangeable blades thats pretty cool. Think I would have skipped sunscreen and bug spray (more weight and SPACE)and just picked some up down there. I think you can get away with a small save a dive kit and a small first aid kit. At least an o-ring kit and something to stop blood from going all over. Also the keys are filled with dive shops so things you might need to make a repair are very nearby.


Kershaw Deluxe Blade Trader Knife at The Kershaw Store

This is the newer version of the knife set. As for the sunscreen, the resort we are going to is on it own island and I'm cheap. I can't even imagine how much they would charge for a bottle of sunscreen and bug spray. Of course if it puts me overweight I'd leave it home.

Cool knives looks like something an assassin would pack lol. It's ok to be cheap save on the smalls to buy the big.

 

[DandyDon]

I hate it when members join a thread late, then ask questions that were previously answered - but forgive me if I repeat previously offered suggestions. Some of my repetition will be in support of very good recommendations.

Now, I have not been to the Keys in a few years, but I used to do dive trips there - and my first stop after checking in was the Key Largo K-mart. There is also a huge dive store in KL and much more in case you need more than you take. Of if you are staying further down the road, there are many more stores.

I guess you both have DAN dive insurance and have already shopped for decongestants? Hate to see a newbie ruin their first dive trip unable to equalize. Get the good stuff that requires ID and signature from behind the counter.

The portable luggage scale is a very good point. We travel with one as well and has readily proved it's worth.

Essential! And the first things you weigh are your bags. I have a couple of pricey pieces of scuba luggage I never use any more because they each weight 5# or so more than some of my lighter bags that I do use - allowing me more leeway on packing. The airlines are killing us on weight limits.

We are traveling to a fancy resort for a friend's big birthday bash in the Keys.

As suggested, pay for the extra bags and take what you want - up to 2 - 50# checked bags each, 1 roll-on each, and 1 backpack each. My last flight on A.Eagle a couple of weeks ago, some guy had a huge, rolling suitcase - well beyond legal limits, and he got it on easily, but I do stick to the dimensions listed. (He was an odd looking fellow to be traveling to Lubbock, hippy looking with clothes that looked like they were falling apart, but I glanced some interesting looking middle-eastern clothes or rugs he messed with in his bag. Maybe they gave him a pass because it was easier than finding a translator or dealing him? Surely he didn't fly in from overseas with that as a roll-on? Who knows.)

Problem solved!

I wish more airlines would do the "gate check" thing. Air Canada does it on some of the short hauls - allows you to really pack that "carry-on", but never have to take it into the cabin.

Bill

It's common to see that on CRJs and other planes with smaller cabins. Airlines reconfigured overhead bins of larger planes to better accommodate roll-ons after they became so popular, but CRJs and the like hardly have room for the personal bags. Small overhead bins on one side only, and even less room under seats.

Caution: I've seen cameras broken in roll-ons when they were gate checked, and I've seen people grab the wrong one. Tie some colored ribbons on all handles of yours, but cameras, other breakables, medicines, and most important stuff go in your backpack!

Shipping some of your luggage ahead of your trip may be an easier and cheaper option.

Have you done that? Pricey, and how do you know it'll be safe & available when you arrive?

Also remember to dry your gear as well as you can for the flight home. The water can add some pounds and in humid climates this can be hard to do so if you can hang your gear in an air conditioned room to dry. Also if you brought lights with you throw away any batteries to save a few pounds for the ride home.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Shipping some of your luggage ahead of your trip may be an easier and cheaper option.

Current UPS rates are about $40 for 50lbs, each way. Plus you have to box it and arrange to drop ship it 2x. Is this really worthwhile?

 

[TSandM]

Dandy Don added the suggestion I was going to mention -- pay attention to the weight of empty bags! We use rolling duffels we get at Costco. They're cheap, and they only last a few years, but I don't mind replacing them. They weigh very little, but my big Atlantic suitcase weighs over ten pounds!

We looked into shipping stuff when we traveled with scooters, but it cost far more to ship them than to pay for the extra bag, and then you also have the hassle of who is going to receive them and where they'll be stored, etc.

 

[DukeAMO]

Just to add a different idea to the thread...
We have a hockey bag, which is a very large duffel with wheels. It just fits within airline restrictions, and it doesn't weigh much. We put all of our bulky gear in there (for both of us) -- fins, wetsuits, BCDs, snorkels, save-a-dive-kit, mesh gear bags, lights without batteries -- and it comes to just under 50lbs. Then we have one large wheeled suitcase for clothes and everything else (for both of us). The rest of our gear (everything heavy or expensive or hard to replace) goes into carry-ons; 1 backpack and 1 shoulder bag each. We separate our scuba gear into two mesh bags after we get to our destination.

We managed to get our scuba gear, our clothes, and clothes and toys for our two girls for a week-long cruise through the airport. The trick is twofold: don't pack anything you don't need, and put heavy things in smaller bags, so the big bags don't get over-weighted.

On my next trip that involves a lot of trains/planes and just a few dives, I'm probably not going to bring any of my snazzy gear. Or maybe I'll just pack the essentials: BCD, mask, regulator and computer. I would rather deal with rental fins, wetsuits, etc., than haul all of that gear through airports and on and off trains. Plus it's a whole lot less to rinse and hang up in your hotel room!

P.S. Don't forget your cert card and dive log, and a waterproof bag to hold your log, wallet, and cell phone! (I've never had anyone ask to see my dive log, but one of my favorite things to do on a surface interval is to log the dive while I still remember what I saw.)