FL trip question - how much gear to take?

[LandonL]

How much diving will you be doing on this trip? If this is a dive trip then I would bring a complete dive kit.
I usually put my reg in my carry on to cut down on weight. What kind of BP/W are you using? Steel or Aluminum?

 

[Caveeagle]

Last Feb in West Palm it was 70~72*. Even down below 80', the temp did not drop noticeably for me. I dove a 3/2 and did get a little chilly towards the end of a longer dive, but it was tolerable.

March in Jupiter was about the same.

 

[Marie13]

Steel backplate. I'd fly down on Friday, dive Sat and Sun, fly back Mon. Purpose of trip is to get some underwater time while it's off season up here, unless I go down to Mermet.

 

[LandonL]

Are you trying to avoid checking a bag and doing carry-on only or something?

I am pretty sure I can pack a complete set of dive gear and enough clothes for 3 days into a 50lb suitcase to check, I could maybe even do it with carry-on only.

If you are worried about a combo of size/weight and you plan on doing a lot of traveling like this, maybe a spare aluminum or even plastic/soft travel plate system, and a smaller wing may be of use.

 

[Marie13]

I'm usually a minimal baggage traveler. Not with dive gear, though! . I'm new at this and just trying to figure out if I should haul everything or not. I've got a big hard sided suitcase, that should be able to handle drysuit, BP/W, and fins.

 

[RandomGuy1]

If your friend has a place where you can ship to, you could ship some gear ahead of time, and carry critical and less bulky items when you fly. I personally would probably ship the drysuit (with tracking# and insurance) and then fly my reg, fins, and bp/w down.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You may be a topic of conversation in your drysuit, but you won't be uncomfortable in February. Yes, you should take all your normal gear. If you can ship the drysuit ahead, you will have no issue with fitting the rest, including steel backplate, within the baggage weight requirement.

 

[iamrushman]

bring your gear..i see dry-suits on charters during the winter down here once in a while....like you said your new at traveling diving and this is a good start....good luck....enjoy your trip and your dive...

 

[gr8jab]

I saw a couple of guys with dry suits in Key Largo this past July, in 86deg water. Not sure why, unless they were training or experimenting with new gear. Do people wear dry-suits for medical reasons?

One of them had massive leaks, which made me think they were new to the suits.

They were definitely a 'topic of discussion', but not in an unfriendly way.

 

[2airishuman]

I'm in the planning stages for trip to FL this winter to dive with a friend (also an instructor) in the FLL area. My question is how much of my diving gear to take? I'd definitely take mask, fins, reg set, and fins, but do I bring my BP/W and drysuit?

My current approach to air travel is to bring everything except tanks and weights. You'll probably find that you can fit everything except maybe fins and drysuit in a carry on. If your fins are smaller, they may fit as well.

As an aside, I'm experimenting with making some carry-on luggage that attaches to a backplate to form a backpack for ease of carry. The cam bands and crotch strap are removed from the backplate and stored inside, the shoulder/waist strap remains in place. With everything except fins but including a wetsuit, it is going to be under the carry-on size limits, and I'm going to put lash points on the back so I can carry the fins as well when I arrive. I'll post pics when it's done.