Help! It's my first time traveling with gear!

[robint]

We take a laptop so my hubby can download his photos nightly and review them on a big screen. He is shooting in RAW so photo sizes are 3x the size of a jpg. He has to download nightly since we tend to do 4-5 dives per day on liveaboards.
We took our laptop with us to Bonaire last year to download photos but also so we could e-mail our daughter daily (college student) who didn't go with us. We had to check in and make sure she didn't burn the house down.

 

[diversteve]

So if I'm getting this correctly, I wont be able to check my computer, even if it is part of my gauge set and therefore attached to my regs? If I carry on my regs, do I still have to take the battery out of the computer?

No, any batteries installed in devices are exempt. So your computer is fine. There also seems to be a quantity limitat for loose batteries depending on what size they are.

Here's the government website that discusses it all: Safe Travel - safetravel.dot.gov

And a thread here that discusses it: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...ium-batteries-usa-airplanes-jan-1-2008-a.html

 

[TequilaBob]

One thing I would add to the great suggestions already spewed forth. Lay your gear out in advance and take pictures of everything. You know you don't have most of the receipts anymore, but photos will help you with the airlines should any gear get "misplaced."

Go to the TSA website for the straight story on what's allowable and what isn't.

 

[tracy_from_oz]

Ok here is my question as I do not know the science behind it.

Theoretically shouldn't the cabin pressure of a plane be equal to the pressure in the cargo area of the plane where people's bags are?
( I dont know the answer. I assume yes)

If it is the same, theoretically if you used a pelican water tight hard case as a dive bag, shouldn't all your gear be safe inside from being knocked around but also the regs, computers, camera housings, lens and lights be fine as well from the equal pressure?

So in actuality it isnt pressure on planes that is out problem it is how our luggage is handled?



I found this link which might be helpful.
Will an areosol can explode if you bring it on an airplane? - Yahoo! Answers

 

[Damselfish]

yes, the cabin and cargo pressure is the same. There's a flat floor between the passengers and the cargo, not a good structure to resist pressure - the tube is what's pressurized.

A Pelican will protect help stuff from being knocked around as long as it's packed properly inside; it will also take up a big chunk of your weight allowance before you put anything in it. A well packed duffel works fine too for the less fragile gear and weighs a lot less.

I carry on regs, computer, mask - not because of theft or handling concerns, but in case my bag is lost. They're pretty easy to carry on. (But, it's pretty easy to protect a small item such as a computer or mask, and regs themselves aren't really that fragile.) A housing I would want to check in something hard, or put in carry on. I wouldn't check cameras or lenses no matter how well packed as those might actually be inviting to steal and the airlines take no responsibility for camera gear. (Not that they take much responsibility for anything.).

 

[mynamehere]

I went to the bahamas and took all my gear including wet suits. THey were still wet when we left, which made my dive bag wet, which got my clothes bag wet and everyone elses bag wet that it got wedged between during transit. (airport shuttle and puddle hopper flight)

A heavy duty garbage bag (or two)would have been nice (to put my stuff INSIDE my dive bag). Oh, and after a week of diving...It smelled terrible.

There may be a more innovative way to prevent/handle this (the sun, is obvious, but not always avalable)

 

[Damselfish]

I've never had trouble getting stuff dry before I had to pack, if at least I've got an air conditioned room. If there's no sun, strategically decorating your A/C room with dive gear will work. Rolling your wetsuit in towels to remove excess water helps speed drying that. Babysitting gear helps too - squeeze out extra water that drains down, use a towel to blot things, turn it, whatever it needs to dry best. (Once gear is fairly dry, A/C can also do a better job at getting it really dry than in the sun in a humid place.)

 

[tracy_from_oz]

Thanks Damsel.

Basically what I have done is the Pelican case way. You are correct in the added weight and there have been a few times it has been over but the airlines have let it slide, so I have been lucky there.

Coming from Australia and travelling a lot, my bags used to get kicked around and that is even with the fragile stickers, vip stickers from the airlines, hence the pelican route.

What I have done however is made the case into two sections. The bottom has my wet suit, bcd and no fragile items. The top I bought a massive hard piece of foam and had the foam store cut out parts of it to fit mask, regs, lights, camera housing (only have a cyber shot etc), strobe etc so they are all tightly packed in. They each have their own little space and I have not had anymore problems with it.

I do take on board camera, ipod, lap top, cell phones etc but my regs go underneath.
You have to remember Australian on board luggage rules are much different to American. We bascially are allowed one back pack and if we have a laptop a bag with it in as well. To my knowledge you can also bring a bag with regs on board as well as a second on board bag but they will ask when your going through to board.

In regards to drying clothes, I couldnt resist showing you this, which in itself is a pretty nifty idea.

UK HangAir Drying System, Accessories: Miscellaneous, Underwater Kinetics, UK HangAir Drying System

 

[aubie85]

In regards to drying clothes, I couldnt resist showing you this, which in itself is a pretty nifty idea.

UK HangAir Drying System, Accessories: Miscellaneous, Underwater Kinetics, UK HangAir Drying System

Thanks! I actually got the same one from my fiancee for x-mas, I can't wait to use it.

 

[TravisD]

Once you get things situated as well, weight distribution wise, consider making note of what's in each back so you can recreate the weight distribution for the return trip.