Own or rent?

[CT-Rich]

Cost aside. You arrive at a destination, go to your room unpack and relax. Or, you go to your room unpack and the go to the rental shack to figure out your gear. You’ll get to do a weight check because your BCD is either a different brand or size. You get a regulator that on the surface seems okay, but tomorrow on dive three it is chafing your gums.

with rental gear you will make decisions based on is it good enough for the moment? You could bring your own gear and still find a problem (on my trip to Florida, I only realized I brought my drysuit hose and left my BCD hose at home). Most of the time your gear will be familiar and hassle free while everyone else is getting kitted up with iffy rental gear, you will be either diving or drinking.

I’ve had my own gear traveling, so maybe I am be melodramatic, but I have never hung out in the resort dive shop to rent or exchange gear on a trip.

my reg, computer, cameras, mask and dive lights go in carry on. My fins, BCD and exposure suit are in luggage (aka ratty dive bag). I am no longer bringing a wetsuit unless water temp is below 80F.

 

[MacDuyver]

For me it depends on where you live and how often you can go.

When I lived on the east coast, I was deployed alot, so it made more financial sense to rent. I purchased my own mask because rental masks usually are leaky. I also bought my own light, gloves, and fins.

Once I moved to the west coast and lived within 1hr of the coast, I bought some more things like a reg, 7mm wetsuit, slate, etc.

Once I moved out into the Pacific and lived 10 min from world class coastline, i got another two wetsuits, BC, another set of fins, etc etc etc.

Now that i'm fully intot he inky money abyss of diving, i've got to say: Rental equipment is awful. Owning my own stuff will never save me money though. What it does buy me is consistency. I only have to rent tanks. My buoyancy is pretty much always the same. My kit is in the same place every dive. My vents and releases are in the same place every dive. I know how my gear works so i get to just show up and dive, free of the stresses of trying to spend my first dive of the day figuring out whatever configuration the dive shop has.

 

[WillieJustice]

Regs, BCs, and wet suits will run on average $30-$40 per dive day.

Extra bag for your gear $100-120 per trip.

Regulator service $150 each per year.

So the annual cost of BC and Reg is going to be $200 plus the amortized life of 10yrs so 10% of cost.so let's say $100 per year.

Owning costs $300 a year or 7 to 10 days of renting.

If your going to do 10 or more dive days a year it's a no brainier.
But also there is the benefit of familiarity and knowing the gear is well maintained, which can be priceless.

Thank you. This is a question I was going to ask as a complete novice. Now it is answered. Next step will be figuring out what to buy.