Who uses dive gear bag?

[FireStalker]

Just checked the CostCo website and the one they now have is $50 but it has a hard, molded bottom and appears to be much sturdier than the older, and cheaper, ones. We have two and I'll be interested in seeing how they hold up.

Funny you should mention this. I just bought this hard bottomed roller duffel for my five gear. My wife just spent more than 5x this amount on a fancy scuba branded roller. We'll see who's lasts longer. And of course I can buy 4 more new bags if I do have problems with this one.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have regular luggage for my gear and clothing and packed along with my dive gear is a mesh backpack style bag. Use it to haul my gear to the shop/boat. Generally my gear stays stored at the shop at the end of each dive day so keep mesh backpack in my room until time to pick up gear from shop cuz I'm repackaging for trip back home.

Smallest footprint you can make on a dive boat is best. One of the most important things you can learn about diving is good boat etiquette.

Now having said all that, what kind/size of boat are you going out on?

 

[robint]

I have regular luggage for my gear and clothing and packed along with my dive gear is a mesh backpack style bag. Use it to haul my gear to the shop/boat. Generally my gear stays stored at the shop at the end of each dive day so keep mesh backpack in my room until time to pick up gear from shop cuz I'm repackaging for trip back home.

Smallest footprint you can make on a dive boat is best. One of the most important things you can learn about diving is good boat etiquette.

Now having said all that, what kind/size of boat are you going out on?

What he said ...........

we have all our gear and clothing in regular suitcases for travel to our destination. Then we have mesh bags to put dive gear in, to take on dive boats. The ONLY exception to this is liveaboards, which includes the dive boats in Calif.

 

[Shasta_man]

I put everything in one bag. I put all clothes in vacuum bags with the one way valve and roll all of the air out. So no worry if anything is still wet on the way home. Just remember to compensate for such weight if you are planning on traveling "wet".

 

[Token]

I just throw a mesh Akona backpack in my generic (& cheap) checked luggage. At the hotel, I transfer my dive gear into the mesh backpack and head off to the dive boat. I really hate bringing anything onto a dive boat that I can't stow in a small place.

This is an excellent point. A couple of times I've made the mistake of bringing a large bag of stuff onto the boat, only to find that space is _very_ limited, and extra 'just in case' gear gets stowed all over the place and is a headache for me and everybody else. I've learned to ask about available space when booking boat dives, and I carry my BC and suit over my shoulder onto the boat, and everything else in a mesh duffel bag I can roll up and stow anywhere.

 

[koozemani]

+1 for the Costco bags. Mesh bag for the boat.

dive caddy for a carry-on.

 

[Renegadenow]

I do not use a separate bag but interesting to know the uses of a diving gear bag.

 

[bennenrkc]

Anyone looking for good luggage? Look at Eddie Bauer where they have a guarantee on their luggage. It is expensive to start out with but the lifetime warranty is great. My current bag has lasted 4 years with many trips, and still looks new and all of my previous bags, backpacks and anything else that has fallen apart or broke over the years have been happily replaced at no cost or minimal cost to upgrade. In fact my parents bought me a backpack from there when I was in middle school, and through various replacements I still use the direct descendent, some 15 years of class and travel later, never having had to buy another one.

 

[clownfish60]

Stahlsac makes some very sturdy gear. It is not the cheapest, but it is well designed and will last. I have one Stahlsac bag I bought in about 1994, and it is still going strong. I currently use a Curacao Clipper bag for a checked baggage bag. Lets me carry two sets of full size fins, two masks and snorkels, two shorty wetsuits, one BC and reg, dive lights, two mesh backpacks, small stuff, two towels and some clothing, and lots of the lotion and other liquids that are limited in carry-on. It has oversize wheels that roll well even in soft sand, and is easy to maneuver.

I normally don't take it on boats.. that is what the mesh backpacks are for, but you could. It is still smaller than some of the bodybags I see some people hauling onto boats.