With What Back-UP Gear Do You Travel

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Scububbs

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
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Location
Tucson, AZ
# of dives
200 - 499
My wife and I began our journey into diving a year ago, and we've both been seriously bitten by the bug. As we already loved to travel we've now incorporated our new passion into the old one, but obviously all the necessary dive gear has added a new dimension to the acitivity.
So, as a lifelong believer in the "always have a back-up plan" school of thought, I'm trying to decide what extra gear needs to come along. With current airline weight restrictions on luggage it's an important decision.
If the destination has a dive shop nearby it may not be so critical, but our first trip was to Beqa Lagoon in Fiji, and other than masks or a snorkel there was no chance to replace a broken or lost piece of equipment.
In your experience, what gear is most likely to fail? First stage, second stage, BCD, SPG? I could imagine opening a seam on a BC and using a tire patch on a bladder, possibly, but what can you do if a reg fails?
What do you consider essential back up gear, and what brand/configuration do you use? We dive with AquaLung Legends that are only a year old and they will always get the recommended mantainance, but I don't consider that a guarantee of anything.
 
When traveling, I usually take an extra set of regs and a spare computer. Also a spare mask.
I don't want to miss any dives while vacationing!! :D

I used to take spare fin straps, 'til I switched to spring straps.
 
Well, I personally dont fall into that dive rags idea of an "average diver".....makes 6 figures and take four vacations a year.

So, the only duplication I have is two computers, two sets of fins (one I got real cheap) and I take a shorty and a 3mm suit....if you count that as duplication.

Dont let hype rob your wallet.
 
There are 3 of us that dive together and we all have identical gear so we take a spare reg. set complete with hoses, 1st stage,2-2nd stages, a spare computer, 1 set of spare fin straps, 1 spare mask, a small save a dive kit with tools,a 2nd stage calibration tool and gauge, o-rings, ty-raps, silicon grease etc. At one time or another we have had occasion to use every item we pack as backups. You would be amazed at how often people ask if I have parts to fix theie gear and the most common request is "I just had my gear serv iced and my reg. is freeflowing can you help me" I get this request on every dive trip at least 1 or 2 times.
 
Make sure you have a stocked Save a Dive Kit. With a scuba tool, mask and fin straps, batteries for comp, light etc, O rings, spare knife, aqua seal, silicone grease, first aid kit, zip ties, etc, etc. Im sure I am missing a few things. If you happen to have a spare reg I would pack that as well.
 
It is so tricky to judge the odds of needing a spare of any particular item and destination affects my choices sometimes. Of course, sometimes the places with the smaller luggage limits are inconvieniently the precise places where you want to take more spares! Here's my thoughts from 16 years of tropical dive travel-

I've occasionally had a computer freak or a battery run low. We always dive with backup computers, which I think is a good idea when you're traveling to dive and are going to dive a computer. They don't take much space and can be cheap compared to the price of most trips. When you spend lots of money getting someplace you don't want to bail on any dive for a failed computer, let alone skip any other dives. Even if you can rent a computer, renting one in the middle of a trip after yours has failed interferes with your diving.

As far as BCs, I had some critter chew a hole in my inflator hose once, and I've had inflator problems 3 times. Problems with the hose itself should be rare if you check your gear, the inflator seems like the most likely thing on a BC to have a problem. I happen to have a relatively new hose and inflator I stripped off a BC I junked, so now I take that along. I've never had any other problem with a BC. If you have a WI BC and you'd miss that feature you might consider a spare pocket, especially if they're the velcro kind more likely to get lost. Of course you could just use a weight belt so a spare weight pocket is more of a luxury.

I've had a few reg problems, most would have been avoided by testing gear on a dive before a trip but that's not easy for now as we quit local diving and pool time is tough. We bought new octos a couple years ago and I've been taking along one of the old ones as a spare 2nd stage, came in handy last trip. All my problems have really been 1st stage though and I don't have a spare as I don't want to maintain one just for a backup. I figure I could usually rent If I really had to. One of these days I might get one spare reg to take, especially if I have plans to go someplace where repairs or renting a good reg could be an issue.

A spare mask isn't a bad idea, as you really want your mask to fit and it could be an easy thing to lose or break especially if you're the clumsy type. We've got them and I take them sometimes, but they never get used and if I'm tight on space this is something I tend to leave behind.

We take 2 suits, mostly so there's always a relatively dry one to put on, but we use 1mm or lycra skins so it's not a big burden. I had a friend lose a skin once from a drying room, pretty obvious someone grabbed one by mistake. Was funny to see him squeeze into the one they left a size too small. I thought about replacing the zipper cords with something bright and crazy to minimize the chances of that.

I have a pair of neoprene socks for each of us as a backup as booties seem easy to lose track of, just so we'd have something to protect our feet if the booties walked. Don't take much space. Think they've gotten used a couple times until the booties crawled back.

We usually take along a random assortment of lights we've collected, so if (when) one floods there's always something else. If weight limits are tight I skimp on lights and batteries.

And I've got the usual save-a-dive kit of little junk.


Sounds like alot but the spare stuff I take actually isn't too much weight or volume. It's evolved to this over the years and we actually travel lighter now with experience. Mostly by learning not to take too many clothes. :wink: We fit gear, clothes, and housed DSLR with strobes and assorted lenses between 1 50# checked bag, 1 carryon, and 1 personal item, for each of us. I do work at the fine tuning every trip. I'm not crazy enough yet to drill holes in my toothbrush handle like some of the backpacking folks do. :D
 
Damselfish:
Sounds like alot but the spare stuff I take actually isn't too much weight or volume. It's evolved to this over the years and we actually travel lighter now with experience. Mostly by learning not to take too many clothes. :wink: We fit gear, clothes, and housed DSLR with strobes and assorted lenses between 1 50# checked bag, 1 carryon, and 1 personal item, for each of us. I do work at the fine tuning every trip. I'm not crazy enough yet to drill holes in my toothbrush handle like some of the backpacking folks do. :D

I have a friend that decided to pack all of his things in vacuum selaed bags to reduce the volume for one of our two week trips. He fit all of his stuff and some of mine into one large duffel. Of course when the trip was over and it was time to go home, he didn't have the vacuum pump and sealer for all of the plastic bags. He had to go buy new luggage. (hehehehe...)

I would only take what you cannot convieniently rent or buy at your destination or what is "fit" critical (mask/exposure protection) as back up. Of course some folks don't take anything. They rent it all.
 
Personal items are the most likely to fail or be lost, in my experience, those being mask fins and snorkel (if you use one). Especially if you do any beach dives with surf entries.

So I would say a spare mask is most important, especially for those of us who have prescription lenses. Fit is most important with a mask, and of course, no one is going to have your prescription in stock, although you may get lucky if you have the right kind of mask and can take stock prescription inserts.

After that I'd probably bring a spare computer, since they are hard to rent and harder to trust a rental comp.

Pretty much anything else can probably be rented and have perform at least adequately.

If I still had room left over in the weight allowance (which I doubt) I would consider a spare pair of fins. Still more room? Spare regs, but now we're getting kinda technical. If I had a spare BC I'd consider bringing it, but since I dive a bp/w, probably a spare wing would suffice in case of puncture, and some 2" webbing for strap repairs.
 
Apart from camera equipment spares, I always have 2 computers, regs, masks and lights. I also take 2 wetsuits and 2 pairs of booties and alternate days with them.
 
I bring an extra mask, snorkel, regulator, LP and HP hose.
 
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