Akona Travel Roller Bag

[99heritage]

I just purchased the above mentioned bag on eBay, and received it today. I immediately attempted to put in "my complete set" as advertised by Akona and found that it is a little crammed. I carry the following:

Dive Rite BC with Rec Wing
Reg and octo
7mm full suit
7mm hood
Booties
Mask
Fins
Snorkel
Knife
Soft Weights (26 lbs)
Gloves

I guess I can cramm it in there, but it doesn't seem "safe." It comes with a reg bag, that takes up half of the suitcase. Does anyone own this bag and have this problem?

I also wanted to know if it is safe to just shove all your wet gear in the bag after diving, or will the bag get damaged?

And last, but not least.... do you put your weights in the bag? or is that not advisable?

Thanks in advance....

[seaangel]

I have an Akona roller bag, too. I have felt it is pretty stuffed at times also. My last trip I had the following packed in it.
Inside main compartment:
2 beach towels flat on bottom ( to protect my wetsuits from the bars runnig up and down.)
1 3mm full suit
2 1.5 full suits
Scubapro Classic BC (gloves, safety sausage in BC pockets)
Mesh Boat Bag
Mask in its Box
Spare Mask
Snorkle
Save A Dive Kit

Outside Compartments: Fins in the Fin Side compartments, put booties in with fins: Twin Jets one on each side.

Regulator packed in the bag and put in the zipped compartment on front. In the top pocket I put spare items, small bag with extras, ie: o-rings, tank light, other tools.

I packed my camera bag with my primary light, back up light, batteries and of course the camera. In the front pocket I packed all my booklets and papers for gear.

I do not put my weights in any of the bags, those I carry separate. ( I have at other times put them through out my bags, but it is too much weight added) Now I only dive with 10 lbs so I carry it separate.

I don't see how any of my clothes or personal items could fit in my gear bag as I have read others do. That bag is stuffed like it is.

As for wet gear harming it, no it has not harmed my bag. I have taken my gear wet in it. I have had to rinse it off when home as salt spots to appear.

Hope this helps you.

[scubawife]

We've had no problems packing our gear and clothes for a week in our bags. My husband wears XXL, has size 13 shoes and his BC is a Zeagle Ranger, and still no problems. My lifesaver was finding Eagle Creek "Pack-It's". They're packing cubes that make things really easy and are also great for new security because they are mesh on top and the inspectors can see what's inside and your bag doesn't get ripped apart. We use one Pack-It medium size folder, 1 large cube and 1 small cube each for a weeks worth of clothes. Here's how I do it:

Place wetsuits (1 - 3mm, 1-1mm) on the bottom of the bag folding ones and lying flat. BC goes in next flush with the top of the bag. The folder pack-it and the large cube go inside the BC, then I sinch it up as tight as possible. The small cube gets shoved in anwhere it fits. Shoes go btwn the bottom of the BC and end of the bag. If we need towels or a sweater, that gets rolled up and put along the side. I put 1 fin in each fin pocket and usually put a light inside a glove and stick that inside one fin. Other accessories (like safety sausage, knife) go in the other fin. Booties go in the fin pockets where there's a space btwn the blade and the bag. Reg & computer in the reg bag and put in the outside reg bag pocket. Mask in protective case in main part of bag. We don't travel with wieghts or

I usually stick in a couple garbage bags for the wet stuff on the way home, but the inside of the bag is nylon and we haven't had any problems.

I was taking my reg, computer & mask in my carryon, but on non-stop flights I've started packing it and haven't had a problem. Get Pack-It's. They've made a world of difference in packing and also allowed us to breeze through the security inspections.

[99heritage]

I think you are all referring to the Roller Backpack - Overall Dimensions: 31" x 21" x 14"

The one I bought is the Travel Roller Bag - Overall Dimensions: 29" x 21" x 9"

The bag I bought does not have the regulator pocket in front. It slides in through the top, and ends up in a pocket inside the bag, so it takes up space inside the bag (funky design, I don't get the point :huh: )

I'm trying to decide whether to exchange it for the bigger one...

[downinFL]

My wife and I also purchased two of the Akona bags for all our gear, roughly similar in size and weight to yours but with the addition of a 3mm wetsuit to the mix. We also had the same problems. We eventually got everything to fit only by hand-carrying our reg bags on the airplane (advisable if you want the most critical gear to arrive with you). Even with the reg bags as our carry-ons, it was a tight stuff. We usually don't carry weights except for 6 pounds each of soft non-ditchables in our BCs -- some liveaboards still have only hard weights.

I thought hard about putting the camera into the bags, but opted to stuff it into our other carry-ons. I didn't like the idea of all that mass gathering energy in the baggage system and thrashing around something as delicate as camera gear.

The truly disappointing part about the Akona bags was that they look tough and rugged, but they are no match for the airlines' baggage gorillas. (Remember the Samsonite gorilla? His offspring all now work behind the walls at every airport in the world. The strongest ones work at the airports between you and the best dive locations...) On the first trip, one bag arrived at the destination minus one roller wheel (wheel and housing ripped out of the bag, leaving a hole) and a 3-inch rip in one of the main seams; the other bag caught a lot of scuffs and lost an outside pocket (and the small gear in it) when a zipper failed.

The airlines consider this kind of abuse "fair wear and tear" and won't reimburse for such damage. We were pretty P.O.'ed until we remembered that the bag is supposed to protect the contents, which the Akonas did for the most part. We weren't thrilled at replacing our bags after each dive trip, though.

We found an Ogio rolling duffel bag at ebags.com: more spacious, has all the features we need, less than the price of the Akonas. They have now survived three round trips with the baggage gorillas while carrying more weight (78 pounds each) than the Akonas did (71 pounds), and have only lost one plastic buckle and accumulated the inevitable scuffs and scrapes so far (knock wood!).

As far as putting wet gear into the bag, sometimes you have no other option. While it would be nice to be able to rinse and dry everything before packing to return home, there are times when that would mean losing an entire day of diving, even if you could find a place to hang all that gear -- they just don't make hotel room shower curtain rods like they used to... We find that if we dry the things that need to be protected against stray moisture (regs, for example) and have the discipline to thoroughly rinse/wash everything as soon as we get home, the worst we have encountered has been a little mildew in wetsuit folds and a bit of stink when opening the bag.

[scubawife]

If a bag isn't working for you, try and exchange it for something that makes more sense for you, or, eBay it. Don't start a trip being stressed about packing or schlepping a ton of luggage around airports.

Just my 2 cents, but, when I was shopping for a travel bag, I went to a couple local shops and opened the bag and collected gear around the shop that most closely matched my gear and actually packed it into a couple bags to see how it would all fit. Yes, I got some strange looks, (and my husband refused to go into a second shop with me). These dive bags can be really deceiving. Just because they look big it doesn't mean that your stuff will fit. Don't trust the sales person or the picture on the tag that shows a full set of gear packed in with room to spare. Not all BC's are the same size and proportion. Putting a full set of gear in the bag let me see how much room was left for clothes and also gave me a realistic idea of how managable the bag was going to be for me to haul through airports etc.

[pinstripe1]

I recently got the same bag from LP (on special, right?) As soon as I opened the box I realized that it was

Too small
Too heavy
And the zippers didn't look like they would hold up.

So I returned it. Cost me a pretty penny in shipping but still cheaper than paying for a bag I didn't like and that wouldn't work for me.

I'm still in the market for a decent rolling gear bag.

[99heritage]

I actually bought the bag on eBay, but it was brand new. I called my LDS, and the guy told me he would let me trade it in and upgrade to the larger Akona Bag, and pay the difference (about $50).

I must say that I've spent several thousand dollars there, but either way, I thought that was very cool of them. In fact, I think I'll go back today and buy that steel tank I've been wanting.. :D

So the new bag is great. I packed all my stuff in it (including a large towel) and still have room for a few more things.

Thanks to everyone for helping make this decision...

[astrofunk]

pinstripe1: It's not the most obvious thing to do, but you might check out the LL Bean Adventure Roller Duffel (you can see it on their website). I got the idea for looking outside of the scuba world for a dive bag somewhere else on this board. The LL Bean bag is bigger than the Akona bag (I put them side-by-side for a comparison), it's got a hard bottom, and it offers the advantage of not screaming "I contain scuba gear".

For the record, I can carry the following with ample room to spare:

(1) mask/snorkel/fins,
(2) booties/gloves/one-piece 8mil wetsuit,
(3) regulator and gauges,
(4) BC and soft weights,
(5) camera,
(6) dive parka and towel.

I don't hesitate to put wet gear in the bag at the end of the dive. When I get home, I rinse it off and hang it to dry. So far, so good!

[Mo2vation]

The Stahlsac Catalina - its their rolling back-pack (also called the XL Cargo bag).

I had a bag for about 4 years, it recently died. I've been drooling over the Akona for ages - so I got one.

I was so dissapointed - I loaded it up, and it doesn't stand when loaded. Of course I would know this by reading the reviews - but I didn't, it doesn't, back it went. The zippers were not smooth, the handle flexed when loaded and I just wasn't as happy as I thought I would be.

Lets be honest here - the Stahlsac represents a serious investment for a dive bag. Its about twice as much as the Akona. I was going to go the giant Tupperware tub route, but for the botes I dive, we live out of the bag....the Tware won't fit under those low benches. I'll tell you this, its a serious bag. Its much more bag than the Akona.

The zippers are better, its bigger, it stands up when its filled. Its simply a kick butt serious bag. I just got one (off of eBay) and saved some bucks. LP has them, too.

I traveled for years with bogus, knock off travel bags. 5 years ago I spent the outrageous $500 for a Hartmann roll on - and about 400,000 miles later, its still going strong, and will for another 10 years. You'll never regret investing in a good bag.

True Story - for our DIR/F this weekend, there were 5 students and two instructors. 2 Students had the giant Pelican cases, 1 student had the Akona, and the rest of us (two students and two instructors) had 5 Stahlsacs between us. These instructors shclep all over the country every weekend and could pick any bag - they had the Stahlsac. If its within reach, I recommend it.

K

http://stahlsac.com/submariner/catalina.html

[pufferfish]

I too have seen the Akona bag and declined. Have a look at Mountain Equipment Rolling Odyssey bag. Huge, no advertising (black), with wheels and stow away back pack straps. I used this bag on my last trip and loved it,..built like a tank. Cost $85 US

MEC Bag (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp;jsessionid=2PND4C2hK5TD2jq1rbH l90RLNTdZU2LfvG2nGNS6ewFyHQAsVO64!440277682!170918 944!2003!7002?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=587427&bmUID=1049562500053)

[Fly N Dive]

when my dad and i got our gear, bc's fins, masks, suits ect. we got a large rubbermaid tub. the problem, we were going to coz, and the tub was overweight and size limits it would cost like 200 to bring it with us. so we went on lp and got 2 bags, an akona rolling duffle http://www.akona.com/duffel_bags.html (top one) and another http://armorbags.com/wheeledbags.htm 1st one and when we got to coz. we got our bags, and my bag, the akona was just they way we had packed it, my dads was not so lucky (or well made) the plastic had a 6'' crack on the back side 1/2 way down, and he was missing several small items. his mask box had been smashed! it was good that he had not just chucked his mask in or it would have been broken.
he had to use epoxy and fiberglass to beef it up or that might happen again. I LOVE my akona!!!!

[lordoftheOrings]

i like it

[Hoya97]

I really disliked my Akona full (non-roller) gear bag due to it's shoddy manufacture!

First, they use lightweight zippers that after a single season, lost both sliders and tore away from the bag itself.

Next, the constant sliding across non-skid surfaces of dive boats frayed the underside to a point where the interior contents could be seen

Third, the wrap around handles were only stiched vertically without horizontal backing. This resulted in the handles being pulled away from the bag when tugged on from under the bench on the boat.

All that being said, let me explain the circumstances. This was the second year of life for the bag, being used on about 150+ dives. However I do believe they could make a few improvements that would extend the life of the bag.

First, place reinforced rubber bottom on the bag in addition to little feet (pegs). This would dramatically reduce the wear and tear on the bottom.

Next, put a YKK number 10 zipper nylon zipper in, replacing the ultra lightweight zip that it is currently equipped with.

Finally, horizontally reinforce the handles by stiching a horizontal bar of material from one handle to the other. This would provide a lot more strength for pulls from under the bench seat.

I talked to the Akona representative at DEMA in Miami about these problems and he said that they had reinforced the bottom (they had) with peg feet and a thin rubber coating. A step in the right direction, but there is more work to do before I recommend them to my students.

[Hoya97]

Check out the Code Alpha bags. Great! Heavy reinforcement and a low price. Well worth it.

Also, their backpack makes an excellent camera bag - scope out the divided compartments! Makes it very easy to take equipment on and off a plane as a carry on.

Speaking of planes, I travel with a huge Armor Rolling bag. Put all my equipment inside to include my Code Alpha gear bag. When I get to the hotel room, I unpack the Armor Rolling bag and shove everything into the Code Alpha. I take the Code Alpha on the dive (as I do at home). Once done with diving, I wash and hang everything up to dry prior to the trip home.

The Armor Rolling bag has no exterior clues that indicate it's a dive bag - just another large rolling bag. The drawback is that it's really too large to bring on a boat. That's why I take my Code Alpha with me as well. Folds up nicely and is build like a brick outhouse. Akona (read posting above) can learn a lot from this upstart!

[clementyn]

hi,

we have the 'big' akona roller (31x21x14).

i fit the following in it for checked baggage:

(2) pair fins, (2) sets booties, (3) masks, (2) snorkels, (2) BCD's(seaquest diva lx and balance), (2) 3mm or 5mm wetsuits - depends on trip, (2) pistol lights, (4) other small lights, (2) pair gloves, (2) sausages, (2) hoods, (1) vest, "spares and repairs" kit (medium sized, multi-compartment toiletries bag), extra ziplocks, batteries and garbage bags.

i fit it in as follows:

fins (one facing blade down and one facing blade up) into the side pockets, with small lights in each foot pocket, 1 pair booties on top of the fins in each side pocket. masks and snorkels in "padded reg bag" in lower front pouch. fold wetsuit in 1/2 vertically, roll up pistol light in wetsuit, place inside BCD with releases open to wrap snugly around wet suit. BCD/wesuit/light packages go into the bag facing horizontally. gloves, sausages, hoods, vests, batteries and spare zippy's/garbage bags tucked into free spaces around BCD packages. the 'spares and reparis' kit goes in the upper pocket on the front of the bag.

thats it.
lorien.

ps. this bag has survived 3 trips to the Atlantic and 3 to the Pacific/S. Pacific.

[chrisc]

We also have 2 of the large Akona bags and were disappointed in the quality of the product. On one bag the wheel broke before even entering the airport from the car (screw holding wheel stripped out and cracked plastic), and the second was damaged in flight from Vegas to Cancun (handle would not retract). Both the airline and Akona told us that this was not their fault. We tried to return them to the LDS where they were purchased and were told that we could not return damaged items.... Several letters to Akona to customer service with the same result, not their fault. One more company with no reguards for customer service and will no longer receive any more business from us. We are purchasing Pelican cases now, the 1660 and 1650 are a little more in price but much better quality, and Pelican stands behind their product.

Chris

[erikharwell]

I just got one, and I really like it. it seems to be better made than alot of the luggage that I have used, it will hold all my gear with some room to spare. my reg will go in carry on so that leaves that whole area for clothes. A friend had his reg in regular baggage and the airport gorillias actually managed to BEND yolk on his reg. I guess if they can manage that they can wreck any bag out there. the pelican cases are just to heavy