What equipment do you bring?

Hi there,

We are considering purchasing regulators and I was wondering whether it makes sense to plan to use them on our up-coming trip to the Carib next year, given the weight restrictions flying between islands on the likes on WinAir and Insel Air.

This gets me to the question of what equipment do people bring with them when traveling:

regulators
mask
fins
wetsuit

We are recreational divers, we also want to use our regs in the cold California waters near our home.

Thanks,

Bill & Emily

I have limited experience diving exotic locations outside the USA, having only dove Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. My recommendation....BRING YOUR GEAR!!!!

1. My experience - The rental equipment the others on the cruise rented was in less than pristine condition, small chamain bubbles obsuring the diver etc all showing that this equipment was A: Old and B: not well maintainded. Divers did have to put their gear together and return gear that was non-operational. I was so glad I had brought all my own gear.

2. Experience of a friend of mine who swears he witnessed this first hand - Tropical storm (Hurricane) on Carib island which I will not name, taking shelter in the dive shop because it was a cement building observed an employee take a rental regulator off the wall, put it on a tank, shove the second stage into the toilet to unclog it, shake it off and put it back on the rental wall to dry! (No, I don't see how that would unclog the toilet, but this is the story my friend tells and he swears this is something he personally witnesed).

3. Not every dive shop rents dive computeres. Do you currently use dive tables and guages or are you more comfortable with the dive computer?

4. Do you really want a regulator that may or may not have been sanitaized after use by other people in your mouth?

5. Regulators are not that heavy, and do not take that much room and will be in your carry-on luggage. Too easy to take them.

I would also take my fins, mask, snorkel, Backplate and Wing (travels nicely) or BCD and a 3 mm to 5 mm wetsuit (depending on where you are going. Where I went the water was 79F-81F in February). Wetsuit in 80F water? Yes, keeps you warm, my dive buddies all wore shorts and bikinis while the locals all wore 5mm wetsuits. My dive buddies were cold after the 2nd dive, I was warm. After one dive I and the DM had stings on our faces from small jellies we never even saw, but at least it was only on our face and not all over our bodies thanks to the wetsuit. I used my dive bag as my suitcase, and took 10 days of clothes for me in it. My non-diving wife and I had a total of 2 suitcases to check both waying under 50 pounds (barely) and since it was a cruise that included formal wear.

It all depends on what else is happening on the trip.

If the reason for the trip is to go diving, all the stuff I need is going minus tanks and weights. Cloths, electronics and other stuff is reduced in order to meet weight limits.

Trips for family events or work related with opportunities to sneak a dive here an there? .... I'd rent gear but also would try to add my own gear according to warm/cold water and weight and space limitations in the following order

datamask w/ transponder
for warm water -- fins
for cold water -- undergarment for rental drysuit
regulator
the rest

the post above reminded me that I happen to like a mouthpiece that has a little tab for the roof of the mouth, I buy them in bulk and just like zip ties, all my travel bags have one or two there, regardless of my travel destination. So even renting gear the mouth piece will always be MY mouthpiece... of course if the 2nd stage is full of bacteria or other $h!t I'm screwed.
But the same can be said for the glasses in the hotel, the forks in the restaurant and so on

I am constantly making an effort to pare down weight and bring less, but always bring all my gear except tanks and weights, which is what most people reply every time this is asked. My husband brings photo gear too (housed DSLR with the works.) Even on small planes, we've always managed - sometimes pay extra fees but that's ok to have my own gear. I have it to use it.

The only time I might not is if I were just doing a few dives on a trip that was primarily for other reasons. What I might decide to rent would depend where I was going and what I could learn of the rental gear at my destination. But my reg is one of the last things I would choose to rent. It's fairly light/compact as I bought my latest with that in mind. And it usually goes in carryon which has a decent chance of not getting weighed anyway.

Much as I'd rather not rent a BC either, I can dive in anything so I'd sooner rent that, cuts not only weight but bulk.

Fins are tough, in my experience most rentals don't fit well or otherwise suck. My fins are fairly light and fit nicely down the sides of my duffel so I'd generally bring them. If you have something heavy like jets, you might want to consider getting something much lighter just for travel.

Other things I'll cut back on:
- lights/batteries
- I usually bring 2-1mm skins (a luxury to have a dry one) but will cut back to one or even just bring my lycra skin if warm. I sometimes bring a 3mm vest, might skip that too. Just ask of everything, do you really need it? You don't want to be cold, but you don't want to bring more than you need either. Maybe get a lycra skin and figure on renting sa shorty to put over it if necessary. Again, this can be more of a bulk than weight thing, but everything helps.
- I can also skip a variety of the handy tools/gizmos/odds and ends/spares I often bring, depending on how available things might be where I'm going.
- Books - get an ereader if you haven't already. Or at the least bring reading material you don't want to bring back with you and leave it in airports or swap libraries as you go, helps make allowance for stuff you might buy or makes your bags get lighter!
- Voltage converters, which can weigh a ton. People sometimes think they will need these, maybe that was true in the distant past, but most likely they won't. Most electronics will work 110-220V just fine, read the fine print on them. OTOH multiple adapters are useful if needed where you're going, but they're little.
- less clothes etc, most people bring too many. Including me, no matter how hard I try.

I have not had the experience of having to be super limited by small aircraft weight restrictions so take this for what it is worth. You take what you need is my mantra -- so decide what it is you need to take and then go from there.

What is most important?

a. Clothes? -- well some, but especially in the tropics, one can do with pretty minimal and lightweight clothing

b. Life Support Gear? -- pretty high on my list and highest are probably my regs, then my dive computer, then my mask (well, maybe my mask higher than dive computer since I do have a Mosquito, dive computer/wrist watch)

c. Really nice to have -- exposure protection and fins

d. Want -- BCD (backplate/wing)

OK, what does all that weigh? One reg set is probably about 7 pounds; dive computer 1 pound, mask 1 pound, wet suit, 7 pounds (?), fins 5 pounds, BP/W, 4 pounds -- gear total, about 25 pounds. What is your weight limit?

BTW, unless there is an absolute limit, I'd just consider excess baggage fees a part of the total cost of the trip.

Now if I'm bringing a camera, add another 10 pounds of gear.

Clothes, no more than 10 pounds.

A lot of this can be carry-on so it really is, is the total amount of weight limited or just "baggage?" BTW, I can carry, on my person, a LOT of gear if need be!

Absolutely buy and use your own regulator. We fly to bonaire once a year and take all our own gear except tanks and weights. We take the regs and mask as carry on. Eric just purchased a travel BCD so we plan to try and carry on the BCDs now too. If we do check the gear, all of our gear will fit into one checked bag each. I will give up extra clothes before i give up my dive gear!

I bring all my gear, except tanks and weights (actually, I do bring 2, 2lb trim weights, as that size weight is not always available.)
I put the following in my carry-on: regs, computers, mask, photo gear.
I "check" a separate suitcase for the "less delicate" gear-BC, wetsuit fins, flashlight, etc.
Yes, the airlines do charge $$ for the extra bag, but it is usually less than (or close to) the cost of renting gear for a week of diving. Additionally,with my own gear I know: how the gear works; that it is working; when it was last serviced/cleaned; how it all fits together; where everything is, etc.
Enjoy your trip!

I am another bring everything but weights and tanks. Most experienced divers will tell you your own, well maintained gear is more reliable than what is on the rental market. Sometimes this is true, a lot of rental gear is fine, the problem being its very hard for a diver with moderate experience to tell the difference.

For me, I just fell less comfortable in rental gear. Especially the first dive or two until I learned the subtle differences. Diving is a sport where you may have significant time lapses between dives (months or more) and plunging back into the routine in a slightly different gear configuration is just one more item to deal with.

If I am pushed to renting, wetsuits, fins and BCD in addition to tanks and weights are the short poles in the ten.
Mask, computer, regulator, SMB and cutting tools are the tall poles in the tent.

With careful selection of gear it possible to pack all you gear in a 50lbs limit along with some clothing. Again, careful selection will allow the same gear to be use in So Cal and warm waters (except the wetsuit). Even using the smaller 42lb limit, use of carry on to balance out still makes it possible.

Some outfits have really good equipment--others not so good. Do you really want to bet your safety/life on gear that you do not know the care and maintenance history of the equipment? For me, the extra weight is always worth having my own gear, even when I know I am only going to dive once or twice during the week.

We also bring everything but weights and tanks. I want the gear I am familiar with and I know works.

Our bags usually tip the scales right at 50lbs and my carry on backpack is loaded with our regs, can lights, camera, and other fragile equipment. I am thinking about mounting my backplate to my backpack and use it as the straps.