Sending Dive Gear Ahead?

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Randallr

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Messages
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Location
New York, NY
# of dives
200 - 499
I travel a lot on business, occasionally to places near terrific diving. But I haven't been able to figure out a comfortable way to schlep my dive gear AND my photo gear AND my business-related stuff (laptop, decent clothing, etc.). Has anyone cracked this nut and figured out how to travel for business and dive pleasure simultaneously? Specifically, has anyone had experience sending dive gear ahead to a non-U.S. resort, via FedEx or some other reputable service? Assume that price is not really an obstacle - is it still a pipe dream?
 
Take your reg and rent everything else?
 
I bring mask/regs/computer in carryon and call it good. Rent a bc and fins and you're good to go. There are some bc's that travel very well in the bottom of a rollaboard and I can get a DSS BP/W, regulator, and mask along with the rest of my business travel in my rollaboard. Leave the fins at home and just rent a pair while I'm there.
 
Spend a little time on the Fedex International quick rate site...:wink: Even though price is not an obstacle, it looks like you could buy a new set of gear for the cost of shipping yours a couple of times.

I travel with a 45lb. checked bag full of dive gear/clothes. So I used that for some quick quotes. For all of these, I used June 3rd as a starting date.
Unlike airfares Fedex doesn't get cheaper months in advance.

Started with the offshore banking capital of the Caribbean - Grand Cayman.
Overnight (4-June arrival) is $462.
Next delivery is 4/8 for $403.

how about Panama? Possible business/diving location right?
FedEx International Economy would arrive on the 9th. For $912.13.

Now let's say you're lucky enough to have a client in Tahiti.
Same June 3rd ship date - June 9th arrival - $1060
June 12th arrival $850.

And I didn't price the return cost to NYC.

My suggestion would be go real minimalist. Buy/break down a BP/W into it's component pieces and carry it on. Some are probably more suited to that than others. Mask, Aeris Accel travel fins in a backpack as your "personal item".

Or something like a Zeagle Covert - a minimalist version of a Ranger. It rolls up like a fat newspaper. Aqualung Zuma's fold pretty small also. Assuming you're not traveling to cold locations, get a lycra skin/1mil suit and if you need more rent on-site a wetsuit to put over it on-site. Several other mfr's make a soft-plate BP/W style also, Zeagle's Express Tech, Hollis Ride, Dive-Rite TravelPac - there's others.

I have a TravelPro roller that has room for 2 thin business suits in the cover pocket - it's a tri-fold so they stay pretty nice. Leaves the entire bottom for dive gear (regs/computer/mask) change of casual clothes etc. I also carry a full-sized video housing in that case. Laptop fits in a pocket on the outside. If I am forced to gate check it - has happened twice - I slid the laptop out, grab my documents from the top pocket and let it go. I also unbox/uncase just about everything and wrap it in clothes. My issue is my fins are XL so I wind up checking a bag anyway.
 
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If you are traveling a lot, you should be earning airline status which will get you a free luggage allowance. In my case, I typically check 2 bags. A large roller bag for my dive gear and the other with my clothes. My regulator, laptop, etc. is carried on.

If you don't have status yet, and after seeing how much shipping is, buy a first class ticket. That will get you 2 or 3 bags "free" both ways, and you will enjoy the flight a whole lot more.
 
If you are traveling a lot, you should be earning airline status which will get you a free luggage allowance. In my case, I typically check 2 bags. A large roller bag for my dive gear and the other with my clothes. My regulator, laptop, etc. is carried on.

If you don't have status yet, and after seeing how much shipping is, buy a first class ticket. That will get you 2 or 3 bags "free" both ways, and you will enjoy the flight a whole lot more.

Checking and dealing with a second bag full of dive gear sounds like just the kind of uncomfortable "schlep" the OP is seeking to avoid!
 
And what happens when Uniquely Poor Service or Drop, Hide, and Lose fail to deliver to you at your destination in time?

Pack carefully, use kit like the Aeris Accel Fins mentioned above, the Aeris Jetpack BCD, Apeks flight regs, a watch computer, and rent everything else on location.
 
shipping gear overseas has enough potential issues (besides the cost) that I wouldn't even contemplate it.

Work on trimming down your gear. It can be done.
Rent stuff at your destination if you need to, especially the bigger stuff like fins & BC. If you need a wetsuit of any weight, rent it. Travel with just a skin if you want something between you. (There's lots of shorties in rental - if you prefer full coverage a skin can address that part.)
Check that second bag - even if there's a charge it's going to be cheaper and more reliable than shipping. Deal with the schlep. (If your luggage doesn't cut it, get stuff that works better. Rolling luggage that you can strap things together such that you can manage it. Take advantage of luggage carts and porters where useful.)

If you are doing one activity followed by the other, consider shipping some of your things things home when you're done with them. That way you can ship to home, work, or a friend which at least eliminates uncertainty of shipping to a foreign hotel or resort and what will happen to it if/when it gets there. We've done this at least one, though it was domestic shipping - business in California followed immediately by a Pacific dive trip - shipped the business stuff back to the office when that part was done.
 
I've looked into shipping gear a few times. It never makes sense, at least on international trips. Shipping costs are usually at least equal to airfare. I've managed to sneak in a little diving on business trips. Once in Vancouver, I took my mask and c-card and rented everything else, including a drysuit. It was just one day of diving, so I wasn't much concerned about having my own computer. Another time, I tool all my own gear, including drysuit, on a trip to LA and spent a day diving the Channel Islands. It's normally a challenge to keep my dive bag under 50 lbs., but I didn't take any tools or spares and kept the lights to a minimum.
 
I thought I was getting ahead by sending gear from USA (4 BCs, 3 regs, ALL my masks, etc.) for a month-long vacation to the Philippines ($60 per box, no weight limit!) with the plan of re-packing in good rollers for the return trip. 'Shipped 2 months ahead of travel. However, customs in PI would not release the containers due to the shipping company not paying yet, and apparently due to a lot of illegal stuff people were trying to ship that caused delays for everyone. We never did get our equipment while we were there. Customs did release it a month after our vacation ended...not worth it!

It's all safe with my in-laws now, but there does not seem to be any reasonable way to ship it back! 'Looks like about $800 FedEx for an 80kg box. I've considering leaving it all there for a future trip, but I don't plan on returning soon.

Any ideas?
 
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