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Go ahead, carry your hoses and regulators aboard to protect them from the theives. I'll carry a pillow, instead.
I carry my Regs onboard to ensure that I have my regs on arrival, rather than using rental regs while I wait on luggage to show up.
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Pony bottle? Oy vey. Manage your gas... and I'm not talking jalapenos.
I carry a pony on dives mostly because of my experiences with various buddies. Gas management is great as far as it goes, but doesn't cover unforeseen problems. While I would not suggest one to others, I selcome leave for a trip without it.
Much of this is probly different for a much more experience diver. I'm a fumbling amateur trying to surivive my first thousand dives.
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You wouldn't think of diving Nitrox without analyzing the O2 content first; why would you trust your life to CO analysis that may have been completed three months ago - IF THEY EVEN DO THAT?! The time, effort, and cost to check each and every cylinder of gas you dive for carbon monoxide is negligible, especially when considering the dire outcome of contaminated dive gas.
[QUOTE=RoatanMan]
Go ahead, carry your hoses and regulators aboard to protect them from the theives. I'll carry a pillow, instead.
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I'm carrying on the reg because I don't want it destroyed, not because I think someone will steal it. Frankly, theft isn't that much of a concern. I mean we have the TSA protecting us, right?
What is always a concern is a bag being lost...for a long time.
Jeff
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Unless otherwise noted, the writings above are my opinion, nothing more.
I'm carrying on the reg because I don't want it destroyed
Jeff
To what forces would one have to subject a reg to cause it to be destroyed? It's just not happening during baggage handling.
Computers? Another story. That's why I always recommend detachable/seperate units.
Your joke comes from truth: TSA has been the greatest single deterrent to baggage theft since its inception. Very few people would want to get caught fiddling with luggage. That you're a terrorist/bomber is an assumption that the caught tamperer has to overcome. This just aint happening.
To what forces would one have to subject a reg to cause it to be destroyed? It's just not happening during baggage handling.
Computers? Another story. That's why I always recommend detachable/seperate units.
Desroyer or not, I like mine in my hand when I get off the plane - not hoping it will show up, sometime...
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You wouldn't think of diving Nitrox without analyzing the O2 content first; why would you trust your life to CO analysis that may have been completed three months ago - IF THEY EVEN DO THAT?! The time, effort, and cost to check each and every cylinder of gas you dive for carbon monoxide is negligible, especially when considering the dire outcome of contaminated dive gas.
You guys are lucky in the States then - there have been numerous cases over the last year where handlers have gone through ppl's belongings here in Aus - two come to mind instantly - The Shapelle Corby case and the Handlers in Sydney who put on someone's horse costume and was gallavanting around in it - only to be seen by the owner.
Two years ago I went ski-ing in Canada and all my luggage went missing somewhere between Hawaii and Kelowna - sure Insurance paid for it all - but I did get one bag back with only dirty clothes in it... :|
I don't trust anyone unfortunately when it comes to baggage, and certainly OS it is even more so.
EDIT: And I like my stuff - I have used some icky hire gear (BC's that don't deflate, Regs that stick, computers that don't work consistently) - IMO you don't fly off to go diving somewhere and then lessen your enjoyment through subpar gear.
I'm with paschen - the poor quality and poor maintenance of rental gear I experienced was what really motivated me to own my own gear - not some herd-animal scuba mantra. I know the difference between the value of my own gear and the cost of my own gear and it looks like I'm far from alone in this.
I'm not sure where the statistics are to show who has and who hasn't had stuff pilfered in the USA - but I'll bet I'm not the only one.
I do still remeber the national news video of baggage handling employees looking like they were practicing throwing the hammer for the next Olympics while a plane was being de-iced at Christmastime a few years back. For polymer based second stages, such handling is easily enough force to render such equipment unusable - simple physics. Too many eyewitness reports as well as footage for this to all be 'urban legends'. We covered this a bit in a previous discussion on gate checked baggage.
i decided to carry on my valuable gears this time not because of damage or theft issues, it's more about arrive ON TIME, especially with a few trasfer international flights, luggage can be delay or ship to the wrong destination if you are dealing with 2 or more different airlines on the same trip.
A few years ago, I was waiting for my flight at the DFW airport.
I could see the baggage handlers through the big window loading bags onto the plane. I watched while one of them picked up my bag (a backpack) and gave it a few good shakes, then began rifling through the pockets.
When I retreived my bag at the end of the flight, I realized that the scum sucking pig stole about 6 bucks in quarters out of my bag.
Another time, on a ski vacation, my gear didn't arrive until my third day there...
Yes, baggage handlers steal stuff out of bags.
Yes, bags get lost and/or delayed.
When I fly, I carry-on my regulators and my dive computer. The stewardess will usually give you a pillow if you ask...
(BTW, don't turn your dive computer on in-flight...).
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