IKEA dive pack - poor man's dive caddy. ;)

[squee!]

So I was going to get a dive caddy prior to my upcoming trip, but the local dive shop sold out and i didn't have time to wait for one to be shipped, so I made my own!

Best part? I used it as my dive bag on my trip. And yes, it fits well within the 22x14x9 airline carry on dimensions.

Materials:
IKEA bag $0.59
3 dive belts $5.00 each

Total cost: $15.59!
Getting everything on as easy carry on luggage? priceless!













I knew I wanted a bag without a frame that could be cinched down. I strapped my hollis F1 fins, wetsuit, booties, some clothes, and extraneous gear into this bag, and used my reg bag as my personal item. Got all my gear carried on between the two of them! if only I could have rigged a way to attach them into a single bag! Ah well, that's my next project! The dive co. thought it was amusing seeing me cart all my gear onto the boat in a 59 cent bag!

 

[Rand]

Nice idea!

How did you get the bag to stay attached to the plate? Is held in place solely by the 3 weight belt straps, or did you clamp it between your plate and the wing?

I have seen pictures of some commercially-made setups where you thread your BP/W straps through a nylon/cordura bag, making it into a backpack, but they seem to be very rare, and I can't seem to find any place that sells them. Your setup seems to be a good (and very cost-effective) alternative.

Nice.

 

[knowone]

Wow. Looks like we might land on the moon after all.

 

[Insta-Gator]

That's interesting.


"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel." -- Yogi Berra

 

[HenrikBP]

Love it! What an enterprising idea

 

[squee!]

Nice idea!

How did you get the bag to stay attached to the plate? Is held in place solely by the 3 weight belt straps, or did you clamp it between your plate and the wing?

Nice.

So, the bag is held down by the 3 dive belts. I threaded the belts between the halcyon pocket/back pad and the plate, but not to the plate itself. I removed the wing and tank straps and placed them in the ikea bag. The bag is awesome, waterproof, well stitched on handles, nigh indestructible, and 59 cents. I had thought the belts might come undone during tsa checks, travel, etc. But it never happened, those suckers clamp down tight! I got a lot of questions from people about the bag asking if it was new . . . they laughed when i told them it was an ikea bag strapped to my back!

 

[squee!]

here's a better picture of the side view

it's 2 horizontal straps and one vertical strap.

I actually had a lot more extra room in this, but didn't want to push it on its first day in the field!

 

[Rand]

Cool.

I'm thinking of a Generation II version of this. How about taking a plain old sturdy duffel bag that fits carry-on dimensions and cut/drill two holes in the underside of it (opposite side of the zipper) corresponding to the holes where the wing screws to the backplate. Reinforce it with duct tape or glue to keep it from unravelling and maybe add some washers to the inside of the duffel to keep the screws from pulling out, and just insert the plate screws into the underside of the duffel. The duffel then will be attached to the plate, just like a wing, with the zipper side out, allowing easy access and no need for belts.

I'm going to try this. I will let everyone know you were responsible for the original Squee! Caddy though. Thanks for the idea!

 

[HenrikBP]

Cool. I'm thinking of a Generation II version of this.

If you're using an STA you could bolt that and I guess the wing in place inside the duffel to help distribute the load. If you get a duffle with a couple of outside compression straps you could keep the gear from "flopping" around. Hmmm - if you cut slots in the bottom of the duffel as well, you could leave the cam bands in place and use them as internal "compression straps" too.

Henrik

 

[popje]

Ikea also does a laundry bag with a zip. I've got 2 of them. They're absolutely fabulous!