Do You Really Trust Rental Gear?

[Kenny13]

When we go this far away we always take a spare regulator for the group. If I were renting, I'd rent a spare regulator to be shared between you and your son. Oh, what I really hate is getting to the dive spot and having a "short fill" - I own a pressure gauge (but also you could pretest pressure with your reg). I test the pressure in each tank before I leave the dive shop parking lot. I didn't do this about 6 months ago after a hydro, and they had forgot to top it off. BUT, we own at least 10 tanks so we don't get stuck without a backup and sometimes supply my buddies with a working reg, full tank, weight belt, a clip on 2-4 lb lead, goodybag, fin/strap. Having your own stuff is great and we don't call dives because of junky equipment or somebody had forgotten something.

Yeah, I really wish I had thought about renting a spare regulator for him. Absolutely will do so next time around. As far as checking tank pressure, they have a gauge at the shop and check each tank right in front of you before they let you take them so that's not a problem. Of course, if we're diving nitrox we'll get the pressure when we analyze the tanks before logging them.

 

[SolarStorm]

I like my stuff. I like the fit, its comfortable, and I have learned where everything is. The ops that we will use, will offer decent equipment, but it also will be cost effective for them. For example I just finished getting a Ocean EOS reg, and it might only be psychological but it does feel like it breathes easier than my delta 4, and I KNOW it breathes easier than the rental reg.

One other consideration is time spent in line waiting to get equipment from the shop, and can I get the right size?

Lastly, if I go diving locally, I only have to worry about getting a fill. IE one trip to the LDS instead of a trip to rent and return.

 

[drbill]

When I travel overseas, I obsessively research the outfit I'm going with. Thailand, for instance.

Certainly a wise idea. My experience in Thailand was my first international trip outside the Americas. Unfortunately I signed up with them in Bangkok where they had a reservations store front but I couldn't see the equipment on site hundreds of miles away.

Ever since that experience I have researched my shops (even the ones here in the States) using sources like the Chapbook by Undercurrents, ScubaBoard and other sources. Always a wise idea to do the research beforehand.

 

[Booyakasha]

On almost every dive I dive with my 13 year old son we both have and travel with full sets of gear, except for weights and tanks. There is of course the safety/quality issue with your own gear, that is not to say our gear has never broken. Stuff happens.

The think I like is that it makes diving simple. I know his gear, he knows mine as our gear is almost identical. We know the exact weights we need for any situation we know how to put everything on, set up quickly and get in the water it is one less thing to worry about on the boat. It is like putting on your favorite pair of jeans it takes one concern out of diving. It is a pain hauling it around but some of the new travel BCs are really nice.

B.