Vacation divers - when did you decide to buy your own gear?

[Geobound]

My cert cards ink was still drying when I went ahead and purchased my full kit. LOL.....

Like you, I spent hours and hours researching what it was that I wanted and then came here to backup my choices.

I thought for sure I wanted a jacket style BCD, but the vast majority of people (in my opinion) were pushing BP/W.........so I went with the Hydros Pro.

If I had one regret I think it would be my dive computer. The computer itself is fine (Suunto D4I Novo with transmitter), it's just my eyes that aren't. I fixed that by buying an XS Scuba mask with built in 1.75 lens.

I say if you have the money and don't mind the fact that you may have to make a few changes to your kit, then go for it.

I only dive a handful of times a year in the lakes near me (never been on a liveaboard and have no desire to), but just knowing the kit is mine, where it's been and what it's been through is worth the expense.

Good luck and let us know what you end up getting.

 

[PR_SMITH]

I bought my first set of gear right after learning to dive while on vacation.

 

[Diver below 83]

Yeah that is a good suggestion. I like his videos, though I could do without his couple of minutes of preamble before every video. And when will we ever see the cameraman "kevin" that he is always talking to?

Kevin has popped up in a couple mirrored shots holding the camera.

 

[Damselfish]

...I do dive locally in Florida but I also travel a lot to warm weather places and have already dove in st marteen on vacation.

Florida IS a warm water place...at least to those of us living where it's currently 5F

 

[Outbound]

If it's a question of money, don't forget that owning your own dive gear also means having to pay for the annual maintenance costs. On the flip side, you know your own equipment and its service record and don't have to rely on beat-up rental gear.

I bought a wetsuit and computer after my class and pool time so I could use it for my certification dives since I was 100% certain I was going to be a diver for life. I already owned a nice mask, fins, and a snorkel from years of snorkeling on vacation. As soon as I returned from the certification vacation I bought a BCD, regs, and a drysuit I found for half off so I could go diving locally without having to rent gear each week. I also picked up two used AL80 cylinders from my LDS that had a fresh viz and hydro on them. I am extremely happy with each of my purchases except for the drysuit. It works fine but I now know that I want something else. I just bought a new watch style computer to replace the big hockey puck Vyper Novo I bought, but I still like the Vyper and will be using it as a backup so I have no regrets there.

The question of whether to buy and when comes up a lot. It's something that each diver has to answer for him or herself, as it is dependent on finances, preferences, how much the person plans on using the gear, etc. I am an outdoor gear nut and have racks upon racks of gear in my basement for all of my many outdoor activities. With few exceptions, I'm happy with every purchase I have made and I get good use out of all my gear.

 

[Geobound]

Go check out Alec Peirce's "Scuba Tech Tips" on YouTube. He answers a lot of questions about gear.

100% agree with this comment.

Alec has been around for a heck of a long time, and isn't brand specific........or at least not that I've ever seen?

He has a zillion videos out and still continues to make them, so feel free to ask a question in his comments section as I'm sure he will reply.

I was disappointed to hear that he got out of owning his own shop prior to me getting kitted up, as I would have went to him for consultation and purchasing for sure.

 

[dmaziuk]

• Computers: right away.
• I bought a BP&W early, but that was because I was pretty sure I'll take to it and I haven't seen one for rent at our usual destinations. My better half got her own jacket a year or two later.
• Still eyballing various reg deals as they come and go. As others said, it's hard to justify buying at regular prices, so I'm waiting for an offer I can't refuse. Well, more accurately: we can't refuse

 

[Diver below 83]

Florida IS a warm water place...at least to those of us living where it's currently 5F

Lol agreed. I just meant I Travel to more warm weather diving spots as opposed to cold water traveling.

 

[purbeast]

Just for clarification too, I have purchased some of my personal gear already. I'm on my 3rd set of fins. I had 2 nice pairs I have snorkeled with and decided to get a new non-split fin when I took my OW classes, as well as new booties because my other booties (only one of my old fins needed booties, other was slip ons) were very beat up and old, and I used them to go wading in rivers when fishing.

Fins: Mares Volo Power
Mask: SeaVision prescription
Wetsuit: Henderson Thermaxx
Computer: Suunto Vyper Novo

The stuff I'm mainly asking about is BCDs and Regulators at this point. For BCD I've really only used the jacket style and I like how they feel and fit. I don't think I'd go with the BP&W right now since I'd be traveling with it and that would just add weight and bulk, and plus, I like the jacket style. But I see some that are like $300 and some that are like $800 and I don't really know why there is such a drastic price difference.

I will check out some of those videos by that guy you all recommended on youtube to get an idea. I'm still not sure how I would go about testing out regulators if I were to check some out at a local shop. Using them out of water is just different than when under water.

Budget isn't that much of an issue right now either but I also don't want to spend more money on stuff if it doesn't make much of a difference either. Obviously I'd rather spend less than more though lol. I did buy my dive computer used though since it was just a tad more than the brand new Zoop but had accessories I wanted as well as more features, in case I wanted to use them in the long run. So I'm also open to used gear, although with used regulators, you really don't know how they were treated.

As for the annual maintenance on regs, what is the ball park price you are looking to spend on them? And do you typically have to send them somewhere? Or will the LDS (if I got it locally) handle that part of it for me?

 

[KathyV]

Times have changed since we were certified, back then you couldn't count on being offered a nice selection of rental gear in good condition; so most people started buying gear as soon as they were certified. Also "back in the day" the airlines were much more generous about luggage allowance and each traveler could usually bring 2 bags with them and a carryon without extra charges.

My husband and I were very young back then, and the gear was expensive so we used our Christmas, Birthday, and Anniversary presents for our gear purchases. Sometimes we made mistakes, probably because we were looking for bargains, and we didn't have an easy online forum available for advice back then, either.

We both hated the first BCDs that we bought but we used them for years because they cost a lot and would be hard to replace; so renting gear does give you the chance to try out different brands and models to find something that you might like enough to purchase later.

Renting gear can get expensive, but so can purchasing gear and having it serviced regularly. I personally like having my own gear because it is familiar and comfortable, and I know that it is clean and has been well-maintained; but it can be a pain to drag all that stuff with you on vacation, and new products are regularly released so your personal gear can become "vintage" fairly quickly (some of our stuff might be considered antique!)

But I do recall speaking with a young couple on Little Cayman a couple of years ago. The bag with most of their gear was delayed and the dive shop loaned them equipment for free. They were glad that they didn't miss any dives but were pretty unhappy about using rental gear and much preferred diving their own stuff - and I know that I would feel the same way about it.

I can see pros and cons to both options, sorry that I can't be more definite; but my vote goes for buying your own gear.