Best way to move equipment

[HaleyF]

Hi! I'm currently preparing for a move from Singapore to New York and was wondering the best/safest way to pack all my diving equipment to protect it from damage.

Most of my belongings are going by boat, which will likely be a month in transit. Will BCDs, masks, fins etc be fine packed in there? I doubt there's temp control. I'm most concerned about my regs. They get stored loosely coiled in a giant tupperware, but I think they'll move around too much in transit. Okay in their reg bags for a month? I was also considering carrying them with me on the airplane, but obviously want to cut down on air baggage as much as possible.

Thank you!

 

[buddhasummer]

I transported all my dive gear by sea when I returned from Japan to Australia. It took about six weeks. I packed it all no different from any of my other stuff. I left nothing loose as I knew it would likely move around. Iirc I did pad my regs in towels or clothes.

 

[divad]

I was also considering carrying them with me on the airplane, but obviously want to cut down on air baggage as much as possible.

You could just take the second stages and gauges in carry-on. No hoses.

 

[KeithG]

they will be perfectly fine during shipping. if you think a bit, that is how they originally got from the factory to the place where you bought them.

as buddhasummer indicated, pack in some clothes to keep the gear from moving around. dive gear is very tough and this transit will not involve any airport luggage apes.

 

[HaleyF]

Awesome. Thank you for all for putting my worries to rest.

 

[Rred]

Bubblewrap. Each hose, each regulator, each gauge. Then everything in a 55-gallon shipping barrel or similar strong container. Possibly in cardboard boxes within the larger container. If you have many tanks, let them go separately with non-breakable gear (clothing?) separating them. No matter how well you pad them, if they are in a larger container they may make it top-heavy and wind up smashing whatever else is with them. But unless your tanks are DOT-certified, they cannot be filled in the US, so it may be cheaper overall to just sell them in Singapore and get new ones in the US. (Which come with new hydros and VIPs, arguably worth $50 each, as well.)

 

[KevinNM]

You could FedEx the low weight and high value stuff.

In either case there may be a customs inspection, so be careful wrapping delicate stuff in things that hide that it is delicate. If it's in bubble wrap it's pretty obvious, but not so much in a rolled up tshirt.

 

[diversteve]

You could FedEx the low weight and high value stuff.

In either case there may be a customs inspection, so be careful wrapping delicate stuff in things that hide that it is delicate. If it's in bubble wrap it's pretty obvious, but not so much in a rolled up tshirt.

20lbs. from Singapore to NYC (International Economy) is around $360 not including any documentation fees. I think breaking them down and putting them in checked/carry-on luggage is a better idea. I've used socks to protect my 2nd stages and gauges - I'd also fly with the computer if you have one - it needs to go in a pressurized space and for the size isn't really worth shipping on the boat.

If you're going to separate 2nd stages from their hoses - you need two wrenches. Otherwise you risk torquing the reg body. Or ask your shop to do it.

I've moved gear I sold from home to the buyer in the BVI"s who then took it back to their home in Mexico a couple weeks later. I bought a cheap roller bag and padded everything (it was video/camera gear) You could just put it in your container with your other stuff.