Considering a set of travel gear

[alwayssummer]

I'm considering buying a set of travel gear. I'm also considering buying tech gear. It's clear from looking at online shops that it's possible to do both at once, but I wonder if it will end up being practical. Am I going to end up duplicating almost everything anyway and then have my rig still be heavier than a recreational travel bcd?

When I first started diving, my LDS would give me different gear almost every time I went out and I eventually settled on an ABS backplate with a steel 80. At that time I could dive without additional lead (in the Marshall Islands). I'm probably too fat for that now, but I wonder if an ABS backplate would make for good travel gear. Not that I can find one for sale, so maybe that's irrelevant.

I've seen woven travel backplates from OxyCheq or ScubaPro. I wonder if folks have experience building a travel rig up from one of these.

Should I have posted this in the tech gear section?

 

[Agility]

I am rather new to diving and so I prefer to always dive the same gear as far as possible, so I got myself a Hollis Ride that I dive with doubles and V-weight at home and with a single tank and weight pockets on holiday.

 

[ronscuba]

I've seen woven travel backplates from OxyCheq or ScubaPro. I wonder if folks have experience building a travel rig up from one of these.

You mean like this ? I love mine, but I did add a crotch strap.

[vimeo]72577747[/vimeo]

 

[Jerry_]

All depends on the extent to which you want to do technical diving.

Very likely that you are going to double most of your gear if you want to have something comfortable (lightweight) for travelling and something for real technical diving.

But lets take most of the equipment one-by-one:

- fins and mask: you can probably have a single set

- computer and backup computer: you can also use it for travelling

- BCD or BP/W: here it starts to get tricky. When doing technical diving you are going probably for a BP/W with a steel backplate, which is defintely not the best for travelling (by plane), even so not impossible to do. Therefore account for a second BP/W with a soft harness for travelling.

- suit: likely that you are travelling to warm places, while diving at home in drysuit. But most of the time even a thicker wetsuit is taking some space in the luggage (even so not being heavy) and be to warm for tropical regions. Account for some extra minimal wetsuit or even a shorty (all depends where you want to travel)

- bottles: backmount or sidemount? Anyway you are not going to take them with you, however it has an impact on the choice of the regs. Also if you dive backmount, you will dive doubles locally and likely singles while on travel (therefore if you travel with your BCD or BP/W and don't have a separate one, it needs to be able to adapt to both configs)

- regulators: yoke or DIN. Best would be to go for DIN and have adapters with you. But again the config of your regs is depending on whether you are diving back- or sidemount and be able to do so locally and while being on travel.

- lights: while you won't necessarily take a heavy canister light to all your travel, the backup light used in local conditions is probably a good light for traveling

- other (smaller) gear should be ok for travelling ()except for weights, which are defintely to travel with when taking a plane); yet this excludes f.i. a pony bottle, etc.


Thus, as mentioned in the beginning, most of the answer depends on:
(1) to what extend do you want to do technical diving and what are your local conditions
(2) where do you travel, to

HTH.

 

[alwayssummer]

You mean like this ? I love mine, but I did add a crotch strap.

Is that the OxyCheq? What are you using for tank adapter and straps? Is that an OMS wing? Looks very lightweight and will pack down way waay better than my Nighthawk.

---------- Post added November 7th, 2013 at 04:40 PM ----------

(1) to what extend do you want to do technical diving and what are your local conditions
(2) where do you travel, to

Thanks Jerry. I guess I should clarify that when I said travel gear I was mostly thinking in terms of BCD and fins. All of my current gear is strictly recreational, thus I have yoke regs. But I never imagined that a person would save much weight or bulk by switching regs.

My regular fins are quite long and force me to check a suitcase, which is part of what I'm trying to avoid.

The travel gear will be strictly for warm water diving with single aluminum 80s.

I suppose true tech diving is mostly a fantasy at this stage, since I'm not yet trimix certified.

 

[Jerry_]

I guess I should clarify that when I said travel gear I was mostly thinking in terms of BCD and fins. All of my current gear is strictly recreational, thus I have yoke regs. But I never imagined that a person would save much weight or bulk by switching regs.

My regular fins are quite long and force me to check a suitcase, which is part of what I'm trying to avoid.

The travel gear will be strictly for warm water diving with single aluminum 80s.

I suppose true tech diving is mostly a fantasy at this stage, since I'm not yet trimix certified.

Hi,

BCD: you will find some interesting articles here on Scubaboard which recommend some interesting BP/W configs for travelling.

Fins: unless you use the very short fins (ForceFins?), but which may require some previous usage for accomodation, you will have to have a suitcase or larger travel bag.
From this reply it seems to me that when you refer to travelling it is not necessarily for longer journeys (as you don't take always a suitcase with you)?

Finally for regs: there are lightweight regs for travelling (mostly a less heavier first stage) (however this was a point that I didn't makel, but good that you rise it). Regs (and mostly hoses) start to be an issue if you would switch from back- to sidemount (or vice-versa), but I now understand that this would not be the case for you.

 

[ams511]

Is that the OxyCheq? What are you using for tank adapter and straps? Is that an OMS wing? Looks very lightweight and will pack down way waay better than my Nighthawk.

The plate is an Oxycheq and the wing is a DSS Tropic Traveler, which is no longer made. The DSS Torus 17 would be the closest wing you could purchase now. However, you are not going to do much technical diving with a wing with 17 lbs of lift.

For traveling you may want to check out the Zeagle Express Tech thread. It would similar to what Rob has.

 

[alwayssummer]

...However, you are not going to do much technical diving with a wing with 17 lbs of lift..

And herein lies the problem, I buy a backplate that I will probably never use for tech diving and a wing that I will never use for tech diving. I think at this point I've spent more than the travel rec bcd would cost. So, am I getting anything useful from buying these things? ...aside from having cooler gear than everyone else on the boat

 

[Jerry_]

So, am I getting anything useful from buying these things? ...aside from having cooler gear than everyone else on the boat

.. Better gear for safety

 

[ams511]

And herein lies the problem, I buy a backplate that I will probably never use for tech diving and a wing that I will never use for tech diving. I think at this point I've spent more than the travel rec bcd would cost. So, am I getting anything useful from buying these things? ...aside from having cooler gear than everyone else on the boat

You need to give what type of diving you want to do more thought, that is going to dictate your equipment choice. Are you primarily diving doubles or singles? You cannot use a singles wing for doubles cause it is too narrow. You don't want to use a doubles wing for singles because it is a PITA. So right there you have two wings. So you need a single tank wing and a doubles wing. You can use your singles wing for tropical diving with a fabric or Al plate but it is not going to be a minimal as Ron's. For example a 30lb or 40lb DSS wing on a soft plate would work for tropical diving and pack down pretty small. You could do the same with a Hollis or Oxycheq wing but it would be a bit less compact.

Also don't be cheap. If you are spending hundreds or thousands on a dive vacation then what is a couple of hundred additional dollars for a properly-sized wing?