Dive caddy - airline carry on solution

[Makai]

A word of warning: Make sure you really want this bag before you order it. Dive Caddy has a strict "no returns" policy. This is stated on their website, but it's not immediately obvious.

 

[oldnotdead]

My wife and I used Dive Caddy's this past July on our trip to Cozumel. We flew on crowded flights with Continental and had no problems to speak of. Loved being able to carry all our significant gear with us as carry on baggage.

However, we were not able to slide the bags into the overhead as you would a standard carry-on bag. We did find that our two bags set in length wise one on top of the other takes about the same amount of space as two carry-on rollers side by side. None of the flight attendants hassled us as we were quick to stow them.

Helpful tip with going through the boarding gate: have your Dive Caddy on your back and facing away from the attendant. They don't question what they don't see. Is it cheating? Maybe. But you should see the kind of crap other people get on board.

After spending most of this summer traveling,I must agree that too many people have no regard for the inconvenience that they will put upon fellow travelers.
Watching bags being stuffed,jostled,dropped,and argued over:"Don't crush my hat" gets amusing after awhile. Especially when you watch someone who thinks that they "got one over" the airlines carryon policy for a Jumbo Jet try to do it again on the commuter plane.Let the whining begin.
The scrutiny of the carryon will probably never be too tight since the airlines have begun to charge for the right (convenience?) to carry-on luggage.Why should they police us when they can charge us? Don't scream too loudly when we pay $50 per bag. At that point there will be plenty of room in the overhead. For awhile.
OND

 

[bobfmdc]

I second that comment on the airlines causing the baggage problem. Bags are now a profit center for airlines. If you remember, they started charging for bags when oil prices went up sharply. They said they needed a surcharge to pay for the additional cost of fuel. Since then, prices are down by half and they continue to cut back on "free" luggage. Last winter (2009-2010) you could check two 50 lb bags on a trip to the Caribbean, now (summer 2010) it is only one.

Damn right, I am going to shove everything I can into the overhead. What actually happens is that if you can't get your carry on in there because someone else has filled it up with the entire contents of their house, the flight attendants check your bag at no cost. You only get charged when they catch you at the gate. Quick tip: Plan your trip so you can sit in the middle of the plane and still have time to get off and make your next flight. Then you can get the overhead and force someone else to check their carry on.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Apparently you cannot even purchase the dive caddy any more. Their web site says they're out of stock, and two emails asking when they'll be available have been ignored. Did they maybe go out of business?

 

[Nflor001]

Apparently you cannot even purchase the dive caddy any more. Their web site says they're out of stock, and two emails asking when they'll be available have been ignored. Did they maybe go out of business?

From what I heard they are building the 2nd generation dive caddy.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I got a call tonight from Chad. Sounds like production has changed over to the new model (which is not yet available) and they sold out of the old model sooner than expected. He was very helpful, and I'll be getting one of the new model Dive Caddy as soon as they're available.

 

[GLENFWB]

I took my Dive Caddy from Florida to the Galapagos Islands. It did everything they promised it would do! It is amazing how much stuff you can fit in that bag. I would recommend taking the turtle pack off before trying to put it in the overhead. People couldn't believe all my dive gear was in the Dive Caddy. They stood around on the boat and watched me unpack it. Oh yeah, two people in our group lost their luggage with all their dive gear in it. I was really glad I had my Dive Caddy.

 

[Nflor001]

These things are becoming hard to find. Lucily I found two for a good price. Played with the dive caddy the other day. Seem real bulky having everything in there. Feel guilty taking this bulky bag on the plane. I plan to put the wetsuit in the check in and not use the spider pack. Should lessen the bulk. Should be good for my trip to Curcao in November. I got to say the Fin caddy is awesome.

Can't wait to see the features of the 2nd gen Dive Caddy, maybe I should put a preorder in.

 

[Shark Bait!]

So what will they be revising in the new models? Would be interesting to see how they will try to improve it.

 

[Coral-Reefer]

So what will they be revising in the new models? Would be interesting to see how they will try to improve it.

Has anyone used the DiveCaddy with a bulky BC like the Scubapro GlidePlus?

Maybe their coming out with the new model is the reason I did not get a response to my email I sent them a couple of months ago. I was wondering if the dive caddy could accomodate a bulky BC like mine. Unless I can get everything in the DiveCaddy for a weeklong trip to Cozumel I don't see the advantage over a regular carry on and a checked bag. If I gotta check a bag what difference does it make if it weighs 5 or 50 lbs?

And, then there's my wife; now WAY she's getting a week's worth in a DiveCaddy so we take at least one checked bag and put our masks, wetsuits and regulators in our carry on luggage.

Having said all of this, I really look forward to the DiveCaddy accomodating my GlidePlus and the rest of my stuff for the week.