equipment...own or rent?

[Dive-aholic]

How true that is. We're already planning on the truck trade to a more dive friendly vehicle. I'll never own another car again!

 

[Brandnew2Scuba]

The wife and I bought all our gear a month before our checkout dives. We did the checkouts in brand new stuff. We bought tanks a few months later. We just got tired of running to the shop (almost an hour away) every time we wanted to go diving. Now we own several different set ups including over 25 tanks, a compressor, several regulators, a few bp/w's, several lights, scooters, wetsuits, dry suits, and on and on. And let's not forget the big van to carry everything in!

Sounds like you could run your own LDS out of your house!!

 

[mamashark]

I know a LOT of people say rent for a while, but every time we rented, something went wrong with the rental gear. Not only that, but you are not familiar with the rental equipment which leaves room for mishaps. Now that we have our own equipment, we have stopped loosing equipment and I am much more relaxed while diving...which means more time to have FUN. That's what it's all about right.

 

[erparamedic]

I own everything except tanks. I rent the tanks. I bought all my equiptment before my OW checkouts...10 years ago.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Sounds like you could run your own LDS out of your house!!

I kind of do. I teach and rent gear to students. The only thing I don't do is sell gear.

 

[Berdman]

"Also if you own how long were you diving before buying?"


minus 2 months! last thing I needed was a bcd and I bought it a week before my class.

 

[fisherdvm]

You forgot a third category, those who owns own equipment, but prefers to pack it light, and rent their BC/Reg while on vacation.

I bring my mask, snorkel, fins, and suit, but leave the bc, weight, and reg behind. My wife can't lift too much, so it is up to me to lug most of the luggages through the airport. The less I pack, the less I have to carry.

If I had a choice, I would prefer to dive with my own equp. However, diving with different BCs and regs give me a taste of different equipment. Those dump valves on the back are nice to have, as the last dive on a rental, there wasn't one.

 

[sambolino44]

I just bought a steel cylinder, so now I own everything I need to dive. However, in the photo I'm wearing all rental gear except for mask, fins, and computer because I didn't want to carry all that stuff on vacation.

But I think this thread is not mentioning the elephant in the room, i.e. G.A.S. (Gear Aquisition Syndrome)! Let's face it, a lot of us bought all this gear not because of any rational cost/benefit analysis, but because we like buying, setting up, owning and talking about GEAR! My wife asked me why divers all wear a big knife on their leg. I said, "What, are you kidding? Who cares about diving? I just wanted an excuse to wear a big knife on my leg!"

 

[Jasonmh]

I own my stuff mostly for 2 reasons:
1- I had problems with much of the gear I rented, and
2- After renting for a while I started adding up the costs and realizing that I could have bought some gear several times over for what I was paying to rent.
I didn't buy everything at once, but accumulated over time.

 

[justleesa]

I bought my gear right after my certification because I didn't want to take the risk of getting "dirty" or unfunctional gear (sad to say that I have seen it). Got a good deal because they were just bringing out the new models....In the course of 6 years and 1000+ dives I've had to replace almost everything at least once - only my fins have lasted.