Travel Weight

[rongoodman]

The most rugged duffels I know of come from Wild Things, in North Conway, NH. No bells, whistles, or wheels, originally designed for hauling expedition gear on yaks. The Burro bag is the largest to fit within the airline size limits. Climbing gear, dive gear, they'll handle it, and the folks at the store are very nice to deal with.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I overweighted my carryon on DAE to Bonaire last Sept, and was real proud of myself, until the return trip: The plane left everyone's luggage on Bonaire because the plane took on too much fuel which overweighted it. Got me to wondering just how close the plane comes to being overweighted normally....

 

[Spimon]

Boeing 747-400 = 178 756 kg
416 People @ 80kg each = 33 280 kg
20kg of luggage per passenger = 8 320 kg
216 840L of Aviation Fuel = 182 145 kg

Total: 402 501 kg

Maximum Take Off Weight: 396,890 kg

Sounds like the luggage weight is based on the theory that not everyone will take the maximum, or not a full load of fuel will be required....or it's a plane full of lightweights.

 

[sberanek]

If you can buy toiletries (shampoo, sunscreen, etc.) there easily, don't take them with you. You might have to pay a little more, but that way you don't have to worry about the weight or them exploding.

I have a Totes, rolling duffle bag that I could fit in for my dive gear. I can also use the hand straps as backpack straps. I just carry on my computer, camera, and reg. My mask has a hard plastic box it goes in and my wetsuits get wrapped around my BC all in the duffle. Granted, I'm not that big so my gear is smaller than most guys, but my gear comes in at under 35lbs (I've even forgotten to take out my ankle weights and made it under the limit).

--Shannon

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Boeing 747-400 = 178 756 kg
416 People @ 80kg each = 33 280 kg
20kg of luggage per passenger = 8 320 kg
216 840L of Aviation Fuel = 182 145 kg

Total: 402 501 kg

Maximum Take Off Weight: 396,890 kg

Sounds like the luggage weight is based on the theory that not everyone will take the maximum, or not a full load of fuel will be required....or it's a plane full of lightweights.

Hijack:

The real bummer is the max landing weight is a lot less than the max take off weight. I almost cried as our plane dumped 80,000L of aviation fuel in the south china sea due to a minor landing gear issue when the flight was aborted. What a waste!

 

[muddiver]

You people are too funny . If you go on vacation to a tropical location, you don't need a BP, wings and all that other tech/cave stuff. If you can't dive without it, pay the extra $50 and cary an extra bag, or crate it and have it shipped to your hotel and let them know it's coming. ***, if you are going to a tropical paradise all you need is a mask, fins and maybe your regulator set up. I only bring my rig and wings because I have a small travel wing to swap with the full size wing. If you need more gear than that your going on an expidition and you should expect to pay to get your gear there.

Quit whining!

 

[CompuDude]

You people are too funny . If you go on vacation to a tropical location, you don't need a BP, wings and all that other tech/cave stuff. If you can't dive without it, pay the extra $50 and cary an extra bag, or crate it and have it shipped to your hotel and let them know it's coming. ***, if you are going to a tropical paradise all you need is a mask, fins and maybe your regulator set up. I only bring my rig and wings because I have a small travel wing to swap with the full size wing. If you need more gear than that your going on an expidition and you should expect to pay to get your gear there.

Quit whining!

So... you're saying that you don't care about the quality of gear you dive in simply because it's a tropical location? I don't trust rental gear, it's that simple... especially at dive destinations. None of my gear was exclusive to tech diving or cave diving, and in fact, my bp/w was considerably lighter than your average recreational BC. The only thing you could really argue about is my can light, and frankly, I'm not going to give up diving with my always-on light, even during the day, just because YOU think it's silly. Considering the iffy vis on a number of the dives I was on, I was VERY happy to have the light with me. I considered leaving it a couple of times, but I'm very glad I didn't.

 

[mark99]

I'm flying Thai Airlines. Domestic flights (for instance, Bangkok to Phuket) have different luggage allowances than international flights, say, LAX to Bangkok. Therein lies the problem. I'm allowed a decent amount, something like 70 lbs, for the flight from here to Bangkok. The problem is we're jumping around the country a bit on smaller domestic flights, Bangkok to Chiang Mei and to Phuket. There, the domestic (smaller plane) allowances kick in, and unless I'm leaving luggage on the street behind in Bangkok, I'm stuck with the smaller domestic allowance. At least we'll be able to buy some souvenirs in Bangkok for the flight home, though.

Just as an FYI, if you are flying on a Thai Air ticket from LAX to Phuket, or Phuket to LAX, with a change of planes in Bangkok, you are still allowed the full 70# per checked bag, even though one of the legs is a domestic flight. This is one advantage to booking the full flight on Thai, rather than the international leg on another carrier and the domestic leg on Thai, where the lower allowances would apply.

 

[muddiver]

Where did I mention quality of gear? I usually carry my own regilator setup and wing rig (I don't own or see the need for a back plate).

 

[Garrobo]

I've always wondered (not) why an airlines won't give you credit for overweight baggage depending on how many empty seats they have on the flight. Empty seats equals bodies plus their luggage, say around 250+ pounds for the empty seat. Twenty empty seats equals 5000+ pounds credit. When the extra weight credit is taken up then they could start charging extra. "Maybe" it's because they can charge you for extra weight yet still allow it on the plane even if the seats are all taken. Just another rip-off allowed by the FAA.