Why use a mesh bag

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Ken abucs

Contributor
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490
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Location
North of Boston
# of dives
200 - 499
I see many people use mesh bags to haul their gear. Why? I prefer a water proof duffle to better protect and conceal my gear.

The reason I don't like mesh bags:

Salt dries on the gear, so it's harder to rinse
my trunk get's wet and stinky
can't adaquately rinse gear while still in the bag
It's obvious the bag contains expensive dive gear (theft target)
 
Here are my reasons:

1. I don't dive often in salt water and I actually want the gear to begin to dry
2. I don't use it to protect my gear but to carry it from my car/house to the dive site. I have other containers (rubbermaid) that I use to actually haul/protect/store my gear.
3. The gear begins to really stink if it's in a closed up bag that doesn't allow air to circulate
4. They're light and therefore don't add much extra weight to that of the gear they're holding.
5. They come in pretty large sizes that carry alot of gear for a reasonable price and not much extra weight.
4. My most important reason ... they're less expensive.

Theft isn't an issue because I don't leave it anywhere someone could see it or get to it. It's either in my house, in my trunk, in a closed container in my truck bed or in my hotel room.

Oh, I use the Stahlsac Cortez. It's quite large (33x15.5x15.5), very well built and does a great job of keeping my wetsuit, gloves, hoods, boots, fins, wing, and x-shorts (pockets pre-loaded with my gear) organized. I use it along with my regulator bag (Akona) with my backplate/harness slung on my shoulder and I can carry all my main gear in one trip (except for tanks).
 
Ken abucs:
I see many people use mesh bags to haul their gear. Why? I prefer a water proof duffle to better protect and conceal my gear.

The reason I don't like mesh bags:
can't adaquately rinse gear while still in the bag
The mesh bag is perfect for rinsing gear. After the dive, while still on the boat, remove all of your gear and place it in the bag. Pack it up like you had it when you arrived. After the boat gets back take the mesh bag by the handle and dunk it in the rinse barrel several times. The mesh allows the rinse water to get in to all of the gear easily. When you are done, lift the bag and let it drain. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Joe
 
I travel with a solid bag, but take a mesh bag to the dive site. It lets my gear start to drain and keeps my travel bag drier. I generally do a basic wash of my gear right after the dive, but I like Ken's though about keeping gear damp so salt does not crystalize.
 
I actually use both, the mesh bag for going out to dive and back, the large waterproof for storage and travel. As others have noted, the mesh back allows you to throw whole thing in rinse water and remove without having to sort out your equipment from others, and then allows rinsed equipment to dry quickly. The big duffel is just for storage and/or travel. Also, the big duffel is a large nonscuba duffel so as not to attract those desirous of obtaining their own gear without having to purchase.
 
Mesh bags blow.

Had one for about 90 minutes after OW, like most students. A real nice one - a Stahlsac backpack. A mesh backpack... what a goober. Part of my "required purchase" set up of mask, fins, snork and bag.

After I started diving more than once a month I realized the thing was worthless for SoCal diving and it hit eBay. Maybe if you dive a skin and are a size 0. But a real sized person, 7mm, booties, gloves, hood, find, mask, snork (<- another thing that hit eBay 5 minutes after OW) regs, etc? No way.

I got a real bag. Now I can actually carry all my gear, I'm using these nifty things called wheels and my back is dry.

Mesh bags... OY. Cash traps for rookies. :rolleyes:

---
Ken
 
ItsBruce:
Would that be the opposite of them sucking?

Well, at the very least, they're quite breezy.

---
Ken
 
Mo2vation:
Mesh bags... OY. Cash traps for rookies. :rolleyes:

---
Ken

I'd love to hear that said, while sitting on a boat next to my 82 year old ex father in law, pulling his gear out of his mesh bag, who has more dives in more parts of the world than any of the 3 most experienced divers on SB put together. Including the rolleyes. :shakehead
 
mesh bags have their place, like most things. If they don't make sense for your diving, don't use one. Easy.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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