Can you recommend a good scuba bag with wheels?

[divin'dog]

I'd say anything made by Stahlsac! I have a bag that is a few years old and it has taken quite a few trips and come out looking great each time. I have the Jamaican Smuggler and I'm impressed with the quality. Well made and well designed.

 

[FPDocMatt]

I'd say anything made by Stahlsac! I have a bag that is a few years old and it has taken quite a few trips and come out looking great each time. I have the Jamaican Smuggler and I'm impressed with the quality. Well made and well designed.

Yes, of all the bags suggested, these look the best for my needs. I'm wondering though which of the 3 to get. If I get the small one, I could carry it on the plane. That might be the best. If I get one of the larger ones, would I be able to fold it up and put it in my suitcase? I don't yet own a BC and regulator, but when I do I will no longer be able to put my clothes and scuba gear in the same suitcase, so will probably want the small one to carry on the plane. As long as my fins will fit in it when I'm walking down to the boat, which the ad says they will.

 

[divin'dog]

When I go on a trip to warm water, I always end up packing 2 cases. The Stahlsac, for checked luggage, pretty much takes the gear, wetsuit, fins, and clothes, etc. Then for a carry-on, I have another generic wheeled suitcase that I bought for $15. I put everything that I need/want to dive with in there in case my checked suitcase never makes it to my destination... mask, reg, computer, set of clothes that I could wash out but live on for the week, etc. Everything else that I don't mind renting goes into checked luggage. When I'm done packing, I've usually got a checked bag that weighs between 45-50 lbs and a carry-on that weighs about 30-35 lbs. The carry-on will fit in the overhead for pretty much most jets. For puddle jumpers, I'm usually asked to do a gate check. The Stalhsac is maybe filled to about 65-75% capacity. The more I travel, the more I end up eliminating from the next trip. For a boat bag (warm water trips), I have a simple mesh bag to carry stuff to/from my room or locker.

Carry-ons don't take the abuse that checked luggage does. I'd put the money into a Stahlsac that you will check. Honestly, luggage is pretty boring, but when my Stahlsac arrived (bought it off eBay) I actually got excited when I saw how really well made and designed it was. Pretty much lives up to its reputation.

 

[diveprof]

+2 on the Stahlsac Jamaican Smuggler. It rolls well and is sturdy. Better yet, it doesn't scream "Dive Gear Inside!" like some dive bags.

 

[FPDocMatt]

When I go on a trip to warm water, I always end up packing 2 cases. The Stahlsac, for checked luggage, pretty much takes the gear, wetsuit, fins, and clothes, etc. Then for a carry-on, I have another generic wheeled suitcase that I bought for $15. I put everything that I need/want to dive with in there in case my checked suitcase never makes it to my destination... mask, reg, computer, set of clothes that I could wash out but live on for the week, etc. Everything else that I don't mind renting goes into checked luggage. When I'm done packing, I've usually got a checked bag that weighs between 45-50 lbs and a carry-on that weighs about 30-35 lbs. The carry-on will fit in the overhead for pretty much most jets. For puddle jumpers, I'm usually asked to do a gate check. The Stalhsac is maybe filled to about 65-75% capacity. The more I travel, the more I end up eliminating from the next trip. For a boat bag (warm water trips), I have a simple mesh bag to carry stuff to/from my room or locker.

Carry-ons don't take the abuse that checked luggage does. I'd put the money into a Stahlsac that you will check. Honestly, luggage is pretty boring, but when my Stahlsac arrived (bought it off eBay) I actually got excited when I saw how really well made and designed it was. Pretty much lives up to its reputation.

Okay, I bought the Stahlsac smuggler or whatever you call it, the small one. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[hypertech]

I am a fan of Akona bags for quality. Our wheeled bag is Oceanic though and it is great. We had an older model and the zipper pull came off. We called them and they sent us a whole new bag and upgraded us to a nicer current version. Couldn't be happier.

I have heard of some people recommending that you do not buy a scuba branded gear bag as it may tip off a thief that there is valuable stuff inside.

 

[ktkt]

I got a big Akona bag as a hand-me-down from someone who got a new bag. I just use it for local diving, so it doesn't fly with me, but it's been great so far. Plus, it's hard to get a better deal than free

 

[FPDocMatt]

I'd say anything made by Stahlsac! I have a bag that is a few years old and it has taken quite a few trips and come out looking great each time. I have the Jamaican Smuggler and I'm impressed with the quality. Well made and well designed.

Okay, I just received the Jamaican Smuggler and I like it.

I'm not sure whether I should check it through or carry it on.

The material is durable, but I'm concerned about my BC and regulator getting damaged in the luggage handling.

So I'm thinking about putting the BC and regulator in my hard-shell suitcase, and checking them through, and using the Smuggler as a carry-on with wetsuit and computer.

If I put the regulator in the Smuggler as a carry-on, won't the screeners freak out when they see all that metal under the X-ray?

I could put the regulator and BC in the Smuggler and pad them with towels and check it through, but I think a regulator is too expensive an item to risk its getting damaged.

My main motivation for buying this is to have a bag with wheels when I'm walking from my hotel room to the boat or dive shop. And it's a great bag for that purpose.

 

[j2s]

Take a look at some of the Pelican 'hard' cases too...You can put a TSA lock on them and they really protect gear from baggage handlers....What ever brand/type you get make a point of oiling the zippers/wheels regularly...They are not SS and will rust if not taken care of.......Salt water loves to get into the little crevices of zippers and wheels.......

 

[koozemani]

Check out the FIL rolling duffel at Costco. $40 and it will hold two sets of dive gear. When on the boat, you can push down the top and shove the thing under the boat seat. From what I can see, it is as good quality as some of the more expensive bags I have seen, and for $40, if something does break, you won't be crying about it. Just go get another one: Costco will replace if something breaks.

+1. We've used ours on a couple of trips now and love them. At that price, you can replace them 3 or 4 times and still come in under the price of some other bags.