How to pack luggage for liveaboard?

[divebrasil]

Hi all,

Going on my 1st liveaboard with Explorer Ventures in mid April in T&C. Trying to figure out how to optimize the luggage.

I already found valuable information here about what to pack, but do people usually travel with 2 luggages? Just my dive gear alone gets to the 50lbs limit per bag. I don't plan to bring a lot of clothing, but if I were to put it with dive gear in same bag it would go over weight limit.

So 2 bags is what most people do?

Also seems that liveaboards prefer if we bring soft bags, but I don't have anything that will fit all my gear. Would also be nice to have wheels, specially with 2 bags and 1 backpack with photo gear.

Your input is appreciated!

Thanks

 

[ontdiver]

You will already have read that your regulator, mask, & computer should be in a carry on bag. And if you are still overweight, you may have packed far too many clothes and gear for a warm weather live-aboard or you have a hard shell suitcase that is eating up your weight allowance. Most divers I know manage with one soft bag with wheels and a carry on. (I just got back from the EV St Maarten/St Kitts trip and had about 44 lbs on the outbound leg.) You don't have to spend an excessive amount of money for a good, light weight gear bag and with proper care - like everything else - it will serve you well for future dive trips. Hope this helps.

 

[diversteve]

They're going to store your bags in closets up on the top deck. You can see them here - even see luggage in one here: http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Turks-and-Caicos-Explorer/topdeck.jpg

They're good sized but collapsible luggage is certainly preferred. One photog on our boat had one of those huge Pelican cases for his two DSLR rigs - Explorer had nowhere to store it except outside the lounge door - by the end of the week he hadn't made any new friends since several people kicked/tripped over it. No shoes allowed on the boat either. If you have a main/upper deck cabin they also have a corner desk so in a pinch you could move the chair and store a bag under it - there was built in drawers under the bed.

It's a really big boat also so no issue with finding room for your luggage - we had a full boat and there wasn't any.

I buy cheaper rolling duffel bags - they have wheels/handle and a hard plastic bottom. About $40-50 to about $100 on Amazon. ebags.com has a bunch of them. My current one is a tennis bag that I bought locally. It holds all my dive gear and weighs 3-4 lbs. less than my buddy's rolling Akona dive bag. It has a wide, flat outside pocket that I can just cram my XL fins into. BCD, clothes all my other stuff goes inside. The only downside is that it won't stand on it's end when loaded with dive gear so you have to hold the handle in check-in lines.

My buddy regularly gives me something to carry since I'm in the mid-40's with that bag and a airline legal TravelPro hard sided case I carry on. Many flight attendants use a similar bag - it's where I got the idea.

It holds my video gear, regs, mask, computer and 2 changes of clothes. And I have big video gear, an Amphibico housing/HD camcorder. Once I had to gate check the bag quickly so I've learned to keep the laptop/phone/passport in the top pocket - takes a few seconds to remove them. Since it's a hard sided case, everything was fine.

Buy a luggage scale also - cheap $20 investment and you know where you are. Although on T/C Explorer wet gear is less of an issue - they vent the compressor heat directly thru the dive deck and someone had the bright idea of locating the wetsuit rack directly over it. Also you'll be done diving Friday by noon and don't have to be off the boat till Saturday morning - all our stuff was completely dry by then.

Saudio's Trip Reports
With thanks to Mike Southard, this ^^ is almost identical to what we experienced. Except no dolphins and you do have to leave the boat at 9AM on Sat. now. They recently did some airport renovations afaik - it needed it.

One other thing to mention - due to the big cross-section of the ship, she swings alot on the mooring. And quickly. When you're hanging nearby doing a stop you probably can't catch it if it goes by so just wait 5mins. for it to come around again. The moorings are mostly all near islands but the boat swings out closer to the wall at some - the crew knows this. So I often let everybody else go first, then geared up and talked with the DM for a second till he said go. If they have a 2nd crew member on the dive deck recording times, he's got an even better vantage point and can see the deeper blue of the wall also as it approaches. Saves a lot of swimming.

Don't be like me and assume the white hull is the Explorer. Once it was the Aggressor which I learned only after swimming most of the way to it. Thankfully an Explorer crew member picked me up with the dinghy. No shame in not wearing yourself out...LOL.

Have a good trip, French Cay is phenomenal - among the best diving I've done in the Caribbean. Lush, deep walls, sharks/rays everywhere - at night you can follow the conch trails. Lots of turtles and basketball sized lionfish also. One dive I counted 22 stingrays near the mooring. There also used to be a friendly spotted nurse shark that approaches divers at one site regularly - someone posted on a recent trip report about it also.

 

[divebrasil]

You will already have read that your regulator, mask, & computer should be in a carry on bag. And if you are still overweight, you may have packed far too many clothes and gear for a warm weather live-aboard or you have a hard shell suitcase that is eating up your weight allowance. Most divers I know manage with one soft bag with wheels and a carry on. (I just got back from the EV St Maarten/St Kitts trip and had about 44 lbs on the outbound leg.) You don't have to spend an excessive amount of money for a good, light weight gear bag and with proper care - like everything else - it will serve you well for future dive trips. Hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for response. I know they suggest this but I already have a camera backpack fully packed with camera/housing/gopro/etc... Computer I bring with me, but no space for dive gear. I know they say to bring in case there are delays. But I am arriving 1 day before exactly to avoid problem with flight cancellations or delays. If the rest of the gear or clothes were not to arrive by boat departure we would be screwed anyway.

Also, if we are closet o 50lbs on the outbound flight, we would go over on return flight as wetsuits would be partially wet.

 

[donhealy]

Ok, so been on the T&C II 4 times now. Camera gear on my back in my camera bag. Dive bag contains my dive gear and the strobe batteries (45lbs.). Carry on bag with reg, mask and dive computer. Bring underwear, 3 pairs of trunks (everyone will appreciate the lack of smell), t-shirts and a couple pair of shorts. Bring an extra pair of socks for the trip back home on the plane. You should have enough room for the extra t-shirts you will buy at Dive Provo and on the boat.

 

[Hintermann]

I have been on 18 liveaboard cruises and while I too always take 2 checked bags, you must choose optimally. First, choose an airline that either has specified additional allowance for sports luggage (very few these days) or allws a second bag in economy at a fixed subsidised rate. If neither can be achieved, check out those that allow 30kg economy allowance (increasingly many these days)

It depends on what dive kit you intent to take but with your own wetsuits, BCD, regulator, fins and other necessary paraphernalia, your separate dive kit bag comes to around 18 kilos in itself. Therefore, keep the personal stuff light because on board a boat you need much less than on land based holidays. Of course, you will want to take into account the land based part of your holiday too but on the boat itself no one wears trousers or shoes except to board and get off. Shorts and T-shirts are the norm and at the end of the day you do not feel as 'mucky' as you would expect on a tropical land based holiday.

 

[diversteve]

Also, if we are closet o 50lbs on the outbound flight, we would go over on return flight as wetsuits would be partially wet.

Not really...

they vent the compressor heat directly thru the dive deck and someone had the bright idea of locating the wetsuit rack directly over it. Also you'll be done diving Friday by noon and don't have to be off the boat till Saturday morning - all our stuff was completely dry by then.

 

[divebrasil]

I have been on 18 liveaboard cruises and while I too always take 2 checked bags, you must choose optimally. First, choose an airline that either has specified additional allowance for sports luggage (very few these days) or allws a second bag in economy at a fixed subsidised rate. If neither can be achieved, check out those that allow 30kg economy allowance (increasingly many these days)

I am going to contact the airline, but from the site it seems I am allowed 2 free 55lbs suitcases because I am a loyalty member. Still, I rather not be carrying 2 suitcases around.

One thing that is definitely adding weight to the bag are the flashlight batteries. 3 lights, one with 4 AAs, other with 4 Ds, and other 8 Cs. I guess, I could buy batteries in PLS but will probably cost a lot more.

I am also bringing 2 wetsuits, one 3mm and one 4mm. Also a little hooded vest. My fins are jet fins which are a bit heavier than most.

Thanks

 

[tangfish]

I wouldn't worry too much about bringing soft bags. Bring whatever bags are best for navigating your way to the boat. They always have an area to store the empty suitcases. I always use roller bags. It's better for your back

 

[ASA400]

Why are you bringing a 3mm and a 4mm suit? You'd be better served by taking the 3mm suit and a 3mm vest. More warmth over your core and lighter than a whole 4mm suit. Either that or just bring the 4mm suit.