Pelican Cases

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RobPNW

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Does anyone use a pelican case for your gear when traveling or do you just use typical scuba luggage? Does all your gear in a pelican case weigh in under the limit?
 
Pelican cases scream "Expensive stuff in here," I actually don't even use typical scuba luggage. I use a normal hard sized Samsonite bag. For warm water diving I can easily fit all my gear in it, and remain under the 50lbs limit. For technical diving, I need the first class 70lbs limit.
 
I use a large rolling duffel, nothing scuba specific. Pelican cases are too heavy to start with, and most dive gear is not actually particularly fragile, just pack sensibly.

The only bit of gear we've ever had damaged was on the business part of a trip, not by the airline but in a hotel by a wild bellman who almost took out a lamp at the same time. Some glass filters which my husband for that trip had nestled in foam in a hard Samsonite rollaboard he occasionally uses if he thinks he may have to check some camera stuff. Might have actually survived the event better in the soft duffel. (Replaced by the hotel because I was there to see it happen or I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything.)
 
I have a watch computer I can just wear and not pack. Do you check in your regulators or do you put them in a carry-on?
 
Does anyone use a pelican case for your gear when traveling or do you just use typical scuba luggage? Does all your gear in a pelican case weigh in under the limit?

I only use Pelican cases for traveling. Pre-Corona season I would average about 50-70 plane rides a year. Pelican cases are the only thing that last. Yes I have tried, Tumi, Rimowa, Samsonite, etc.

Buy them when they are on sale and have a promo code, usually around this time or Black Friday. Almost all my cases I have paid around $200 +/- $50 for. I own all different sizes from the 1607 (now discontinued), 1627, 1615, 1637 and the price is actually A LOT cheaper than good quality luggage like Tumi, Rimowa etc. and there is many more size options to suite your gear

Personally I would rather have stuff like my rebreathers, DPV etc be safe in a pelican case that I know is not going to break then in regular luggage. I spend alot of time in remote diving areas think jungle cave exploration trips. Remote SE Asian diving trips requiring dodgy local transportation on public boats, buses, trains etc. with my pelican case on roofs, boat hulls, back of trucks getting full rain, dust, mud, snow, salt water etc. I would not want my equipment in anything but a pelican case. $200 for a good case seems like cheap insurance for such expansive diving gear.

Also as far as the weight goes check the specs on the Air cases I listed above. If you compare the weight to Samsonite, Rimowa or Tumi the weight is the same or maybe just 1kg more.

Also yeah I know companies like Samsonite make some ultralight $800 roller bags that are 3-4kg but trust me I have tried them after about 20 plane rides the wheels brake off, the corner get dented in and the outershell cracks. They are just not made to have heavy diving gear in them and be thrown around by gorilla airplane luggage handlers. The 2-3kg I will gladly take the 2-3kg extra weight of a pelican over the floppy ultralight bag. Remember most "luggage" is made for the once a year traveler that puts soft clothing in the there luggage not heavy chucks of metal like diving gear.

Most recent remote cave exploration trips I went on in SE Sulawesi.
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Or sometimes I just wear my rebreather like a backpack and put it on the seat next to me 🤣🤣

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I have a watch computer I can just wear and not pack. Do you check in your regulators or do you put them in a carry-on?

Carry on with all my lights, chargers, cameras, and my masks.

It isn't unusual that my carry on weighs 40 lbs. I practice my dead lifts before every trip.
 
I used to years ago, but it has been sitting in my attic ever since they lowered the weight limits from 70# down to 50#. I think mine is a 1650 and weighs about 25 lbs empty. You can see why I don't use it anymore. Now I use a standard rolling duffel bag that I got at an REI like 15 years ago. All the really fragile stuff goes in my carry on like @Manatee Diver.
 
I have a watch computer I can just wear and not pack. Do you check in your regulators or do you put them in a carry-on?
I vary my packing strategy based on where I am going. If there is a small plane involved you typically can't carry on too much for that leg, so you have to plan around that. Non US carriers often have very low carryon limits even on a regular jet. The Philippines technically don't allow regs in carryon. There's no one size fits all answer.
 
Does anyone use a pelican case for your gear when traveling or do you just use typical scuba luggage? Does all your gear in a pelican case weigh in under the limit?
Another option might be a sport tube. They are designed to safely ship long objects, but they have a good deal of internal volume and are quite tough and held up very well for air travel.

 
I always check my scuba gear, except for my dive computer and lights (because the batteries can’t be checked). A few times I have taken my regs on the plane for baggage allowance reasons, and it’s always been okay, but in northern japan it drew some scrutiny from security before being allowed through. In Thailand they didn’t even bat an eye.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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