Bring Brand New Gear on Vacation?

[wanderwhale13]

What do you think about bringing brand new untested gear on vacation?
I mostly dive on vacation, but have been trying to change that and recently bought a full set of gear. I'm from SoCal and our weather has been unusually cold and stormy lately, blocking my attempts to test out the gear locally before a vacation to the Azores. I purchased in a local dive shop so the BCD and regs were pressure tested together in store.
The only thing that would be possible between now and tuesday when I leave is testing in a pool (but a pretty chlorinated one).

 

[johndiver999]

go to the pool!!

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Regs and BCD should be tried in a pool/very shallow dive first IMO.

 

[formernuke]

I wouldn't. Try it out and get used to the new stuff so you have a better time on vacation.

 

[PR_SMITH]

Do the pool session, then rinse thoroughly.

 

[Boarderguy]

Talk to the lds you purchased from and see when they're going to have their next pool session. OW classes are constant so you're likely to find one this weekend if you call around.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Or just pack up and go on the trip with new stuff if you can't make the pool. If something craps on you you can likely rent (unless you are going LOB).

I do new stuff all the time on trips, but I travel with 2-3 levels of redundancy and enough stuff in the SAD kit to fix most possibly foreseeable events, and the skills to fix in the field)

(except BC and if it's hosed, I'll rent. My BC **IS** hosed with an Air 2 on it but no pun was intended nor should be inferred.).

 

[formernuke]

It's no different than getting rental gear on a trip.

Truth is dive gear isn't all that much different. Except maybe jacket vs back inflate BCDs, the typical vacation diver isn't going to notice any difference between fins, or wetsuits, or the regulator they're breathing from.

Correct but why get used to a new BC on vacation. Each one is a little different even among jackets or back inflate or BPW.

Is it a big safety thing, no its just a getting used to thing. Why waste vacation dives getting used to if you don't have to. It just makes the vacation a little more fun.

 

[BoltSnap]

Pool!

 

[Bigbella]

Considering how maladjusted so much new gear happens to be, right out of the damn box, especially regulators, I would definitely test everything out in a pool session -- which will neither kill you nor your gear.

If it is only a matter of a new BC, I don't think that it really matters, since it's really chaff compared to some other gear . . .