Calling on owners of DiveRite's Travel Pac

[aviator8]

I am working on getting my travel BC setup. There is not much waist real estate on the Travel Pac. By the time I add and xs scuba weight pouch on each side for ditch-able weight I am not left with much space for my essentials. I want to be carrying with me at all times a SMB and spool, cutting tool, chem light, whistle, mirror, blink strobe, dive light, and sometimes a small backup light. I will also dive with a camera most dives. I plan on having a lanyard with a boltsnap to clip onto my crotch strap ring in case I have to drop it and use my hands, I don't lose the camera. I can add a D ring higher on my right shoulders so that I can clip my dive light (dgx600) and not have it hanging over the QR buckle if clipped onto the existing D ring. I can secure it with a loop of bungee. My cutting tool will thread on my belt next to my crotch strap. I basically have room for one belt attached bag left. I hesitate to shove everything else in in the bag as removing my SMB is eventually going to have me inadvertently pulling out and dropping other items that I want to always have but will hopefully never need to use. For those that have this or a similar rig how are you dealing with stowage of your essential safety gear?

 

[JohnnyC]

Get an empty canister light can and put the extra stuff like the mirror and whistle and strobe in it. It will give you enough room for a PLB too, which is much more reliable for initiating a rescue. Light gets clipped to shoulder d-ring. SMB and spool clipped to a hip or butt d-ring.

Best option is to either wear pocket shorts or get a pocket put on your exposure protection. SMB and spool goes in one pocket, emergency items in the other.

 

[Zef]

I don't have a travel pac but this is how I have my gear setup:

I have a whistle similar to the following:

I threaded some 1/8th inch bungee cord through the hole in the end and tied it into a loop then slid the loop over the end of my corrugated hose and. I slide the bungee loop under the pocket clip and it keeps the whistle pressed against the hose and out of the way.

DSMB and spool are in my left thigh pocket when diving my drysuit, or clipped off to either my left harness belt d-ring or rear crotch strap d-ring when diving wetsuit.

lights are clipped to shoulder d-rings. If I am diving during the day in decent visibility I will carry one torch. If visibility is poor or diving at twilight or beyond i carry a backup torch as well.

I don't bother carrying a chemlight unless I am night diving and then I will either crack it and put it on my tank valve or slip it under the cuff of my wetsuit to store out of the way.

My torches have a strobe mode so I don't carry an independent strobe....I would just use either my primary or backup torch.

I have trilobyte cutting tool that lives on the waist belt of my harnees.

A signal mirror is only needed if diving during the day...its not something I own/carry....if it is small enough you can put it under the wrist cuff of your wetsuit to keep it stored and out of the way but accessible.

Question:
Why are you concerned that your DGX600 hangs over your QR shoulder buckle? This should not be a problem and the placement of D-rings on many BCs cause the placement of gear over the QR buckles. In a rescue sitiation, the gear will either be moved or cut out of the way or the strap will be cut...in a life or death crisis that will be the least of any concerns.

I would recommend gluing some pockets onto your wetsuit or drysuit and storing your loot in them. With all that junk dangling on your exterior you will look like a christmas tree and are bound to loose something at some point.

-Z

 

[-JD-]

Bulky (travel wise), but they deal with the ditchable weight & pretty much all of your storage needs. I've been using them on my OMS IQ Pack (a soft pack similar to the DR TPac). Placed on my hips, they are in my shoulder shadow, so not too badly streamlined.



OMS Integrated Single Weight Pocket

It is a little tight, but I keep my DSMB (DSMB width needs to be on the narrower side - at least for a 6-footer), spool, and emergency strobe in the middle pocket of my left pouch. Shears are in the outer right with room for orher thinnish items.

Plenty of room for a light, backup mask, etc. in the other available pockets.

View attachment 508374

I have the same whistle. I have 12" or so loops of cord tied on them. The cord is the girth-looped around either the shoulder or corrigated-hose epaulette straps. I then wind up the slack around the whistle body and clip it under & onto the strap. Pull off to deploy and it remains attached.[/QUOTE]

 

[aviator8]

Get an empty canister light can and put the extra stuff like the mirror and whistle and strobe in it. It will give you enough room for a PLB too, which is much more reliable for initiating a rescue. Light gets clipped to shoulder d-ring. SMB and spool clipped to a hip or butt d-ring.

Best option is to either wear pocket shorts or get a pocket put on your exposure protection. SMB and spool goes in one pocket, emergency items in the other.

this may be an option as I have left that space free on my belt for a canister. I have one i got o fleabay so I may be able to to use the canister only when doing warm day OW dives. Thanks for the idea.

 

[aviator8]

I don't have a travel pac but this is how I have my gear setup:

I have a whistle similar to the following:

View attachment 508374
I threaded some 1/8th inch bungee cord through the hole in the end and tied it into a loop then slid the loop over the end of my corrugated hose and. I slide the bungee loop under the pocket clip and it keeps the whistle pressed against the hose and out of the way.

DSMB and spool are in my left thigh pocket when diving my drysuit, or clipped off to either my left harness belt d-ring or rear crotch strap d-ring when diving wetsuit.

lights are clipped to shoulder d-rings. If I am diving during the day in decent visibility I will carry one torch. If visibility is poor or diving at twilight or beyond i carry a backup torch as well.

I don't bother carrying a chemlight unless I am night diving and then I will either crack it and put it on my tank valve or slip it under the cuff of my wetsuit to store out of the way.

My torches have a strobe mode so I don't carry an independent strobe....I would just use either my primary or backup torch.

I have trilobyte cutting tool that lives on the waist belt of my harnees.

A signal mirror is only needed if diving during the day...its not something I own/carry....if it is small enough you can put it under the wrist cuff of your wetsuit to keep it stored and out of the way but accessible.

Question:
Why are you concerned that your DGX600 hangs over your QR shoulder buckle? This should not be a problem and the placement of D-rings on many BCs cause the placement of gear over the QR buckles. In a rescue sitiation, the gear will either be moved or cut out of the way or the strap will be cut...in a life or death crisis that will be the least of any concerns.

I would recommend gluing some pockets onto your wetsuit or drysuit and storing your loot in them. With all that junk dangling on your exterior you will look like a christmas tree and are bound to loose something at some point.

-Z

About the light I was just concerned about blocking quick access to the QR buckles in the event that I or another needs to get me free quickly. Having it higher on the strap would do this without much effort. I may look at getting s glue pocket or two for the wetsuit. My only issue may be when diving without a wetsuit. But thanks you for the suggestions. I love to hear about all my options. I am definitely trying to keep things streamlined and stowed so i don't have things clipped all over me and dangling down in a horizontal position. I had never thought of putting things under mt wetsuit cuff. Doesn't that get annoying?

 

[aviator8]

Bulky (travel wise), but they deal with the ditchable weight & pretty much all of your storage needs. I've been using them on my OMS IQ Pack (a soft pack similar to the DR TPac). Placed on my hips, they are in my shoulder shadow, so not too badly streamlined.



OMS Integrated Single Weight Pocket
View attachment 508399

It is a little tight, but I keep my DSMB (DSMB width needs to be on the narrower side - at least for a 6-footer), spool, and emergency strobe in the middle pocket of my left pouch. Shears are in the outer right with room for orher thinnish items.

Plenty of room for a light, backup mask, etc. in the other available pockets.



I have the same whistle. I have 12" or so loops of cord tied on them. The cord is the girth-looped around either the shoulder or corrigated-hose epaulette straps. I then wind up the slack around the whistle body and clip it under & onto the strap. Pull off to deploy and it remains attached.

[/QUOTE]
Wow that does look bulky. where is the weight? in the pocket closest to the belt? Also how is it ditched, cant really tell from the pick? zipper on top or is that a QR velcro on the bottom?

 

[-JD-]

Weights go in the inner pocket (closest to the belt). There is a full-width flap that acts at the "bottom" of the pocket and comes up fom the back along the front of that section. There is a 2nd big flap at the top that overlays the bottom/drop flap and they velcro together. There is a T-handle velcroed at the bottom and attached to the drop flap with some webbing. It is all very secure, and a good solid pull-down on the T-handle pulls the drop flap down and out, dumping the weight. Since you load and unload through the top zipper, the velcro doesn't get worn.

Zeagle's Zip-Touch and Rear-Weight pockets operate the same way, but are weight-only. I started with the Zeagles but moved to the OMS to free up the belt-space as I aquired more stuff requiring stowage.

ETA: Check out the pics here for a better understanding: https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/diveshop
/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=187

 

[gstrek]

I have had a TravelPac for several years. My configuration is to use 2 weight pockets on the tank cam band with 2 pounds in each one for a total of 4 pounds. I wear a weight belt with 2 weight pcokets with a total of 6 ditchable pounds. That frees up the waist belt for my Trilobyte on the left side of the belt.

Left waist D-ring is where I clip off my SPG. Right waist D-ring is where I clip off my DSMB with spool. Crotch strap D-ring for camera rig clip off point, although I optionally clip it off at the left shoulder D-ring. Right shoulder D-ring is for my octopus. Left shoulder D-ring is for my light.

Storm whistle is zip tied to SPG hose but contemplating moving it to the inflator.

 

[aviator8]

I have had a TravelPac for several years. My configuration is to use 2 weight pockets on the tank cam band with 2 pounds in each one for a total of 4 pounds. I wear a weight belt with 2 weight pcokets with a total of 6 ditchable pounds. That frees up the waist belt for my Trilobyte on the left side of the belt.

Left waist D-ring is where I clip off my SPG. Right waist D-ring is where I clip off my DSMB with spool. Crotch strap D-ring for camera rig clip off point, although I optionally clip it off at the left shoulder D-ring. Right shoulder D-ring is for my octopus. Left shoulder D-ring is for my light.

Storm whistle is zip tied to SPG hose but contemplating moving it to the inflator.

very similar to what I was originally thinking, but i was trying to get away with not having a separate weight belt and use ditchable weight pockets on the BC belt to simplify somewhat.