Carry-on or check it

[JillGadget]

I need to buy a travel gear bag and am at a loss as to the type. I NEED HELP!! I am affraid that whatever I select now, I will find cumbersome or worthless in the future when I am more experienced. I am trying to decide on whether it is best to just check all my luggage - gear and all; or carry on my gear so it does not get lost. There appears to be only a few select (oceanic) that would fit in the "carry-on" dimensions. What do most people do? In the past I have been carrying on my regulator to avoid damage. Now Spirit charges an extra $10. (as long as it is under 50lb) for additional bags stowed away and there is no guarantee there is room. (first come first server basis) Hope y'all can help as I am flying south in March.
Thanks,
Jill

 

[under water]

I need to buy a travel gear bag and am at a loss as to the type. I NEED HELP!! I am affraid that whatever I select now, I will find cumbersome or worthless in the future when I am more experienced. I am trying to decide on whether it is best to just check all my luggage - gear and all; or carry on my gear so it does not get lost. There appears to be only a few select (oceanic) that would fit in the "carry-on" dimensions. What do most people do? In the past I have been carrying on my regulator to avoid damage. Now Spirit charges an extra $10. (as long as it is under 50lb) for additional bags stowed away and there is no guarantee there is room. (first come first server basis) Hope y'all can help as I am flying south in March.
Thanks,
Jill

Stuff the regs, computer & camera in carry-on. Check the rest. You can't put a knife in carry-on. Bring fewer clothes.

 

[Footslogger]

Agree with the last post. Been diving for over 30 years and started with the big dive backpacks - dead giveaways to baggage handlers, Get yourself a big duffle with wheels that does not say "SCUBA" all over it (literally OR figuratively speaking). Pack everything but the sensitive electronics and check it. Nowadays I even put my regs inside the duffle and check them. Use the TSA approved locks so that you know if your bags have been opened. Just leave plenty of time getting to the airport so that the bags have a chance to get loaded on the aircraft !!

Makes getting to/from the gates and clearing security a lot less time consuming and involved.

Enjoy your diving !!

 

[Doc]

Check it.

Here's my version: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?f...48905954&blogMonth=2&blogDay=12&blogYear=2007

Never have carried it- not in many, many years.

 

[alcina]

I check everything. I have no interest in lugging more stuff through the airports than I really need. I'm happy to hire stuff in the locations I choose to go to.

There are a few airports that if I had flights to/through I would carry on more stuff, but those are pretty few and far between and I have no current plans to go through them in the near future

Insurance is your friend whether you check or carry...

 

[mikerault]

I carry regs, computers, cameras and pack exposure suits, fins, masks, housings, BCD or BP/W. Essentially if I need it for the dive and can't replace it easy I carry it onboard. I wish I could easily carry the ikelite housing and strobe for my Canon 20D but it is just a bit too large.

I have had luggage misplaced once too often and seen what some places offer as rental gear.

Mike

 

[CompuDude]

Yup. Carry regs, computer, camera gear and prescription mask (if applicable). Basically anything small and of high value and which can't easily be rented at the destination should it get lost. (I don't consider typical resort-supplied regs to be acceptable.)

Check everything else, get insurance, and hope for the best...

We have a few locals who are quite enamoured of Samsonite's hard plastic cases. Very lightweight, can be found for fairly cheap, hold up to nearly any abuse, and don't scream "scuba" to anyone looking. There are a few threads in this very forum that have links to the cases in question...

 

[Charles R]

Check it Hey souldn't this be a poll?

 

[Namchief]

I bought a carry on from walmart and pack bcd 1mm suit regs mask computer basicly everything but the fins in my carryon I can survive with everything else getting to me 1-3 days after arriving. I used to put the regs and computer in reg bag and have as my personal item for carry on but after switching to DSS BP/W everything will be in 1 carry on bag. Last Nov check everything on the way home and they lost 1 bag. Yep all of my dive gear, 6 hours later I had it back.

 

[greenislanddiving.com]

Check out the new 2 in one and 4 in one from scubaeverything.com

You can now download a scanned PDF version of the 2007-2008 brochure by clicking on the following link:

http://www.scubaeverything.com/Brochure_2007-2008_customer.rar

It's just over 13mb but then it is 70 pages long. You have to uncompress it after downloading

I like the B-003 on page 51 of the catalog as well as the B-20 because the B-20 has a regulator bag to protect instruments etc.It retails for under US$ 100 excl shipping .