Check or Carry-On Gear

[O'Malley]

In a few weeks, I will be making my first dive trip abroad...to Cozumel. Certainly, I will carry-on my reg, computer and mask but is it wise to carry-on BCD, wetsuit and fins when traveling to avoid arriving only to find these item missing from luggage? LDS has XS Scuba "carry-on" gearbag that accomodates all essentials if I go that route. Again, I'm a new diver making my first trip and I just wanted to get veteran advise...thanks.

 

[ID diver]

I would check the wetsuit, fins and BCD. The rest is your call. I personally carry my mask because it is a prescription mask (I have a spare in my checked luggage) and my computer (wrist mount). Diving without my prescription mask is a no go, I could get by without a computer but I prefer not to. I used to carry my regulators but decided it was too much to carry and now check my regulators. I use my wetsuit and BCD to protect the regs in the checked luggage.

Luckily I have never had a problem with all of my luggage making it to my destination. One time the luggage didn't make it home, oh well. Last year one of the people in our group didn't have his gear bag or luggage show up at the destination. He made due with what little clothes he had and used gear from the dive shop at the destination. It isn't optimal but you can only carry on so many items.

Carry on what you absolutely need and the rest decide on based on available room.

 

[divetahoe]

I'd carry on anything that you can't put into a locked bag. Or at the very least, don't check a bag with dive flags, stickers, etc., on it. That is a big "I have expensive, easily stolen things inside me" alert to thieves in the baggage handling areas.

As a minimum, I carry on items that are critical to a good dive: well-fitting mask, reg, computer and camera. A wetsuit isn't as critical to a good dive in cozumel (pretty warm) and a BCD is easily rented and most dive shops carry pretty decent stuff (of course if you have an unusual low pressure inflator hose connection on your reg, your BCD becomes more critical). I used to carry on my fins, but, I found I can accommodate pretty much any fin type anymore, so if my 5 year old Force Fins get swiped, oh well. I'll still have a good trip and file the insurance claim when I get home.

On a quick trip of a week or less, I can usually fit everything into a carry on. (After all, who needs clothes on a dive trip outside of a couple pairs of shorts and tees? )
Also, I usually pack a small rolled-up bag as part of the carry on. I then check some stuff on the return trip; if the checked bag goes missing on the return for whatever reason, my dive trip isn't interfered with.

HTH

--divetahoe

 

[serapis]

Short and sweet carry on the 1st and 2nd ,mask and computer,make sure that your bcd inflator will be compatable with what you can rent from the locals just in case. So pretty much whats been said. Oh and keep that c card on your person.Have fun!

 

[denise611]

I just returned from two dive trips in which I flew to my destination. Both times, I put the following in my carry-on - mask, computer, regulators (computer and regs are together). I checked everything else - fins, BCD, wetsuit, etc. One thing I would suggest - give yourself the full 2 hours, if not more, at the airport prior to your flight. It is very likely that your checked bag will be opened by TSA and you dont want it to delay your bag getting on your plane.

I just returned from Florida and I only arrived at the airport 70 minutes prior to my flight out to Florida. Well, my clothes suitcase arrived in Florida but my scuba gear bag did not. They hypothesized that the bag got pulled for inspection and didn't have enough time to get on the flight. Thankfully, after I told them what was in the bag and that I was pre-booked on a boat dive the next morning, they did everything in their power to get me my bag. There was a flight arriving at midnight and they had my bag driven to where I was staying at 3am!!

Next time, I will arrive 2-2.5 hours ahead of time at the airport.

Denise

 

[Charlie99]

How much to check vs. carryon is a personal choice having to do with your willingness to schlepp gear through the airport vs. how freaked out you would be if you had to use rental gear.

Being on the extreme lazy end of the spectrum I only bring on my cert card, credit card, and a bathing suit.

The most common answer is to carryon regs and any other unique items such as presciption mask.

The truly paranoid will carryon everything including their weights.

Some with expensive camera gear choose to carryon that instead of the dive gear.

 

[TomP]

If you've invested in quality dive gear i don't think it makes too much sense to roll the dice with rentals. I bring everything I think i'll need and since my wife dives too that that's a lot of stuff. I carry on our regs and computers; everythiing else goes into a large black plastic samonite suitcase and gets checked. As already mentioned, there are no dive decals or anything else that indicates that it's anything more than just another suitcase -- well other than its considerable weight.

Another thing to consider if you lean toward the carry-on model is the type of aircraft you'll be flying on. What passes for carry-on on a 7x7 jet may get gate checked on a 6 - 8 passenger puddle jumper. More than once i've seen my big black beheamoth lying on top of some poor slobs mesh dive bag.

 

[BigJetDriver]

Folks,

As someone who has been at both the flying and diving game for thirty some-odd years now, I can tell you that the rule is very simple:

If you ABSOLUTELY need it when you get there, and you cannot easily buy, rent, borrow, or replace it with something that will be SATISFACTORY, then you ABSOLUTELY need to carry it with you!

(As you can see, this applies to meds, masks, wet computers, ID's, credit cards, C-cards, cameras and so on. Just be sure that you are critical in your judgement, and you will find that you don't have to carry all that much! :colgate: )

 

[Firefyter]

I check everything but my wrist computer and my camera. I carry a small backpack with these, my id's and a change of clothes. Easy on, easy off even with puddle jumpers. Nothing like travelling light

 

[Louie]

Contact the airline and ask them about size and weight limits for carry-on. Sometimes, the allowances can be cruel and stingey.

Make sure you lock what you can in the check in bag - a determined thief will get anything s/he desires but a small lock on the zips or cable ties securing fin pockets will deter the opportunist baggage handler with sticky fingers.

Also, check your insurance. You don't want to be kicking yourself because you didn't read the small print. I've had several airline baggage (mis)adventures where my gear made the great round-the-world trip while I sat in a hotel thinking the worst. The airlines tried to coax me into claiming for inconvenience from my dive insurance - as they would.

But whatever the case, have a nice trip.