Dive Bag vs. Dive Box...

[Eff]

Local shore diving- duffel bags, or just have it in the back all assembled and ready to go.

Local Boat Diving - tanks dressed, backplate, regs, etc etc all together and ready to go. Carry to the bench and secure. Everything else goes in one milk crate which slides neatly under the bench next to my sling bottle. Also carry a compact drybag for clothes, phone, etc.

Flying - ??? Haven't had the opportunity yet to do a dive trip on civilian airlines. I'm thinking regs+comp+etc in carryon, bulk gear in a generic hard suitcase or large duffel?

 

[Tropicalwolf]

Interesting. I have heard a lot of people talking about not taking up too much space on a dive boat. However, what about the photogs and such that bring boxes bigger than most...just for the cams. Do they get a pass? Are they special? Why should other divers "slim down" their gear when photgs get a pass because they have shiny toys? What are you thoughts on each person having "equal" space? Or maybe a new thread for that question isin order.

(note: I'm not slammin photogs, just playing devil's advocate to get different, honest, opinions)

 

[vladimir]

Interesting. I have heard a lot of people talking about not taking up too much space on a dive boat. However, what about the photogs and such that bring boxes bigger than most...just for the cams. Do they get a pass? Are they special?

"Yes," is the short answer, at least on the boats that I typically dive on.

Why should other divers "slim down" their gear when photgs get a pass because they have shiny toys? What are you thoughts on each person having "equal" space?

If you don't like a particular boat's policies, don't patronize that boat. A boat's ability to accommodate my photography hobby is one of the criteria I use to decide which boat gets my business. You can use equal allocation of space as one of yours.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

Looking for some opinions on this issue. What do you prefer, using a dive bag or using a hard-side box (like a gorilla box w/wheels) for dive gear. I am looking for opinions on actaul usage "on-site", not for storage. Also looking for opinons on what types of bags/boxes are best, most rugged, most useful, etc. Thoughts?

Well, I use both. I have a Pelican case that can store all my gear, and I can check it on a plane (I think Pelican is the best for hard cases). Packed in it is a mesh bag for the boat. So I just switch my gear before getting on the boat. Two things I wouldn't do is: 1). Travel by plane with my gear in a mesh or soft bag, and 2). Take my Pelican case on the boat.

If I'm local, just going to the shore or to the quarry, I can just load the gear in the mesh bag, and transport it to the boat or lake.

Good luck and safe diving to you.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Interesting. I have heard a lot of people talking about not taking up too much space on a dive boat. However, what about the photogs and such that bring boxes bigger than most...just for the cams. Do they get a pass? Are they special? Why should other divers "slim down" their gear when photgs get a pass because they have shiny toys? What are you thoughts on each person having "equal" space? Or maybe a new thread for that question isin order.

(note: I'm not slammin photogs, just playing devil's advocate to get different, honest, opinions)

I think the answer is use the space you need, don't waste a bunch of space you don't with poorly planned gear selection and stowage. The amount of space you need will vary depending on what you diving objectives are. The dive boat is a shared resource, so we have to just get along.

 

[joecos]

I dive intermittently. Twice a summer here s. California. I bought "The Dive Box" by the California Diving company 3-4 years ago. The instructor at my 2 hour refresher in the pool at Sport Chalet was really interested in it. I told him that my 1 or 2 experiences on a dive boat out to Catalina had been that it is pretty over sized for that. He said he didn't think it would be a problem and the convenience of throwing all your gear in w/o packing is pretty convenient. I feel a bit guilty having taken it on board and wondered what others think or feel about this product. Someone told me they just use a collapsible hand dolly with a plastic bin for their gear and that that works great too. Ideas, critiques, advice welcomed..

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@joecos: Not too long ago the Catalina ferry operators were hassling mainlanders who were bringing aboard "The Dive Box" and other dive box (Stanley brand?) rigid-type containers. They were pulling them out of line to weigh the boxes -- not sure what the max. allowed weight was. Since the SoCal diving community complained about this treatment, the ferry operators made a few concessions that I believe would allow the continued use of "The Dive Box."

I always thought that "The Dive Box" was an interesting product...but waaaaaaay overpriced for what it was.

My girlfriend and I had the following strategy for packing gear for a Catalina weekend: carry two HP100 tanks + weights on a collapsible handcart, one heavy-duty mesh backpack each full of "robust" dive gear (backplate, fins, hood, boots, mask in rigid container, drysuit undergarments in waterproof sack), one shared large wheeled duffel for clothes and "less robust" dive gear (wing, snorkel, etc.), hand-carry drysuits/regs, P&S camera setups would fit wherever. I would handle the tanks/weights down the ramp and park it all on the back of the boat. My girlfriend would check the rest of the stuff into the hold. We weren't taking doubles or scooters, so this method seemed to work for us.

 

[scubadiveilat]

Soft Bag with wheels!!!

As the weight permitted for traveling have changed dramatically over the years. A mere 23KG of max 2 luggage. Sucks! The lighter your luggage the better for travel. Avoid bulky, strong, heavy etc. If anything gets damaged or so you have insurance including luggage. If not! well never travel without insurance.

FYI
Max allowed is 23KG. up to 2 luggage.

If you have 25KG it's considered as an extra luggage.
If you have 3 luggage's you'll pay for the third.

Extra weight is a torture when traveling avoid it.

Have fun diving and enjoy!!!

 

[Rich Keller]

I use a military kit bag like the one in the link below. Very heavy duty construction and somewhat waterproof so I can fill the bag full of equipment with water if I do not have time to properly clean my gear until later.

http://www.militaryclothing.com/IBS/SimpleCat/Product/asp/hierarchy/0305/product-id/648463.html

 

[scubadada]

I travel without tanks. Carry all my gear in an Akona backpack mesh bag. Easy to carry, even long distances, and easy to store, even with limited space. I carry extra things in a small backpack or drybag depending on circumstances