Flexible Dive vehicle for doubles

[R80]

I'm thikning aobut upgrading my divemobile from a well-used 4-door sedan to a new(er) vehicle. It seems like a truck is the gold standard for getting doubles on and off directly from the vehicle, but I'm wondering what other types work well, especially with other benefits? For instance, in a (mini)van you can remove the back seats and sleep in it... but I'm not sure if the tailgate is high enough to don/doff doubles.

Thoughts?

 

[nimoh]

I would tend to agree that a minivan generally doesn't have a high enough tailgate, but also they aren't level at the back turning gearing up into a balancing act (well, the ones I am familiar with)

However, I wouldn't base a vehicle decision based on putting on my doubles, but rather if I bought a vehicle where it didn't work well, I would just carry a portable table such as this one:

Husky X-Workhorse Workbench-17185155 at The Home Depot

 

[Glenn08]

One advantage that I think an SUV has is a lift gate. It can be an 'umbrella' in the rain. And I like the higher ground clearance for some of the roads to shore dive sites.

 

[TSandM]

I have an Audi station wagon, which works extremely well for diving (doubles or otherwise) and is also a very comfortable passenger vehicle with good gas mileage. Unfortunately, they don't make the exact car I have any more, but they have a similar replacement.

My friend Bob Bailey dives out of a Honda Element, which has a tailgate and holds an impressive amount of dive gear.

 

[randy88k5]

I have carried my gear in a VW Jetta and a Ford Focus. Both have enough room to carry doubles and gear. I would keep the tanks vertical and buckled into the rear seat. I would assemble and don it on the sill of the open trunk. The biggest benefit to this is the probably increased gas mileage.

However, that was just dive gear for one person. If you had two sets (or more) of everything, and needed seating for more people, a bigger vehicle would be in order.

 

[Tracy]

I drive a 1985 Mercedes 300d. I removed the passenger seat and I can easily lay two sets of doubles on the passenger floor. Car drives much better with the weight over there a opposed to in the trunk.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[R80]

I would tend to agree that a minivan generally doesn't have a high enough tailgate, but also they aren't level at the back turning gearing up into a balancing act (well, the ones I am familiar with)

However, I wouldn't base a vehicle decision based on putting on my doubles, but rather if I bought a vehicle where it didn't work well, I would just carry a portable table such as this one:

Husky X-Workhorse Workbench-17185155 at The Home Depot

My experience has been that even after you've moved gear onto them they're easy to knock over while gearing up, especially on rough quarry roads (that's after you've wrastled your gear onto them). Should I assume that I was doing it wrong and just had a bad experience?

---------- Post added September 23rd, 2013 at 02:46 PM ----------

I drive a 1985 Mercedes 300d. I removed the passenger seat and I can easily lay two sets of doubles on the passenger floor. Car drives much better with the weight over there a opposed to in the trunk.

As in the front passenger seat, and just put a passenger behind the driver (if you have one)? Do you tend to gear up from tables outside the vehicle?

 

[tracydr]

My FJ Cruiser ( Toyota) has a nice height tailgate for donning doubles. Not sure if you'd be interested in this type of vehicle but we've had excellent luck with it. It has 85K miles with absolutely nothing wrong with it. It pulls a small dive trailer with no troubles and you can also put a luggage rack on the top if desired. It's a true 4X4, rather than a faux 4 wheeler, has plastic interior designed to get wet and muddy, hose down the interior and go.
I love it for diving, dogs and farm work. Plus, I love the flashy, cute colors and thoughtful design touches. Its really my favorite vehicle, ever.

 

[AfterDark]

Subaru Outback, Forester or Tribeca, AWD goes almost anywhere where there is a clearing. Plenty of room for gear. If you go used on the Outback get the H6 6cyl. The Subaru 2.5L 4cyl is a head gasket problem waiting to happen. I've had 2.2'sL 2.5s'L and now the 3.0L H6, 25 MPG all.

The Legacy Outback has more ground clearance and more bells and whistles than the Legacy.

Same for the Impreza Outback higher and more stuff but it is smaller and I don't think they put 6cyls in them.

Forester is a mini SUV which I think only has the 2.5L.

The Tribeca is a full size SUV it has a 3.6L or 3.8L not sure and I make no claims to know anything about it.

 

[nimoh]

My experience has been that even after you've moved gear onto them they're easy to knock over while gearing up, especially on rough quarry roads (that's after you've wrastled your gear onto them). Should I assume that I was doing it wrong and just had a bad experience?

I should point out that I have a F150, and the tailgate is a good height for me (although I have had it longer than I've been a diver). I have seen people using those x-tables, but perhaps they don't work as well as it looks