Flying with drysuits

[Nick Stephens]

Hi,
Has anyone taken their membrane drysuit abroad on a plane? I've got a soft divebag. Has anyone taken their suit in soft bag on flights and the dry suit zip etc, are still ok? I'd be interested in hearing from peoples' experiences in taking their dry suits on flights. I don't want to use a hard suitcase as I'm extremely limited on weight allowance as it is.
Nick..

 

[opiniongirl]

The suit should be fine - I would just recommend packing it with the zipper in the closed position, and flat. Closing will give it more stability.

The major issue would just be something put on top of it when the zipper is curved, which could result in broken teeth on it.

I would also suggest cleaning the zipper with a mild soap and water and toothbrush, and leave it unwaxed until you get to your destination. So much packing and weight on the bag could leave more deposits that would stick to the wax.

Last tip: don't put it in a bag that advertises it as dive equipment!

 

[kalvyn]

The suit should be fine - I would just recommend packing it with the zipper in the closed position, and flat. Closing will give it more stability.

I would only change this to suggest that the drysuit zipper be left open. From everything I've read for my two drysuits (Andy's and OS Systems), drysuit zippers should be left open for storage or travel (which is basically storage as well). The bottom line is to consult your drysuit manufacturer's recommendations for drysuit storage, and follow those.

Jimmie

 

[Bob3]

The proper way to fold a drysuit is to lay it on the floor, face up. Turn the boots so the toes are touching & proceed to roll/fold the suit up. When you get to the chest/arm area, fold the arms over the pile. That will keep the zipper from taking a sharp bend.
Toss a coin about open vs closed, each has its merits.
I leave mine open for both travel & storage.

 

[diverDano]

I agree with bob, and to close the zipper, it is stronger closed than open.

 

[theskull]

I take my suit as a carry-on. It does not weigh much and packs fairly small.

The baggage inspectors are aggressively going through luggage, particularly dive gear, and are animals. They really handle stuff rough! I would only consider checking my suit by packing it in a suitcase of clothes only so that it had a decent chance of not being opened and handled by the inspectors. Gear would be in a separate case.

theskull

 

[SubMariner]

The proper way to fold a drysuit is to lay it on the floor, face up. Turn the boots so the toes are touching & proceed to roll/fold the suit up. When you get to the chest/arm area, fold the arms over the pile. That will keep the zipper from taking a sharp bend.
Toss a coin about open vs closed, each has its merits.
I leave mine open for both travel & storage.

Ours have been on airplanes quite a bit, and IMHO this is the best method.

DSDO,

 

[Hoya97]

I just recently came back from California and dove in my dry suit. I put everything in a large Pelakin (sorry, can't spell) case and secured it with zip ties for both the trip out and return. Folded it the way Bob3 and SubMariner suggested. Didn't have any problems with TSA though. Just told them it was SCUBA equipment and they didn't seem to care one way or the other. Cable ties were undisturbed so I guess they were satisfied with simply x-raying the case.

One thing I found out though. In days gone by, if TSA broke a cable tie, they replaced it with a red tie with the TSA logo on it. That way, if your cable tie was removed and was replaced with a TSA tie, you knew that it was simply inspected but re-secured with another cable tie.

Now they have done away with the TSA tie. So, if they break it to inspect the contents, there is no proof that TSA broke it or a baggage handler broke it to take something out of it. I think this is an unfortunate decision on the part of TSA.

If any of you TSA bubba's out there have any influance, please urge the organization to reinstate the red ties. I appreciated them as they kept unwanted hands out away from my stuff.

Lee