Got my 2nd gen Dive Caddy today

[koozemani]

I got my Dive Caddy today, and let me tell you, I was a little overwhelmed. It was a mass of nylon, straps, buckles, and more buckles. I'll admit I was a little scared and Mayes have peed a little, but I carried on.

First of all, I'm sure most of you have already seen the videos and reviews, so I'll be brief.

Once I figured out how everything worked, I pulled a bunch of gear out to see how everything fit. Initially, all the buckles and straps looked like overkill, but upon stuffing a bunch of gear in there I was glad for the overkill. I didn't try overstuffing it, I simply threw in some basics:

2 3mm wetsuits
Boots
Gloves
SS BP
Fins
Reg

I didn't bother with the spider and turtle bags as the seemed self explanatory.

I was surprised at how well everything and how much room I still had left. I was especially surprised how comfortable the shoulder straps were, very much like a backpacking backpack. I'm not entirely sure it would be accepted as a carry-on once fully packed, but if you packed lightly, you might be able to get away with it.

At DRIS's sale price, it was a great purchase, and can't wait until I get to test it out on a trip.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I just packed both of ours tonight (leaving for Cozumel monday morning!) but it's not the first time for us. Each has a full kit, including both a full suit and a dive skin, bathing suit, flip flops, and a couple t-shirts. Even fully packed, we have never had any problem using them as carry on. We've used them on a trip to Curacao and two trips to Cancun.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

YMarci and I went to MX with our nomads, primary and secondary regs, a stage reg, sidemount cam bands and stage kit, large jet fins, primary and jump reels, mask, spare mask, computers, cannister lights, 5mm wet suit, wet suit boots and dive beenie.

i also strapped my side mount helmet with backup lights attached around the turtle pack. boarding the plane I unclipped the turtle pack and carried by the helmet chin strap as my "personal bag" with kindle, sunglasses etc in it.

It all weighed 56 pounds, but with the turtle pack removed, it fit in the overhead bin bottom first with no issues.

It flew right through TSA with no need to unpack - something that i never managed before with dive gear in a carryon. Security in MX asked me to open it and we had a brief discussion about the battery in the can light but the supervisor let it through.

I had the z knife and dive knife in checked luggage.

A tip for packing it really full is that to keep it flat enough to fit in the overhead bin, only tighten the straps for the BC compartment, etc enough to snug them up. If you tighten them too much it gets narrower but also thicker as the edges start to "roll" up. Keep each section as flat and wide as possible initially and then use the main compression straps to squish it when you roll the whole thing up.

Also large fins like XL Jet Fins pack flatter if you reverse one so the foot pockets lie against the blade of the other fin. The first and second stages can then be tucked in the spaces under/over the blades beside the foot pockets. And if you have large foot pockets, masks and computers fit there quite well.

 

[koozemani]

Thanks for the tips!! My next trip requiring a plane ride won't be until May, so I have time to play with it.