hard-sided bag and flying with drysuit

[Lorenzoid]

I found one previous thread in which someone asked how to pack a drysuit for air travel. Most replies were to the effect of "I travel with a drysuit often--no worries." Well, I figured it's worth voicing my concerns to see if anyone has any other thoughts.

The soft-sided roller duffel I have been using for years for dive travel (with wetsuit) is obviously vulnerable to punctures and rough handling. Should I consider acquiring a hard-sided bag? Between my wife and me, there are two (trilam) drysuits to pack, so perhaps we should devote one bag to both our drysuits and fill the rest of it with soft clothing, then pack our hard gear (BP/W, regs, etc.) in the other bag?

Any recommendations for a hard-sided bag? I haven''t owned one in years, and I assume lighter weight bags than the old plastic Samsonites I remember have been developed.

Should I be concerned about protecting the latex wrist and neck seals? Does anyone, say, wrap the wrist in a plastic bag with a rubber band or something like that? I'm thinking that might help if some TSA moron pulls the whole suit out, lets the arms dangle to the floor, or whatever.

Anything else?

 

[Schwob]

Can't help you with the drysuit specifics, but by my experience (all sorts of luggage), I rarely ever get my inspected bag returned to me the way it was packed. Sometimes they try in a half ass way, sometimes stuff is just thrown in any whichever way. Uninspected bags always have their protection by way of packing mechanisms in tact. But inspection has a very high successrate of killing it. My experience is that they just don't give a dam. Even a printed picture along the lines of repack like this or "re-roll" tank in wetsuit etc. does not necessarily help. Maybe it does the opposite by highlighting distruction potential and encouraging ill-spirited individuals...

Maybe packing each drysuit into a large size shirt carrier or both drysuits into a light duffel to go inside the case mught do you some good, maybe not... who knows,... you may find that bag unzipped with stuff dangling out ... or zipped with a drysuit seal caught in the zipper....
But to a willing TSA individual (if they have any of those), a simple, separate bundle might help (the simpler, the better, if it requires a certain way of rolling /folding, (or not folding of neck seal...... good luck.) . I once even had tools looseley strewn around because some inspector was too lazy to close the tool bag or even to put the tools back in...
My experience: "They" just don't care!

You know this of course: Asides of you being in control of what does and does not walk away from your carry-on luggage, and it not getting lost, another big benefit of carryon is that you are present when it gets inspected... and although you typically do not get to remove items, insisting on putting them back tourself mostly works.
Of course you can fit only so much into carryon and personal bag. A drysuit would be high on my list, higher than BCD or BP&W. (but then I don't have extensive electronics, mine fit in a max sized personal bag... weighs a ton... the regs for up to 4 fit in another...)

 

[Lorenzoid]

Carrying-on the drysuits is a novel idea. However, a couple of flight segments are on low-cost carriers that strictly enforce not only weight but size. I think the size would exceed the carry-on limit. They also don't allow a carry-on plus a "personal item" as some major carriers do. My carry-on will be a daypack with just the necessities--what a carry-on was always supposed to be for.

 

[hilljo88]

I carry DCs, camera and sometimes regs onboard, but always pack most of my dive gear into hard sided case. You can find inexpensive ones at discount stores like Marshalls or Home Goods. Cheaper than the roller duffels, not much heavier, and way more protective of your gear. Make sure its big enough to fit your fins. Stick mask in fin foot pocket. Put anything fragile in center of folded wetsuit or drysuit. Outbound, my gear bag weighs, 40 pounds or so. On the way home its usually a few pounds heavier.

 

[Stoo]

I fly once or twice a year with my SANTI trilam. I just roll it up and pack it into an Akona roller bag. I don't know airlines are likely to be using hooks like butcher shops to be moving bags, so I think you are worrying unnecessarily. I suppose if you're buying a new bag anyway, a hard-sided bag would be great.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I fly once or twice a year with my SANTI trilam. I just roll it up and pack it into an Akona roller bag. I don't know airlines are likely to be using hooks like butcher shops to be moving bags, so I think you are worrying unnecessarily. I suppose if you're buying a new bag anyway, a hard-sided bag would be great.

Yeah, that's pretty much what has been said in previous threads. Have you ever found your suit shoved back into the bag haphazardly by TSA (or Canadian equivalent)?

 

[Stoo]

Yeah, that's pretty much what has been said in previous threads. Have you ever found your suit shoved back into the bag haphazardly by TSA (or Canadian equivalent)?

Anywhere I fly with my drysuit is within Canada, so possibly a less intense screening process. I don't think any of my bags have been touched.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Anywhere I fly with my drysuit is within Canada, so possibly a less intense screening process. I don't think any of my bags have been touched.

Based on my impression of Canadians, they probably left a maple cookie in your bag and a note saying "I hope we haven't inconvenienced you."

 

[Stoo]

Based on my impression of Canadians, they probably left a maple cookie in your bag and a note saying "I hope we haven't inconvenienced you."

Ya something like that. Generally my regs get serviced mid-flight as well... ;-)

 

[Marie13]

Stoo, what sort of bag did your drysuit come with? Mine came with a canvas rolltop bag. If I traveled with mine, it would go in that bag and then in suitcase.