Question Help me get over my fear of soft sided luggage for air travel

[gmerick]

Using softside, -- had a BCD inflator port cracked in the threaded ring; -- had a harness triglide rub through wetsuit neoprene.

 

[rx7diver]

I see others traveling with a soft sided duffel for their dive gear and I wonder if people have had gear damage over the years from using them vs a hard sided suitcase. ...

I still use the U.S. Army heavy canvas duffel bag my dad gave me when I left home (in TX) for college (in OH) in 1973, for scuba travel. Not really Army surplus, since he used it when he was in the Army. (Thirty years Regular Army, retired.) It has flown to GCI and Seattle and BVI, with no issues.

I used to be concerned because it is OD green (olive green, Army green). However, it is so faded and beat up, that I long ago concluded that there is very little chance someone will think it is something currently being used for military purposes.

Like others above, I carry on my mask, regulators (including AIR 2 if I take it), and gauges.

rx7diver

 

[Scubagolf]

I’d second this, with the addition that our regs are also inside the soft sides, inside padded regulator bags that are then inside our BCDs.

Doing this for 20 years with zero damage. Reg sets and computers in reg bags, rolled up in a wetsuit, and zipped inside the BC. Fins are packed one on each of the long, narrow sides which “stiffens” the soft sided luggage.

 

[Edward3c]

I use fins as a side wall with mask etc in the middle padded by clothing. Been travelling for over 30 years.

 

[Imla]

Never had an issue using soft sided bags. Plate in the bottom. Fins on the sides. A bit of clothes. Regs in the middle. More clothes and wing on top. Drysuit in carry on (just because I'm MTM and can't easily rent a suit) with lights, camera gear and computers.
Anything I can easily rent at location I will put in luggage, but I normally travel with two pieces so I can separate items. That way I don't loose ALL gear, or ALL clothing if a bag goes missing.

 

[MB NZ]

I like my hard case. I could possibly, maybe use a soft case if I wasn't carrying a drysuit.

 

[Pearlman]

No Way ever I am using a soft duffel bag!
The Samsonite Scure Sport is just 4.3 kgs with the added benefit of not having a zipper that opens with a ballpoint tip. Even my Aqualung Scuba mesh roller duffel is IIRC close to half the weight due to the roller wheels. So one is just paying for an extra few kilos per flight. How much is the insurance premium for precious luggage again? And the runaround for settling claims with the insurance co? Besides around APAC the carry-on limit is just 7kgs which is taken up by batteries cameras and electronics mostly apart from spare underwear… even my costly regs go into check-in… I leave the hoses attached from 1st to 2nd stages so that a baggage handler thief cannot pocket it without carrying extra tools (which is disallowed in the airport security zones by default).

I don’t want to arrive at my dive destination with broken torch buttons or glass, pinched BCD/Wing or any kind of damaged gear. Don’t want to take a chance ever…

 

[LI-er]

But it sounds like I am over thinking it and the gear will be fine.

Not necessarily. Did you take onboard (pun intended) the posts that suggest that certain dive gear should not be packed in checked bags due to concerns over delays, loss, theft and (rarely) damage.

Most Travel savvy divers put into their carry-on bag the following items:

Regs
Dive Computers
Camera and related accessories (if they aren't too big to fit of course)

I also carry on other smaller, heavier & personal items that would make a dive trip much less pleasurable if the gear didn't meet me at my destination and to stay under the checked bag limits. See list below. Of course placing heavier items in carry-on bags can be problematic if those bags are subject to weight limits and are actually checked but I haven't had that issue yet.

Mask
Dive lights
19cf pony bottle & reg
GPS and compass, reel and smb

That mostly leaves just BCD, fins, wetsuit, booties and gloves, dive tools, spare mask and spare regulators in the checked bag. Along with dive knives for the obvious reason. I'd wear my BCD onto the plane if I didn't want to risk being mistaken for a suicide bomber and fins aren't worth the hassle and won't fit in my carry on anyway.

 

[lexvil]

Use some of the paranoia as packing material (like making sure anything breakable is insulated with soft stuff, clothes, wetsuit etc.) and rolling duffles will do just fine for normal traveling scuba stuff, I personally would never bother with a hard case unless I was packing a rebreather or a drysuit.

 

[FreqFlier]

My wife and I have been using soft sided luggage for years and have never had our dive gear damaged. They're normally so tightly packed they're more like a solid case. We put our regs & computers in our carry-ons.

+1