How many of you use a diving gear bag?

[Jayfarmlaw]

For air travel, we use a barely airline legal hard sided roller suitcase. Seeing the abuse this thing takes justifies this decision over a soft sided bag. I think airlines really use the gorillas from the old samsonite commercials. We did have it come back to baggage claim with every panel cracked or broken in some way but SW made it right. The hard sided bag weighs 46# with both sets of gear going, less regs, and 48# on return.

Our dive op in Cozumel gives us their valet bags when diving with them, otherwise we use standard mesh duffel bags. I do wish we had mesh bags with backpack straps though.

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I use a Stanley Fatmax 90L to caryr my gear around, everything fits comfortably inside , it has wheels & long handle and is very sturdy.

I never had the chance to travel by flight with my scuba gear but would probably go for something much lighter and cut down on the amount of gear i would carry with me.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

My prefered solution for overseas travel is a back back for electronics and valuables, a bag for clothes etc and a bag for dive gear.

My current preference are North Face because my duffell is 10 years old, travelled the world, been abused but shows little signs of wear.

If (like Bali) where I need to drag, I want two bags to be able to strap together but be easy and fast to detach

How do you strap the bags together?

Lately I have been using the combo of a roller bag for dive gear and a duffel strapped to my chest for clothes and miscellaneous. I can walk around that way through airports and transport connections. For a flight, I check both of those bags and carry on just a small drawstring bag with electronics and in-flight necessities.

 

[Zef]

I picked up 4 lightweight wheelie duffle bags a few years ago for a family dive trip to Egypt. Our objective was to find a bag that was spacious, light, strong (handle webbing that wrapped around the bag), and wouldn't break the bank. I think the brand is Coronado and we paid about $30/each at the Post Exchange on the base we are at. They have held up great and we use them when we go skiing on ski trips as well. We figured that for $30 if it lasted one trip it would pay for itself. I remember putting damp stuff like not yet fully dried wetsuits into garbage bags to keep them isolated. 4 years later the bags are still going strong. On the dive trip we only use the wheelie bag to get to from the airport. We put lightweight mesh bags in the bottom and use those to transport gear to/from the boat.

-Z

 

[Diving Dubai]

How do you strap the bags together?

Lately I have been using the combo of a roller bag for dive gear and a duffel strapped to my chest for clothes and miscellaneous. I can walk around that way through airports and transport connections. For a flight, I check both of those bags and carry on just a small drawstring bag with electronics and in-flight necessities.

A small 1" Cargo strap around the bags has been my current solution to keep them together minimising sway but I'm looking for a better solution for my trip in March

 

[Divegoose]

Here on the west coast, you will see the majority of divers using a Rubbermaid tote to carry their dive gear. I use two - a smaller one for all my loose gear (mask, fins, regs etc) and a larger one for my dry suit. Most of the shops use larger totes, so that all gear can be stored in one container.

When I travel I use my big Akona dive bag. I can pack all the gear I need for a tropical trip, and still have room to pack clothes in the bag (and keep under the 50 lb weight limit). This allows me to have travel with a small carry-on bag with my remaining clothes, computers, and cameras.

Dive safe !!

Divegoose

 

[ibj40]

A small 1" Cargo strap around the bags has been my current solution to keep them together minimising sway but I'm looking for a better solution for my trip in March

 

[Zef]

For my drysuit I use and old military cargo bag that I have had for years. It is big enough to that I can open the zipper and stand in it and pull my suit off directly into the bag...I put a pair of crocs just next to the bag and step into them as I pull each foot out my suit. It keeps my suit clean and takes up less space in the back of the car than a tub. My mask goes in a fin pocket, my computer and compass go in my regulator bag, and I take a smaller bag with dry clothes. Weights just get distributed around the back end of the car.

It seems like a lot of local divers over here like to use tubs similar to this one...but they tend to be really expensive in Belgium:

-Z

 

[Neilwood]

For me, it depends

For Local diving I'll uses a vented bag - mine is like a dry bag but with heavy duty mesh down the sides for wetsuits and a small roller for other gear.

For small boats or liveaboards I decant dive gear into a mesh bag

I used to have a huge Mares Cruise bag, but it was too large and unwieldy anywhere outside of an airport

I've learnt (through hard experience) that it's easier to pack a cab with a couple of smaller bags per person than 1 large bag each and they're easier to lift and handle.

My prefered solution for overseas travel is a back back for electronics and valuables, a bag for clothes etc and a bag for dive gear.

My current preference are North Face because my duffell is 10 years old, travelled the world, been abused but shows little signs of wear.

If (like Bali) where I need to drag, I want two bags to be able to strap together but be easy and fast to detach

I'm still looking for the perfect solution - I'll be in the UK soon so will visit a North face store and physically look at their larger offerings.

I don't' mind having branding - thieves want high value small items that can be easily sold (which dive gear is not - too specialised) but most dive bags I've seen just aren't thought out for my "needs"

I have a North face carry on roller and it seems pretty bullet proof atm. Not used it with my diving gear yet though.

For my last couple of big trips I have a large Costco Roller bag which splits into two halves which generally become wet/dry gear sides.

 

[mariah]

I use it, as they are very helpful and I can carry most of my belongings inside one bag and instead of scattering them at different places. The main purpose of it comes when you come alone and have to bring a lot of stuff with you and you do not want to miss anything at home. I use scuba bag and they are really nice and supports a lots of stuff and I can carry all my belongings. The material is great and very strong and also have foam to support your shoulder.