One day to dive... do you bring it all?

[AaronRiot]

I'm torn.

I have a couple weeks in the Mediterranean coming up BUT I'm only going to have one full day to dive. I'm having trouble deciding whether to bring all the gear or suck it up and rent?

I'm definitely bringing the computer and regs and fins/mask. I'm torn mostly about the wetsuit and BC (Zeagle Stiletto so not huge but not tiny).

What would you guys do in my fins??

 

[grantwiscour]

For just one dive trip I would probably rent the gear. I haven't used rental gear since I bought my rig years ago but I would hate to lug it all over Europe (and pay baggage fees) for just one outing.

 

[James R]

I would like to think I wouldn't bother, but realistically I would probably bring all my stuff if I were to be in one or two places the whole trip.

If I were planning a trip where I'd be in many places and on the go all the time, I'd probably only bring my wetsuit and computer if only diving one day.

The bigger question for me would be this: do I bring the camera, housing, strobes, etc etc or not?

 

[Lopez116]

Bring the stuff, you might end up diving more than you anticipate

 

[CT Sean]

I just returned from vacation where I DID have only one opportunity to dive and was happy i didn't lug all my gear. Fins, masks and snorkels went because we will did a lot of snorkeling with the kids, but BCs, wetsuits and regs stayed home.

 

[Scuba-dan]

I would bring it. For me its a matter of trust, where I know how my equipment functions, its been services and obviously my life depends on it. Again I'm over pre-cautious all the time but that's me.

 

[shmuggy]

You also should consider how much your gear weighs and how much you are willing to pay the airline for the baggage- or if you are willing to forgo other things you might bring for the rest of the trip.

 

[SaltyDog35]

I think you will be fine with computer and regulator. I have found rental gear to be rather inexpensive over here. Water temps are still cool, better to have the right wetsuit for the conditions which the shop should have.

 

[iamjblevine]

I'm of the opinion bring it. You might have more opportunity to use it than you think. Isn't the baggage fee going to be about a wash with the rental fees?

 

[knotical]

It would be useful to first determine the availability of rental equipment at your destination. It can often be a challenge to get a wetsuit that fits well.

In approximate order:

Very likely to bring things that are fit dependent:
mask
wetsuit
booties

Since bringing the mask, might as well bring:
fins
snorkel

Could go either way on:
computer

Less likely to bring:
reg
BC
soft weights (since it’s only one day)

Don’t bring:
cylinders