Packing Tips

[triggertravel]

Does anyone have any unique packing tips? ut:

It seems like the more into diving I get the less room I have for clothes.

 

[Starfish]

If you are going on an all-dive vacation, I find that you don't need too much in the way of clothes i.e. you don't need 7 days of wardrobe changes for a weeks trip.

\I usually pack 2 swim suits, 3 pairs of shorts, 6 t-shirts, sandals, and underwear (which takes up the most space).

I usually wear khaki pants and a long sleeve sun-shirt (one of those covertable ones which can have the sleeves rolled up and buttoned down), sneakers/gym shoes and a sun hat and jacket.
I wear all the bulky items, except the many day changes of underwear and socks.

Pack the underwear in one of the new packing cubes or in one of those plastic bags you roll to get out the air. This saves a ton of space.

I pack it all in amongst my gear to cushion it and check the big roller bag of clothes and gear.

I take my regs, mask, toiletries, and a swim suit on the plane. If they lose or delay my bag, I can still get a rental BC, weight strap, fins, etc.

So pack light in clothes (you can always rinse out stuff in the hotel or send it out for cleaning) and use those rolling plastic bags or packing cubes to take out the air in the undies!

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by Starfish
....So pack light in clothes (you can always rinse out stuff in the hotel or send it out for cleaning) and use those rolling plastic bags or packing cubes to take out the air in the undies!

Hey Starfish....just how fluffy ARE your undies?

Trigger....you don't need many clothes! I guess it depends on where you're going and how much diving you'll be doing. On miost dive trips we generally do 4 or more dives a day. So the daytime is spent in bathing suit and t-shirt. The clothes worn on the plane are the same ones we'll wear home. 2 prs. shorts and 2 shirts are rotated in the evenings but I do take clean undies for every day! The only shoes are the sandals I wear. If anyone is keeping score by how often you wear the same shirt, they have problems no dive trip will cure! When my girlfriend and I go on an all girl trip, we ask each other "What do you want to see me in all week?" Hey...it works for us!

Clothes don't have to take up alot of space. Undies are rolled in a ball and stuffed into fin foot pockets. Shorts and shirts aren't folded, rolling is much better and produces almost no wrinkles. Those clothes rolls can be used to cushion other things...like dive gear!

 

[socaldiver]

Leave'um at home.

A dive trip means informal wear, if you "must" have some undergarment on during SI then wear a pair of your trunks or swimsuit. ut:

 

[Zept]

After sitting round in my soggy, salty swimsuit all day, I like to have a shower and put on some fresh clothes. Couldn't do without knickers, and in SE Asia it's polite to wear a bra. Besides, I don't often find myself sitting on my suitcase thinking, 'Gee, if I just took out my underwear, I'd be able to close this bag.'

Surfer-style shorts made out of lightweight synthetics are good. They dry quickly and aren't too bulky.

Camping towels such as the Packtowl (sic) are good for drying off between dives and don't take up much space. While you're in the camping store, look for little plastic bottles that you can use for shampoo, etc -- saves carrying the whole bottle.

A thin cotton sarong can be a skirt, a dress, a scarf, a sunshade or a sheet.

Or maybe you just need a bigger bag? Worked for me.


Zept

 

[triggertravel]

Those packing cubes sound neat - where can I get some?

 

[The Chairman]

Originally posted by Zept
and in SE Asia it's polite to wear a bra.

But... do I gotta??? Talk about your culture shock!

 

[socaldiver]

wonder what the g/f would think if I asked her for one of her bra's?

Didn't say you couldn't take a shower, just said when you change 'don't need undies

 

[Starfish]

I got my packing cubes from Travelsmith, but you can now find them at most camping and/or travel stoes.

I even saw some at Marshall's the other day in the sock/accecories aisle.

I think they run $12 to $30 depending on the size.

 

[Starfish]

LLBean has them for:

$12 for 227 Cu. inches
$15 for 495
$18 for 975
or a set of all three for $39