packing wetsuit for travel

[namabiru]

So with the holidays coming up on us forthwith, I'm preparing for my trip to Cozumel. But here's my question. What is the best way to pack a wetsuit for travel, so you don't get any folds in the arms or wherever? I don't yet have a dive gear bag because, well, I don't own any dive gear yet. I have fins/mask/booties, etc. I'm going to use a big backpack (like what hippie travelers like me use) since my fins will fit in there. I was tenatively thinking that I could use my fins as a base and roll my wetsuit around the fins so it wasn't folded, place this in the middle of my bag, and then stabilize the sides with other articles of clothing.

So what do you think? Good idea? Stupid idea? Yes, I know. Get a gear bag. But funds are a bit low now.

 

[Hemlon]

I'm definitely no expert on wetsuits but here is what I would do.

I would lay your towel on top of the wetsuit and loosely roll them up together. (Kind of like a jelly roll!)

Then I would take another towel and wrap it around the wetsuit to protect it and keep it loosely rolled.

 

[Charlie99]

Wetsuits are pretty rugged. In the worst case, you'll end up with a slightly compressed crease that has a bit less thermal insulation than the rest of the wetsuit. Not a biggie for the 3mm or 5mm you are probably taking to Cozumel.

My recommendation is to look upon the wetsuit as something that you use to protect other, more fragile items.

Charlie Allen


p.s. As far a a gear bag, that's something that I use to haul gear to the boat. I use a suitcase to pack gear for traveling. The non-wheeled duffel gear bag is what I pull out of the suitcase and stuff with some non-destructible items like wetsuits if I'm overweight on the main suitcase.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Yea I agree with Charlie there, wetsuits can take a beating better then I'd venture to say any other piece of dive gear you have. I've been known to wrap other items in my wetsuit to give them just a little bit extra padding.

 

[Puffer Fish]

I have a wheeled duffel and put the fins on one side, lay the suit over in and and put light stuff in, then fold over the top. There are no severe bends, and even if there were, if you quickly remove it and don't put it back in exactly the same place, over and over, you cannot tell it was packed. But I like Charlie's advice.

 

[DiveMaven]

I just roll mine up, starting at the head, leaving the arms flapping outside, down to the feet. Then I fold the arms over the roll, causing no creases or folds anywhere. So far it's worked on many trips.

 

[Geoff_H]

I roll my wetsuit too, exactly as Hemlon describes. Also works well for general clothes I find, less creases at the other end.

Anything at risk of breaking goes in my carry-on luggage.

BTW namabiru - great name

 

[namabiru]

Cheers all. Plus if I don't put my suit in until Tuesday pm, then take it out right away on Wednesday I should be okay. Yeah, Geoff, I used to live in Oita. Wish sometimes I were still in Japan. Although not right now. Too cold.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

But like someone else said the minor changes from slight creases in a 3m your going to be using in Cozumel probably won't over chill you

 

[jarhed]

I find that the wetsuit makes good packing material for my reg.
John