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bmorescuba

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
411
Reaction score
495
Location
Baltimore, MD, USA
# of dives
500 - 999
I'm a big guy. All my stuff is big. When I travel, my one checked bag usually weighs between 49-49.5 lbs. I don't like paying extra bag fees. At the end of a trip, on my off gassing day, my ritual is to rinse everything as thoroughly as I can, and then set about trying to dry it. With less than 1lb of baggage weight to spare, any wet equipment will push me over the limit. This has resulted in some serious drying acrobatics: taking every hanger from the hotel room, draping boots on A/C units, manipulating tree branches so things hang upside down, and so on.

But my favorite drying scenario came this past summer on the Big Island, Hawai'i. We had to check out around 10am, but our flight wasn't until 9pm. We were staying in a humid area, so nothing was dry. We decided to check out Old Kona Airport (which is a fantastic place, btw). You can drive the length of the old runway and the beach is right there. Not crowded, lots of fun. The entire road is lined with black lava rock, with no tree cover. So, I put all my gear on the lava rocks, and even found smaller lava rocks to put inside my boots. Everything was dry in 30 minutes! Most successful drying attempt ever. My boots usually take >24hrs to fully dry, and even they were crispy. If you have a fun story or pic to share, let's hear it.
drying-vr.jpg
 
Koh Tao, Thailand... I had been staying at a hostel prior to getting this room. I knew I needed the space and aircon, which I learned, dries everything out really fast, though booties are still hard to dry in 24 hrs. (The fastest was in a room with a dehumidifier, maybe four hours.) I was quite proud of this construction, using the room clothes rack...

IMG_20180918_0700567.jpg
 
I'm a big guy. All my stuff is big. When I travel, my one checked bag usually weighs between 49-49.5 lbs. I don't like paying extra bag fees. At the end of a trip, on my off gassing day, my ritual is to rinse everything as thoroughly as I can, and then set about trying to dry it. With less than 1lb of baggage weight to spare, any wet equipment will push me over the limit. This has resulted in some serious drying acrobatics: taking every hanger from the hotel room, draping boots on A/C units, manipulating tree branches so things hang upside down, and so on.

But my favorite drying scenario came this past summer on the Big Island, Hawai'i. We had to check out around 10am, but our flight wasn't until 9pm. We were staying in a humid area, so nothing was dry. We decided to check out Old Kona Airport (which is a fantastic place, btw). You can drive the length of the old runway and the beach is right there. Not crowded, lots of fun. The entire road is lined with black lava rock, with no tree cover. So, I put all my gear on the lava rocks, and even found smaller lava rocks to put inside my boots. Everything was dry in 30 minutes! Most successful drying attempt ever. My boots usually take >24hrs to fully dry, and even they were crispy. If you have a fun story or pic to share, let's hear it.
View attachment 565036

Sunlight is very bad for diving gear you should dry in the shade or indoors your gear will last longer. I use plastic cups with the bottoms cut out to dry my boots and gloves in allows air to get at the inside.
 
We were diving at a beach with a dusty dirt trail from the parking lot to the water.
Every time we dived there I would return to my car with muddy boots and ankles.

I was looking around the house for an old towel to take along to rub some of the dirt off after the dive.
My dog had been sleeping on an old frayed towel which, regrettably, I'd neglected to wash in weeks... well, maybe months.
Ok, I'll take that towel. It's way overdue for a washing anyway,

I was the last guy out of the water that day, and when I finally returned to the parking lot my buddy was down to his swim trunks vigorously toweling himself off with a big smile on his face.

He said, "Forgot my towel, so I borrowed your extra one. Hope you don't mind."

Nays
 
Koh Tao, Thailand... I had been staying at a hostel prior to getting this room. I knew I needed the space and aircon, which I learned, dries everything out really fast, though booties are still hard to dry in 24 hrs. (The fastest was in a room with a dehumidifier, maybe four hours.) I was quite proud of this construction, using the room clothes rack...

View attachment 565184

+10 points for creative and compact arrangement! Aircon really is super useful. Sometimes blazing sun and warm breezes aren't an option, and Aircon is the next best thing.
 
I save the tubes from paper towel rolls to stick in my gloves and boots to hold them open while drying. This thread reminds me that I've been meaning to get some PVC pipe and build a proper rack.
 
I save the tubes from paper towel rolls to stick in my gloves and boots to hold them open while drying. This thread reminds me that I've been meaning to get some PVC pipe and build a proper rack.
Try bottomless plastic cups they don't get soggy.
 
I save the tubes from paper towel rolls to stick in my gloves and boots to hold them open while drying. This thread reminds me that I've been meaning to get some PVC pipe and build a proper rack.
or a rolled up piece of plastic craft canvas - not solid so lets in air from all directions.
 
The crew at Boardwalk subic bay unwound all 120mt of my primary reel and stretched it across two poles to sun-dry, before my flight home the next day. That was in addition to all the other pieces of gear.

I thought that was pretty great customer service :D
 

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