Good thing my regs, BP/W, fins, wetsuit and grubby t-shirts are together worth less than $1500. 
I used to make a habit of carrying on my regs, but I changed my mind on this. Here's my thinking. Regs are not as fragile as one might think--I wrap the stages in a wetsuit or clothing. They're too bulky to be attractive to thieves--is an airline employee going to walk out at the end of his shift with my 7-ft hose wrapped around him? Everything in my checked bag is either bulky or not worth much money. I don't see any compelling reason not to put regs in my checked bag. Okay, what if the airline loses my bag? I know some of you attempt it, but I can't seem to manage carrying on ALL of my gear, so I would have to deal with the loss of the rest of my gear anyway. Why NOT put all my eggs (excluding computer, mask, and lights) in one basket, so to speak? If it's lost, I'll piss and moan and then deal with it. Compared with the cost of the flight and diving (e.g., a liveaboard or resort), the extra cost of having to rent gear for a week would be small. Aggressor, for example, will rent a complete set of gear for a week for $175. I would miss my familiar gear, but I would probably quickly get over it. I will see the same sea life as everyone else, no matter what their gear. And more likely than not, eventually the airline will locate my lost bag. Rental gear is often good and well maintained. I know one couple--classic "vacation divers" if you will--who have been diving for decades all over the world, taking a big trip every year, and never owned their own gear, because they don't want to have to store, maintain, and eventually replace, it. They see the cost as just part of diving. Maybe they don't realize how ahead of the wave they were, as we talk about people (ah those millennials) increasingly preferring to pay for services and experiences over owning their own stuff.
I used to make a habit of carrying on my regs, but I changed my mind on this. Here's my thinking. Regs are not as fragile as one might think--I wrap the stages in a wetsuit or clothing. They're too bulky to be attractive to thieves--is an airline employee going to walk out at the end of his shift with my 7-ft hose wrapped around him? Everything in my checked bag is either bulky or not worth much money. I don't see any compelling reason not to put regs in my checked bag. Okay, what if the airline loses my bag? I know some of you attempt it, but I can't seem to manage carrying on ALL of my gear, so I would have to deal with the loss of the rest of my gear anyway. Why NOT put all my eggs (excluding computer, mask, and lights) in one basket, so to speak? If it's lost, I'll piss and moan and then deal with it. Compared with the cost of the flight and diving (e.g., a liveaboard or resort), the extra cost of having to rent gear for a week would be small. Aggressor, for example, will rent a complete set of gear for a week for $175. I would miss my familiar gear, but I would probably quickly get over it. I will see the same sea life as everyone else, no matter what their gear. And more likely than not, eventually the airline will locate my lost bag. Rental gear is often good and well maintained. I know one couple--classic "vacation divers" if you will--who have been diving for decades all over the world, taking a big trip every year, and never owned their own gear, because they don't want to have to store, maintain, and eventually replace, it. They see the cost as just part of diving. Maybe they don't realize how ahead of the wave they were, as we talk about people (ah those millennials) increasingly preferring to pay for services and experiences over owning their own stuff.
