Rent or Buy

[TSandM]

If you really are only going to do a handful of dives once or twice a year, you won't have enough experience in your own equipment to make it significantly better than rental from that standpoint.

If the majority of your destinations would be high-volume dive sites like Cozumel, Bonaire, Hawaii and the like, I think you'd be fine renting. As Leejnd recently discovered, dive ops in more remote places may have more questionable equipment and procedures.

Dive gear takes up a significant portion of one's luggage, especially in today's bag-restricted world.

I own my own gear and take it ANYWHERE I am going to dive, even if the diving is not the primary focus of the trip. But I log somewhere between 150 and 200 dives a year, and my own equipment is like a second skin -- AND I go weird places and dive where the infrastructure isn't impressive. If none of those conditions applies to you, you are better off renting, I think. The one thing you might consider acquiring is your own exposure protection, because wetsuits quite simply don't work if they don't fit.

 

[theduckguru]

My daughter and I have recently become certified OWD. During the course I tried different equipment and found the equipment, well, different. We do have our own mask, fins, snorkels, wetsuits.

We will probably dive 1 - 2 trips per year where we will do 4 - 5 dives per trip.

Given the maintenance requirements of our own equipment, condition of rental equipment, advances in new equipment that is then picked up by dive shops for rentals, abuse of rental equipment, and any other factors.

Can anyone think of reasons to continue to rent or purchase our own equipment? Some of my concerns of owning our own equipment are:

1. recognizing faults within our equipment.
2. cost of maintenance.
3. lugging it through the airport etc.
4. having it become outdated.
5. cost of new, good equipment

Concerns on renting:

1. condition of the rental stuff, poor maintenance, or simply cheap equipment
2. unfamiliarity of the rental equipment
3. time spent getting the rental equip
4. using old outdated rental equip.

Also would you consider purchasing used equipment? Compared to some of the package prices, the used equipment seems to be way over priced.

When you buy new dive equipment, the value of the equipment depreciates about 50%when you use it the first time. Add annual maintenace and airport baggage fees if you have to check additional bags.

Do some homework when planning dive vacations, there are some shops out there with really good equipment you will enjoy renting.

 

[PatW]

There are benefits and downsides of course.

The thing about having your own equipment, is it generally takes special luggage & you will be pushing weight limits if you have big old feet like mine.

The advantage to having your own equipment is that you are familiar with it. And you should know what condition it is in. Of course, if you are not the type to stay on top of maintenance, you might as well rent.

I would think that three things to have might be good: regulator, mask and computer.

 

[SolarStorm]

Wow, thanks for all of the comments! We may do the renting for this trip and see if the dive shop will rent the differnt BCD styles. I kinda doubt that they will have a wide selection of regs. One of the things I did like about owning my own wireless computer, is that I can keep an eye on my daughters air. Not that she needs me to, I am just an overprotective father

Does anyone know if I were to buy 2 computers first, if a dive shop would attach the transmitters for me on a rental?

 

[Bullswan]

I have all my own stuff (for my son as well) and most of that is because of the familiarity for the equipment and convenience of being ready to go when we want to go. Having said that, when I travel and plan to dive, I only bring my regs (with computer), mask, dry suit/wetsuit, safety sausage and CASH. Seems easier to rent all the other crap and not have to check baggage.

So, my answer is it depends if you are diving locally or traveling MOST. More traveling, buy a few important items to be comfortable with and that you know the history of. The other stuff, rent it. More local diving, I find it easier to buy it because I don't like having to drive back and forth to some dive shop not to mention hoping they have rentals available.

 

[SolarStorm]

Well our diving WILL BE travel. We live in the middle of the canadian praires

 

[Diver0001]

My daughter and I have recently become certified OWD. During the course I tried different equipment and found the equipment, well, different. We do have our own mask, fins, snorkels, wetsuits.

We will probably dive 1 - 2 trips per year where we will do 4 - 5 dives per trip.

Given the maintenance requirements of our own equipment, condition of rental equipment, advances in new equipment that is then picked up by dive shops for rentals, abuse of rental equipment, and any other factors.

Can anyone think of reasons to continue to rent or purchase our own equipment? Some of my concerns of owning our own equipment are:

1. recognizing faults within our equipment.
2. cost of maintenance.
3. lugging it through the airport etc.
4. having it become outdated.
5. cost of new, good equipment

Concerns on renting:

1. condition of the rental stuff, poor maintenance, or simply cheap equipment
2. unfamiliarity of the rental equipment
3. time spent getting the rental equip
4. using old outdated rental equip.

Also would you consider purchasing used equipment? Compared to some of the package prices, the used equipment seems to be way over priced.

If you're a vacation-only diver then buy the essentials.... mask, fins, snorkel (for snorkeling) and possibly a computer because they're relatively cheap and more or less necessary for getting the maximum out of vacation diving.

If you also want to dive more than once a month locally, then buy everything (either new or used--although as you've noticed, used gear isn't always a great deal). There is NOTHING more liberating for your diving than being able to drop everything, throw your kit in the car and GO!

IN terms of money, once a month (or maybe once every two months) is easily the "break even" point financially

R..

 

[dmoore19]

I purchased my own prior to my OW certification. I am happy with my decision. I am kind of funny about that. I don't like the idea of using a wetsuit somebody else wet with something besides the water they were diving in. I don't like using a mouthpiece that somebody else has drooled on. I know how the equipment has been taken care of, I know when it was last serviced. I know how the regulator breathes, if there is something wrong I know it. I know how everything goes together, I know what weight I need. I know how to operate everything without looking.

AS far as renting. A reputable LDS will rent good and well maintained equipment. As far as a diveshop on vacation, if you have been there before then you know. You don't have to pack it thru airports.

If you can afford to buy your own, the confidence in the equipment may be worth it to you, it is to me. There is currently a thread here on SB that brings the questions I have about rentals to the front for me. I feel more condfident with my own stuff. If you can't afford to buy your own, rent but have a procedure for checking out the rental gear prior to using it. There are several threads about that on SB as well. Don't know if that helps. Above all Have fun!

 

[Brian Sharpe]

Well our diving WILL BE travel. We live in the middle of the canadian praires

Check out this thread....http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/western-canada/6287-diving-alberta.html you could be diving in Alberta if you wanted to (a little chillier than Mexico or the Caribben though! LOL)

 

[scubafanatic]

One of the things I did like about owning my own wireless computer, is that I can keep an eye on my daughters air. Not that she needs me to, I am just an overprotective father

...yeah, I'm betting it's more likely she needs to watch YOUR air...just sayin'.....