The great travel BC topic

[Scubaroo]

Now, instead of the "mine's smaller than yours!" argument (which is ONLY good for travel BCs and cellphones, usually it's the other way around), my take on the travel BC issue is - the best travel BC is the one that's going to give you the most diving enjoyment at your destination. If there happens to be a 5-6lb hunk of SS in it, so be it.

 

[loosebits]

Now, instead of the "mine's smaller than yours!" argument (which is ONLY good for travel BCs and cellphones, usually it's the other way around), my take on the travel BC issue is - the best travel BC is the one that's going to give you the most diving enjoyment at your destination. If there happens to be a 5-6lb hunk of SS in it, so be it.

I pack my 6# hunk of SS in my carry on along with the rest of my gear except for fins which get checked and regs which go into my reg bag (which I also carry on). Now I don't have to worry about the weight restrictions (they don't count carry ons) and if my checked bag gets lost, I just need to buy another swimsuit and a toothbrush.

 

[LioKai]

I pack my 6# hunk of SS in my carry on along with the rest of my gear except for fins which get checked and regs which go into my reg bag (which I also carry on). Now I don't have to worry about the weight restrictions (they don't count carry ons) and if my checked bag gets lost, I just need to buy another swimsuit and a toothbrush.

That was the best bit of info on this thread. Good call.

 

[nwdiver2]

I don’t know what airlines you fly on but the ones I use all over the world DO weight carry on bags, now more than ever before, ask any travelling UW-Photogs. 5 kg max carry-on with many of them.

 

[loosebits]

I don’t know what airlines you fly on but the ones I use all over the world DO weight carry on bags, now more than ever before, ask any travelling UW-Photogs. 5 kg max carry-on with many of them.

When do they have an chance to weight them?? If I do automated checkin (using the kiosk) and am not checking any bags, I just take my boarding pass, go through securiity and get on the plane. At DFW, the only time the weigh bags is when you give them to the agent to be checked.

About a year ago, I would be on a plane twice a week and I've never had my carry on weighed. I've been to Cozumel twice and packed my gear as desribed and checked a bag of clothes and they only weighed the checked bag.

I mainly fly AA, Delta and charter flights.

 

[jonnythan]

I don’t know what airlines you fly on but the ones I use all over the world DO weight carry on bags, now more than ever before, ask any travelling UW-Photogs. 5 kg max carry-on with many of them.

None of the airports I've been to in the past several years (Albany, Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia) even have the capability to weigh a carry-on bag, unless they do it at the x-ray machines.

I've never seen a carry-on get weighed. Ever. My bags generally each weigh in excess of 10 pounds (laptop + accessories in one, clothing and toiletries in the other).

 

[Boogie711]

In the past year, I have flown out of Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, Cincinnati, Austin and La Guardia airports.

Never once have my carry-on bags been weighed.

 

[Johnny Kain]

For some reason SeaQuest does not advertise it for travel, but it is a very light weight BC (3- 4 lbs) and folds up quite well. Not the cheapest, but a great back-inflate.

I hope it functions as well as I have read (This will be my first trip with it) but I can attest to it's compactness. I have my Sea Quest Balance, mask, Apeks ATX 50, Canon S50, and underwater housing in packed in my carry on which is sitting in my living room ready to get wet on Sunday.

 

[scuba-punk]

A regular dive buddy of mine loves his Zeagle Escape. I like it too... But, I already have a bp/wing setup for my doubles, so I got a single tank wing. the plate lies flat in the bottom of the suitcase and the wing rolls up into a small tube that i can put in the middle of the suitcase for max protection of the bladder. I believe that the escape has about 35 pounds of lift, so even for local cold water diving around here, it's a nice bc...

-Frank

 

[lairdb]

In the past year, I have flown out of Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, Cincinnati, Austin and La Guardia airports.

Never once have my carry-on bags been weighed.

It's a continental Europe thing. They will weigh everything, checked and carryon, and each has it's own limit as well as the overall. For those of us used to North American carrier practices, it can be a rude surprise that your plain old briefcase-with-laptop is over the limit for carryon.

(A couple of other typical differences make this not as bad as it might seem: First, checked baggage shows up quickly in most European airports. Second, business class has higher weight limits, and is typically only a few dollars more than coach. Rmember, an hour flight is a long segment in most of Europe. "In Europe, a hundred miles is a long distance. In America, a hundred years is a long time.")

--L