Travel fins

[Krisher]

Anyone have any suggestions for a pair of travel fins? I've got every other piece of equipment when I travel now, so I might as well complete the set, right?

I'm looking for open heel, nothing crazy long and nothing too heavy due to airline baggage restrictions.

 

[meesier42]

ForceFins, shorter and lighter than nearly everything out there.

 

[David Wilson]

Isn't it a pity that the "travel" in "travel fins" has everything to do with "air travel" and nothing to do with what fins are designed for, "water travel"? To please the airlines, they'll be making fins out of balsa wood or polystyrene next. At the moment, I'm enjoying doing my snorkelling in my own country, where I can use my favourite snorkelling fins, irrespective of their length or weight, and I don't have to worry about Icelandic volcano ash leading to flight cancellations.

Anyway, I responded to a similar SB thread just over a year ago:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fins-masks-snorkels/280972-best-fins-travel.html

In my own contribution to that thread I listed the following as possible candidates for travel fin status:

TUSA RF10
TUSA Compact Travel-Exercise-Fitness Open Heel Swim Fins - Scuba or Snorkel Fins: at JoeDiverAmerica.com

Zeagle Travel Finz
Amazon.com: Zeagle EZ Travel Finz Light Weight Scuba and Snorkeling Travel Fins - with or without Booties Dive Diving Diver Swim Swimmer Swimming Snorkel Fin Authorized Dealer Full Warranty: Sports & Outdoors

US Divers Trek Travel fins
http://www.amazon.com/Divers-Trek-travel-snorkeling-fin/dp/B000WECWH8

Mor-fins
Home page for Morfin Corp Delfins.

 

[Nemrod]

The dive industry is only just beginning to respond to the fact that the airline industry is going to downsize our baggage and carry on and increase the price. They are starting to provide light weight BCs and a few regulators that are marketed as lightweight but as yet the other big space and weight hogs, fins, have not really been addressed. In terms of length the new Mares X3s I got for under 50 dollars are full size but in weight, that are nearly two pounds less than my Jets so between my wife and I we knocked almost 4 pounds out of the bag by going from Jets to Mares X3s. But they still are space hogs.

N

 

[Damselfish]

With the possible exception of Force Fins, you can only go so small if you want some decent propulsion out of your fins - you may not always need it, but you don't always know for sure when you will. So I don't think I'd want any of the fins advertised as compact snorkeling fins. I've considered the Zeagles and the APS Mantarays but from everything I've read I suspect they would also be too much of a compromise for me but I haven't had an opportunity to try them.

As long as you're checking them, most average size fins won't be a problem. There's lots of thermoplastic fins out there that aren't too heavy, and certainly much lighter than jets if that's the comparison.

 

[diver 85]

here's the ones my wife & I have decided on---for traveling.......not too big, not too heavy, & not too expensive, a home run, lol......(checkout other sites ie ?maybe scubatoys for a better price--get a 10% discount there for being a SB member)

http://www.divers-supply.com/-P1435...ium=cpc&utm_campaign=froogle&utm_content=1435

EDIT: I get 2 pr of these & 2 BCs with ALL diving stuff except for regs into 1 hard suitcase, total weight 48 lbs....

 

[vladimir]

The dive industry is only just beginning to respond to the fact that the airline industry is going to downsize our baggage and carry on and increase the price.

Even the luggage industry is just starting to respond. I have just switched to Cosmolite luggage, which is significantly lighter. I wish online dive retailers would include the weight of the gear in their product specifications.

There's lots of thermoplastic fins out there that aren't too heavy, and certainly much lighter than jets if that's the comparison.

Yes, I use these DiveRite fins; they're much lighter than Jets, and at least as stiff. I check them though--they'd be awfully large for a carry-on.

 

[greylion]

Mares Avanti Superchannel Open Heel reviews and discounts, Mares

Light and effortless to swim with. I use the full foot version and love them.

 

[WoodyLompoc]

My son ans I use the APS Mantaray fins. Even the XL size that I need don't take much space or weight. I find them somewhat slower than big paddle fins, but I never get cramps with them and they did come through for me when I hit a couple of bad currents. I also find their design to be quite nice for shore diving. My wife sometimes uses my son's pair and feels they compare well with her Cressi's in every aspect except for speed. The fin strap design is simple and super easy.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I use the APS Mantaray fins while traveling. They aren't as fast as my Tusa Xpert splitfins. They aren't as powerful as my Turtle fins. However, they are small, relatively flat, and light. I find that they are quite maneuverable -- I can do frog kicks, back kicks, helicopter turns, flutter kicks, modified flutter, etc. Another perk is that the generous foot pocket on the XL size can accommodate even my drysuit boots.

If you are trying to minimize dry carry weight, you should also consider the added weight of wetsuit booties. Going with a closed-heel fin will save some weight...but might be less desirable in certain dive locations where having hard-sole boots would help you scramble over rocky, uneven terrain (e.g., Bonaire).