traveling with regulator

[spectrum]

If you want it when you arrive then carry it, Note that luggage can take many days to catch up with you at a dive destination. Flamingo International is no O'Hare

Put your laptop in a laptop case and it will board as you personal item. Put your regulator, computer and mask into your carry on luggage piece. If you remove the regulator from the regulator bag you can lay the regulator in near the bottom of the carry on with freely routed hoses and pack soft items around it all. This way it packs very efficiently If you want the regulator bag at the destination then put it in your checked luggage since it is not essential.

Ideally you pack that carry on as a mini survival case with critical dive items, clothes for a day or 2 and essential toiletries

Pete

 

[mase]

I prefer to carry my reg on, with a change of clothes and enough to get by for a day or two. Delays or lost luggage are becoming all too common. Remember when you could board a plane like jumping on a bus? No dumping your silver, taking off your shoes and belt, no long lines, meds and cosmetics anyway you want them and the Beatles sang, "I want to hold your Hand."-Ah, I reminisce.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Some times depending on the bags you use it may be easier to pack the reg if you remove some or all of the hoses than everything will fit into smaller pockets. I have never traveled with a reg myself but have assisted in packing my brothers gear on several trips. Most laptop bags have accessory pockets so you might be able to fit it all in one bag.

 

[spectrum]

Some times depending on the bags you use it may be easier to pack the reg if you remove some or all of the hoses than everything will fit into smaller pockets.

Very true, especially with a double hose regulator. I can carry that, a single hose rig, my mask, common console including computer and still pack a few days of essential warm weather attire and toiletries.

 

[scubapatton]

On my honeymoon we went to Fiji. On the 2nd day we ran into a family of 7 that had ALL of their luggage lost. They were living out of the Gift Shop for clothing/toiletries.

I have ALWAYS carried my reg as carry-on...This story only re-affirmed why. They were all pretty devastated to some degree.. not too terribly so though when they woke up in paradise though. No idea if their luggage ever got recovered since they left for the main island the next day...

 

[lorien]

For me it is not so much of how safe it is in my checked luggage, I am not so worried about them damaging it but I am worried about them losing the suitcase that it is packed in. If I arrive and my dive gear does not, at least I have my reg, computer and mask. I don't mind renting the other stuff if forced to.
Of course there was a time when they forced me to gate check my carry on and then they lost that! They said no more room in the overheads for carry on bags. I argued that I needed that bag with me, they insisted and it was gone. I had to use rental gear for 2 days before my bag showed up on what was just a long weekend dive trip.
So now I use a bag small enough to fit under the seat in front of me in case they ever try to pull that one again.

 

[Bob Vincent]

I'm the oddball hear. All my dive equipment goes in the planes belly. Stuff I make sure is protected. My reg and puter. But camera and HID light are just as expensive and needs care also. I have a hard case for those items packed in a soft wheeled case with other equipment.

 

[RadRob]

Something else to ponder is what type of luggage do you check into baggage? I have heard (third person, so not sure of accuracy but sounds believable) that some people i other countries know what dive bags look like and know there are expensive items in them. More likely to "get lost". So just to be safe I use regular luggage for my dive equipment. JMHO.

 

[Damselfish]

We carry on anything like reg/computer/mask, laptop, along with toiletries, a few clothes and a bunch of camera gear.

I'm not worried much about stuff being stolen from checked luggage and can certainly pack the all the dive stuff in checked in a way it would be protected. But luggage does get lost and I want to be sure to arrive with those items. Sometimes I pack differently on the way home because my priorities are different. If I were, say, going to be someplace for several days before doing any diving I might decide other things belong in checked instead of dive gear, since it has time to catch up.

Packing for dive travel, especially if it's combined with another trip, is just something that takes practice and fine tuning.

 

[SNorman]

I think I will bring my regs as carry-on along with some essentials. Last time I flew out of the country (Jamaica) they lost my wife and I's luggage. It showed up the next day, but still, I had to go buy some swim shorts, sun screen, etc. etc. for the first day.