Vacation divers - when did you decide to buy your own gear?

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I have mask, fins, snorkel (and from other endeavors) boots, and wetsuits. I recently bought a computer for my OW cert dives. Not to highjack the thread, but I plan to dive 4-10 times annually mostly in tropic waters while on vacation. Does it make sense to have my own BCD and/or regulator? Some say yes. I’m not so sure. What do you folks think?

Thanks!
 
I have mask, fins, snorkel (and from other endeavors) boots, and wetsuits. I recently bought a computer for my OW cert dives. Not to highjack the thread, but I plan to dive 4-10 times annually mostly in tropic waters while on vacation. Does it make sense to have my own BCD and/or regulator? Some say yes. I’m not so sure. What do you folks think?

I'm 6.1/190-ish and my BCD size is either skimpy in M or I'm floating out of an ML/L. BP&W (I said it first! :yeahbaby:) or a similarly adjustable back-inflate is the only thing that fits. YMMV on that one, but I have not seen either kind available for rent at our vacation destinations.

With regs, I actually like detuned ones and asked the op to swap or detune mine at least once. My better half is the other way around. She once got a rental reg with cracking effort knob, but that's not what you usually get. (That said, we're still on the fence about buying our own regs.)

BCD is luggage space. Regulators need to be serviced regularly, that costs money.
 
I wanted to be in control of what equipment I dove and I didn't want to have dives affected by cheap gear that is poorly maintained. I am glad I did. When you are on the boat and see the problems that occur with some rental gear it will make you glad you own yours. When you have gone over your gear and it is good to go it enhances the experience. Familiarity and the ability to customize and always have a proper fit and know what my weighting needs to be to achieve proper trim is really important to me.
 
I have mask, fins, snorkel (and from other endeavors) boots, and wetsuits. I recently bought a computer for my OW cert dives. Not to highjack the thread, but I plan to dive 4-10 times annually mostly in tropic waters while on vacation. Does it make sense to have my own BCD and/or regulator? Some say yes. I’m not so sure. What do you folks think?

Thanks!
How well did the rental equipment fit for your checkout dives? Some folks are pretty close to the peak of the bell curve and have an easy time finding gear that fits; others have unique shapes and need something very specific.
 
I fit into a Large BCD pretty well. If I was to buy one I’m pretty sure that’s the size I’d get. One person I spoke with rents the regulator but brings there own BCD. Another brings everything but a tank. I figured on renting both the BCD and regulator-not So sure now. Extra suitcase?
 
I've rented equipment now from a few different dive shops here and in Mexico. I was pretty happy with all of it. I think if I were only going to dive on vacation I might not bother buying my own BCD, regulator, or even wetsuit. As it is, I've just discovered I can comfortably dive locally even in February by pouring warm water into my wetsuit, so I'm starting to think about buying my own gear including cylinder to make regular Saturday morning shore diving a little easier. But even if I do that, I might still consider renting on vacation. It's just too damn convenient not to have to lug it all around, especially since most of my vacations will include a lot of non-diving activities (my husband doesn't dive.)

Why not try renting your first trip and see how you like it?
 
I fit into a Large BCD pretty well. If I was to buy one I’m pretty sure that’s the size I’d get. One person I spoke with rents the regulator but brings there own BCD. Another brings everything but a tank. I figured on renting both the BCD and regulator-not So sure now. Extra suitcase?

Dep. on a BCD, a large one may need a 26" roller. That's oversize for cabin luggage. My stuff I can pack into "regulation size" but I normally prefer to pay $30 for not dragging it through flight changes. (But then there's risk of having to rent for the first day or two.) However I pack like 2 t-shirts and a pair of shorts, the rest is dive gear.
 
Other than space issues for plane luggage, I think owning vs. renting is simply a money thing. Of course it's best to have all your own stuff, particularly the reg. Can you afford buying that or everything for 4-10 dives annually? If yes do it, if not you can't do it.
 
We have our own gear - and getting ready to have the regulators serviced (ka-ching!) - and every time we go on a trip we are reminded that indeed, BCs take up a LOT of luggage space. I'm glad we have our own gear - we know the gear and we know it will work. But I could see waiting a bit if you're not going to put more than a handful of dives in each year. It all comes down to personal preference.
 
Other than space issues for plane luggage, I think owning vs. renting is simply a money thing. Of course it's best to have all your own stuff, particularly the reg. Can you afford buying that or everything for 4-10 dives annually? If yes do it, if not you can't do it.

4-10 dives or 4-10 trips? 4 weeks of renting per year could add up fairly quickly. What if you buy second-hand?
 
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