What are the better dive bags that you would recommend ?

[Roger Hobden]

Based on your experience, what are the better dive bags that you would recommend ?

 

[caruso]

For travel on an airline, a basic hardshelled suitcase, preferrably with a really bright, unusual color to make it easy to spot on the carosel and much less likely for someone to walk off with it. That of course also means no dive logos anywhere on the bag which are like a beacon that is screaming "I've got expensive dive gear in here please steal me!"

For use on a boat, an $18 mesh bag with shoulder strap.

If you expect to be diving in situations where you will have to lug your gear a considerable distance from your car to the dive boat then look into something that's at least partially mesh but also has a retractable handle and a good set of wheels on it but then you've got a bulkier bag to deal with on the boat and it will be that much more difficult to stow it under the seat or whatever space they provide for you.

 

[KatieMac]

Based on your experience, what are the better dive bags that you would recommend ?

Depends what you need it for. Like caruso, I use a normal bag for air travel - not a dive bag. Who wants to advertise that you have expensive dive equipment in this bag! But I don't use a hard suitcase - I use a rolling duffel bag. I downsized homes and the rolling duffel bag collapses to 2 inches high and it's lighter (3lbs) than the hard suitcase. I pack a large cutting board at the top of the bag to protect the stuff inside - and it comes in handy in the places we stay where we cook for ourselves. For regs, computers, dive lights - I put them all in a reg back and carry on.

 

[Scared Silly]

The above is spot on. I have never understood the purpose of a dive gear specific bag except for a mesh bag that one stick all their wet gear into. I use a heavy duty duffle bag - no wheels no frame. At times it is a PITA to schlep around but then again it is usually easy to find a wheeled cart or in some places a donkey cart. The problem with most all wheeled luggage is it is heavy so you lose 5-10lbs of package weight right off the bat.

 

[flyboy08]

Soft luggage...a four compartment Cosco bag with wheels. Full bottom holds my BC, fins, knife, booties....sides holds mask and shoes..center top clothe. Bag cost $65.00. I carry on my regs and computer...

 

[bamafan]

For travel I like a hard shell wheeled suitcase. You can find some that are the maximum allowable size and weigh about 8 lbs. With 2 carry on bags for regs. Lights etc it generally works well. As far as for the dive itself there are some heavier duty mesh backpacks that if you watch Ebay you can pick up pretty cheaply. They work well but will rip with a lot of weight in them. So if you are carrying multiple sets of regulators etc they won't last long. Kubi makes a really nice bag for carrying double al80's and it has drain holes in the bottom. It also works well as a gear bag as it is really heavy duty. If you need more room there are some mountain climbing haul bags that work really well. Metolius makes a really nice one. They come in various sizes. Again Ebay is your friend. Below is a link for the Kubi bag. If you want one of them get with Marissa Eckert or James Draker on Facebook as they are placing an order. I think they are around $120 or so.

KUBI S80 Twin Cylinder Transport Bag (KUBI-2xS80)

 

[Damselfish]

We like rolling duffels for air travel. Nothing dive branded. Current ones are from Eagle Creek and we've been using them for many years. And rollaboards for carry-on, we've got a couple depending on airline limitations of a given trip and all we have now have come from Home Goods or similar, I just keep an eye out for the light ones that are mostly just one compartment without all sorts of added pockets and dividers. I try for colors instead of black. We originally used hard luggage since we had it, but found soft or semi-soft works better for us. We do have a lot of luggage but my husband travels for business a lot too.

We don't have a separate "dive" bag. Gear is mixed with clothes and distributed however makes sense, which changes with the trip and sometimes the leg.

 

[KatieMac]

Based on your experience, what are the better dive bags that you would recommend ?

Ah, you're from Montreal! I got ours at Bentley - 3 lbs, $80, comes in two colours, collapses flat for easy storage when not in use. Wheeled Duffel Bag.

 

[KeithG]

Ah, you're from Montreal! I got ours at Bentley - 3 lbs, $80, comes in two colours, collapses flat for easy storage when not in use. Wheeled Duffel Bag.

Wheeled duffle for airline checked gear from the mountain.
MEC Fast-Track 3 Rolling Duffle
It is hardbacked so it gives protection. We use the 90 litre.

 

[KatieMac]

Wheeled duffle for airline checked gear from the mountain.
MEC Fast-Track 3 Rolling Duffle
It is hardbacked so it gives protection. We use the 90 litre.

Cool. But also 4kg vs 3 lbs. We sometimes pack both our gear in one bag - so weight is an issue.