OP
What are the better dive bags that you would recommend ?
- Thread starter Roger Hobden
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KatieMac
Contributor
You're welcome. As I mentioned, we have two - one black and one grey. I liked the first one so much I bought the second when we got too much gear.Just went to Bentley's today and bought this bag !
Light and strong: exactly what I need, for the moment at least.
Thanks a lot !
i have 3 of the mares cruise bags with wheels for airline travel. they work out really well for my wife daughter and myself. they come with a small bag also which we use one as a first aid kit, one as a tool kit and one as a spare parts and misc bag. we also use mesh bags for gear transport to the boat/shore and a dry bag for towels and personal items. for a carry on, i use a backpack and a hard shell wheel case. cameras, computers regulators and masks go in the hard shell carry on. i use a prescription mask. backpack gets a change of clothes and a swimsuit and any paperwork/documentation.
bamafan
Contributor
These are the best bags I have found. The scuba bags all ripped after a few uses for me.
Haul Bags - Metolius Climbing
Haul Bags - Metolius Climbing
From my perspective of flying my kit around the world 4 - 5 times a year
Branded dive bags: Not an issue. Yes dive gear is expensive to buy, but to a thief it's not attractive given that it's bulky, heavy and very specialised thus hard to move on. A thief want something easy to take and easy to sell.
Once my gear got unloaded from a boat by mistake (in a branded dive bag) and left at the harbour at 2am in Male (Maldives) where crime is rife. It was found having been handed in to the police - all intact. Another time my gear went to thailand in a mesh bag again without incident. YMMV
Your final destination has some bearing on your choice. If you're going to some resort where your gear and you are collected from the airport then dropped at the hotel, then your choice would be very different from say if you were going to Nusa Lembongan (Bali) where you'll get dropped near to the harbour, have a 15min walk through narrow cobbled streets then across a wide expanse of sand, and finally you bag being carried through the surf to the boat.
Also on Liveaboards storage is at a premium, so either take a mesh bag and transfill to if leaving your bulky flight bag at the shop, or ensure your bag packs flat
My personal packing preference are multiple smaller bags rather than single larger ones.
All dive gear in one (except computers) Clothes in another and in a small back pack, electronic devices (phones, tablets computers and their chargers plus stuff I need immediate access too) This one never leaves my sight
All that said I'm still in search of my perfect setup. My current favourite is my North Face holdall which has been going for 10 years, it occasionally takes dive gear but has been flown around the world with all sorts in it and survived.
My worst bag was a Mares Cruise bag. it was too large and unwieldy on anything other than an airport floor - not very well made either.
My preference is no internal or external pockets, I'll just pack things in a sensible way so it's easy to find and protected. without the bag being too heavy.
Branded dive bags: Not an issue. Yes dive gear is expensive to buy, but to a thief it's not attractive given that it's bulky, heavy and very specialised thus hard to move on. A thief want something easy to take and easy to sell.
Once my gear got unloaded from a boat by mistake (in a branded dive bag) and left at the harbour at 2am in Male (Maldives) where crime is rife. It was found having been handed in to the police - all intact. Another time my gear went to thailand in a mesh bag again without incident. YMMV
Your final destination has some bearing on your choice. If you're going to some resort where your gear and you are collected from the airport then dropped at the hotel, then your choice would be very different from say if you were going to Nusa Lembongan (Bali) where you'll get dropped near to the harbour, have a 15min walk through narrow cobbled streets then across a wide expanse of sand, and finally you bag being carried through the surf to the boat.
Also on Liveaboards storage is at a premium, so either take a mesh bag and transfill to if leaving your bulky flight bag at the shop, or ensure your bag packs flat
My personal packing preference are multiple smaller bags rather than single larger ones.
All dive gear in one (except computers) Clothes in another and in a small back pack, electronic devices (phones, tablets computers and their chargers plus stuff I need immediate access too) This one never leaves my sight
All that said I'm still in search of my perfect setup. My current favourite is my North Face holdall which has been going for 10 years, it occasionally takes dive gear but has been flown around the world with all sorts in it and survived.
My worst bag was a Mares Cruise bag. it was too large and unwieldy on anything other than an airport floor - not very well made either.
My preference is no internal or external pockets, I'll just pack things in a sensible way so it's easy to find and protected. without the bag being too heavy.
gopbroek
Contributor
For a mesh bag for boat use the most durable and best built that I have found is an Armor bag. The #145 or larger #146 are the toughest I have found for heavy duty use.
Welcome to Armor Products
I have tried the Mares mesh bags and they failed pretty quickly and I have also tried an Aqua lung Mariner but after a few years it also failed.
For air travel I have found a side load military duffel bag works very well since my dive bag slips directly into it and the cinch straps secure it down to a solid package conforming to the basic US airline dimensions of 62" total length (L+W+H). With the airlines, while some may still allow more, many are only allowing 50 lbs before they jump to the punitive add on fee's for 'overweight' for 50.00000001 to 70lbs. This duffel only adds a couple pounds and is very durable.
https://www.armynavypx.com/Rothco-O...IJDqTvK23cFG-5kxAgheuImGlv2K7f7gaAnojEALw_wcB
Welcome to Armor Products
I have tried the Mares mesh bags and they failed pretty quickly and I have also tried an Aqua lung Mariner but after a few years it also failed.
For air travel I have found a side load military duffel bag works very well since my dive bag slips directly into it and the cinch straps secure it down to a solid package conforming to the basic US airline dimensions of 62" total length (L+W+H). With the airlines, while some may still allow more, many are only allowing 50 lbs before they jump to the punitive add on fee's for 'overweight' for 50.00000001 to 70lbs. This duffel only adds a couple pounds and is very durable.
https://www.armynavypx.com/Rothco-O...IJDqTvK23cFG-5kxAgheuImGlv2K7f7gaAnojEALw_wcB
KatieMac
Contributor
Regs are expensive and most prefer to carry on rather than check them. I carry on regs, computer, and small dive lights.
It seems to be a uniquely North American thing, probably because you have more generous hand luggage limits and Europe and more restrictions on things you can carry in the cabin.
Personally mine go in my checked luggage. I do have a padded bad only to keep them together, I don't think it adds any real protection. So far in all my travels I've not had any damage.
My regs probably get more knocks and bangs on a dive deck, they're pretty robust.
Personally I'd be more upset having to dive in rental fins rather than rental regs if the worst happened.
So no the short answer is no difference other than personal preferences
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