What makes a dive bag a "dive bag?"

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I am talking about roller bags that are made by dive companies to transport diving gear in checked luggage. Is there anything special about them that would make them different from roller bags else where? Do they have rust proof zippers that would get splashed on a liveaboard and still not rust? Or is it just another way to classify a bag as a specialized "dive product" and charge a few bucks more?

 

[buddhasummer]

Usually branding which screams "steal me" and a special diving tax. I use non branded normal bags roller, duffle and back packs and have never had any issues.

 

[Damselfish]

It's a dive bag if there's dive gear in it.

I don't think "dive bags" sold as such have, on average, any advantage over similarly proportioned regular bags. They can be more or less durable, they can be more or less expensive. They may have dive logos on them which some folks consider a bad idea.

If your checked bag is getting splashed on a liveaboard, check to make sure you're not sinking.

 

[carltona]

Usually branding which screams "steal me" and a special diving tax. I use non branded normal bags roller, duffle and back packs and have never had any issues.

I make a bag expressly for divers. It's mesh and can be dunked in a rinse tank. If you what to keep something dry, buy a dry bag. It's extremely sturdy and big enough to hold all the gear a regular recreational diver would what to put in a bag. Talking, 7mm wetsuit, BCD, blade style fins, etc with some room left over. You can wear it like a back pack if you want. All the folks I've made bags for really enjoy them. They especially like the fact that they're not branded with some manufacturers name they're personalized with your name. They also like the fact they can select all their own colors. Their bags stand out on the dock or on the deck. No one will "accidentally" walk off with this bag, it's just too obvious.

They're hand made in Key Largo Florida one-at-a-time. They're not for everyone, they are for people who want to customize and personalize and want something that will last years. My wife's bag, made of similar materials is over 20 years old and been all over the world. Still holding up. It was hand made in Bonaire and it the inspiration for SplashBag.

Every roller bag I've ever used has had the wheels broken in about 2 seasons.

 

[TravisD]

Bags? Except for a couple of warm water excursions, most of our diving is done out of rubbermaid tubs

 

[carltona]

Bags? Except for a couple of warm water excursions, most of our diving is done out of rubbermaid tubs

I was using the tub too, mainly in Pennsylvania transporting wet gear from pool or quarry to home. They're main purpose for me was to keep the water from pooling in my car. After several cracked bottoms I've switched using one of those shallow "under the bed" tubs to put my bag into for the ride home. I am biased. I make gear bags so I tend to want to use them.

It's also really hard to check the tub on a flight to Palau. The bag weighs 2lbs and rolls up pretty small.

 

[Donnah]

We've been using rolling duffel bags for years. We bought them for an OAT trip where we had to have a duffel bag, not a suitcase. A real pain to use as a suitcase because things get lost in them. As dive bags, they are great. The separate zipper compartment in the bottom holds a BC and skins. The rest fits in the top -- I can even get a 3 mm wetsuit and a 3 mm shorty in mine. It doesn't look like a dive bag, but all fit well. It rolls and everything is under 45 lobs. We place our mesh boat bags in them for use when we get to the resort.

 

[spectrum]

Most of the gear I actually use comes and goes in the Rubbermaid totes. However I do keep a dive bag with me with extras and some items for flipping between wet and dry suit diving. The one thing I learned to appreciate is non metallic hardware, especially if you dive in salt water. A few incidental drips post dive over time will kill zippers unless you want to be leaning even more gear regularly. Oler than that a bag is a bage. one from a overstock salvage sort of place can be the best of deals.

Pete

 

[doctormike]

Different options for different applications...

1) Rolling dive bags (e.g. Stahlsac) - for taking your dive gear on an airplane. Only advantage I can see over regular rolling bags are outside fin pockets, but not sure that is really necessary. DON'T take these on a dive boat. They are not meant for getting wet, and they are pretty bulky for anything smaller than a liveaboard.

2) Mesh dive bags - cheap and good for taking your gear on a dive boat. They crush up under the seat when they are empty, last for a long time and can be easily replaced.

3) Mesh bags with shoulder straps - a bit more sturdy, and nice if you need to walk for a while with heavy dive gear before you get to the boat (I have one of these, also by Stahlsac, and it's great).

4) Milk crates - the best thing for when I'm diving at home and driving to the boat. Fits easily on even small six-packs, nice to be able to toss gear in it as you strip down after a dive and still have everything in one place. Flow through means faster drying. Indestructible. Free if you are friendly with the guys in the back room at your local grocery store. Even though they aren't that big, I'm able to fit pretty much everything into them (gloves, hoods, three mask boxes, a dry box, an O2 analyzer, a reel, a spool, an SMB, a lift bag, regs for doubles, strobe, Nautilus GPS... Even my backplate fits on the top... the wing and fins are elsewhere...

5) Rubbermaid tubs - another option for local diving. They do come in larger sizes than the milk crates, which I suppose is an advantage, but the big ones can also be a bit bulky for a small dive boat. When you put wet gear into them, it tends to puddle in the bottom and not dry so quickly. Not a huge issue, and I guess that's good if you actually care about the carpeting and/or upholstery in your car (I don't).

6) Soft duffle bag for a dry suit.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Many generic (that is, non-dive-specific) roller bags are too short to accommodate average-length fins. I can't fit regular fins inside my venerable Travelpro roller bag without bending them. This is the main reason I bought a dive-specific bag. The Stahlsac roller bag I bought does seem to be more heavy duty construction than a generic soft-construction roller bag, and it seems designed to balance light weight with protecting your dive gear (mine has a hard back shell but a soft front). That said, I have heard people say they just buy a cheap generic roller duffel (the duffel style being long enough to accommodate fins), pack carefully so as to protect gear, and then replace the bag if and when it wears out. That makes sense. When my expensive Stahlsac eventually wears out, I might just try a cheap roller duffel from Costco.