How do you transport your gear?
Re: How do you transport your gear?
We bought our Tacoma in part because the bed is composite -- no rust!
"Sometimes, when your world is going sideways, the second best thing to everything working out right, is knowing you are loved..." ljjames
Re: How do you transport your gear?
I don't know what the tailgate on yours looks like, but lots of them have a panel to access the locking mechanism. Salt water can run behind that and corrode the mechanism. I took mine off and put some silicone behind it so seal it up. No more problems.LCF wrote:We bought our Tacoma in part because the bed is composite -- no rust!
"Screw "annual" service,... I get them serviced when they break." - CaptnJack (paraphrased)
"you do realize you're supposed to mix the
with water and drink it, not snort the powder directly from the packet, right? 
" - Spatman
"you do realize you're supposed to mix the
with water and drink it, not snort the powder directly from the packet, right? " - Spatman-
seattlepaul1975
- Compulsive Diver
- Posts: 361
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:51 pm
Re: How do you transport your gear?
What year is your tacoma?LCF wrote:We bought our Tacoma in part because the bed is composite -- no rust!
Re: How do you transport your gear?
I rinse mine by running a hose over it.Nwbrewer wrote:I don't know what the tailgate on yours looks like, but lots of them have a panel to access the locking mechanism. Salt water can run behind that and corrode the mechanism. I took mine off and put some silicone behind it so seal it up. No more problems.LCF wrote:We bought our Tacoma in part because the bed is composite -- no rust!
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
Re: How do you transport your gear?
CaptnJack wrote:I rinse mine by running a hose over it.Nwbrewer wrote:I don't know what the tailgate on yours looks like, but lots of them have a panel to access the locking mechanism. Salt water can run behind that and corrode the mechanism. I took mine off and put some silicone behind it so seal it up. No more problems.LCF wrote:We bought our Tacoma in part because the bed is composite -- no rust!
I do to, but it's the stuff that flows under that panel when you first sit down post dive, soaked in salt water that causes the issue.
"Screw "annual" service,... I get them serviced when they break." - CaptnJack (paraphrased)
"you do realize you're supposed to mix the with water and drink it, not snort the powder directly from the packet, right? " - Spatman
"you do realize you're supposed to mix the
with water and drink it, not snort the powder directly from the packet, right? " - SpatmanRe: How do you transport your gear?
Haven't had a problem with a tailgate yet. I'd rather not sorta seal it and let salt get in there (and it will find a way) and stay in there vs leaving it open and getting the insides rinsed.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
Re: How do you transport your gear?
I use a 3-4 mid-sized rubbermaid totes and a tarp underneath the whole mess to help keep the back of rig mostly dry.
totes, 2-3 short, one tall
drysuit
can lights, etc... (this way i can set the can lights up in a position that doesn't kink or bend the cords excessively)
taller one for bcd/fins/regs
camera/video lights
I do it this way so that no single tote gets so heavy that it kills my back. I'll take an extra trip from car to laundry room over trashing back lifting stuff in and out of the rig or off the ground after the dive.
Did not take these extra salt water precautions with my old 4 runner and rusted out the rails that raise/lower the rear window, though still blame some of the rust on road trips in winter driving on salted highways
It changes a bit when diving the CCR since i assemble it before heading out, and transport it home assembled. In this case I have it laying on a heavy towel, on the tarp (do check tarp regularly for holes) and have an added water proof later between tarp and back of rig. this combo seems to work pretty well also, as long as i remember a big towel and no water is pooling up and dripping.
totes, 2-3 short, one tall
drysuit
can lights, etc... (this way i can set the can lights up in a position that doesn't kink or bend the cords excessively)
taller one for bcd/fins/regs
camera/video lights
I do it this way so that no single tote gets so heavy that it kills my back. I'll take an extra trip from car to laundry room over trashing back lifting stuff in and out of the rig or off the ground after the dive.
Did not take these extra salt water precautions with my old 4 runner and rusted out the rails that raise/lower the rear window, though still blame some of the rust on road trips in winter driving on salted highways
It changes a bit when diving the CCR since i assemble it before heading out, and transport it home assembled. In this case I have it laying on a heavy towel, on the tarp (do check tarp regularly for holes) and have an added water proof later between tarp and back of rig. this combo seems to work pretty well also, as long as i remember a big towel and no water is pooling up and dripping.
----
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
Re: How do you transport your gear?
Truck bed with Line-X and a couple totes... now where is the Easy Button.
The ocean is a lousy teacher. First you get a test, then the lesson.
-
seainggreen
- Dive-aholic
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:00 pm
Re: How do you transport your gear?
I dove out of a MINI Cooper for four years. When I sold the car last year the buyer could not believe that it looked so new on the interior after four years especially since the car had seen +/- 350 dives. 
My magic trick was to use a rubber maid bin as described above to hold suit, fins, mask, light. I took the top of the rubber maid bin to make a "mat" of sorts to lay my fully assembled doubles down on, and the lip on the lid held water well and also protected my back-seat backs which were permanently folded down due to regular diving.
Under all of that I had what I called my "MPS" - Mini Protection System. This consisted of a piece of heavy-duty vinyl that I picked up from Seattle Fabrics (Aurora and 90th-ish st) plus a tube of aqua seal (also procured at Seattle Fabrics). The standard width of their vinyl rolls is wide enough to protect bottom and side of most regular cars, and I got a length that allowed a "tail" to run out of my MINI out the back so that water would slide out.
I took the vinyl and fitted it into the back of my car to make a box of sorts by pushing the vinyl far up against the front seats and then folding it over to double up the edge. I then tucked in the corners very neatly (no cutting required) to make stand-up corners at the junction of my seats and the side of the car. This made a raised lip of about a foot all around the sides of my car. I used clothes pins to hold those folds in place, and then put the vinyl on my garage floor and applied aqua seal in the folds to hold the shape of the "box". I used dive weights to maximize stick-to-it-ed-ness on the folds after applying aqua seal. Once dry, I then took the side that rested against my front seats and punched holds near the top, and ran bungee through the holes to make a loop that went around my front seat headrests. For $40 and 1 hour of work, I had a heavy-duty vinyl liner with a 1-ft lip that kept my MINI looking brand new. I used it for all of the +/- 350 dives plus many long road trips up to BC, etc.
Highly recommend this system!
Happy diving,
Laurynn
My magic trick was to use a rubber maid bin as described above to hold suit, fins, mask, light. I took the top of the rubber maid bin to make a "mat" of sorts to lay my fully assembled doubles down on, and the lip on the lid held water well and also protected my back-seat backs which were permanently folded down due to regular diving.
Under all of that I had what I called my "MPS" - Mini Protection System. This consisted of a piece of heavy-duty vinyl that I picked up from Seattle Fabrics (Aurora and 90th-ish st) plus a tube of aqua seal (also procured at Seattle Fabrics). The standard width of their vinyl rolls is wide enough to protect bottom and side of most regular cars, and I got a length that allowed a "tail" to run out of my MINI out the back so that water would slide out.
I took the vinyl and fitted it into the back of my car to make a box of sorts by pushing the vinyl far up against the front seats and then folding it over to double up the edge. I then tucked in the corners very neatly (no cutting required) to make stand-up corners at the junction of my seats and the side of the car. This made a raised lip of about a foot all around the sides of my car. I used clothes pins to hold those folds in place, and then put the vinyl on my garage floor and applied aqua seal in the folds to hold the shape of the "box". I used dive weights to maximize stick-to-it-ed-ness on the folds after applying aqua seal. Once dry, I then took the side that rested against my front seats and punched holds near the top, and ran bungee through the holes to make a loop that went around my front seat headrests. For $40 and 1 hour of work, I had a heavy-duty vinyl liner with a 1-ft lip that kept my MINI looking brand new. I used it for all of the +/- 350 dives plus many long road trips up to BC, etc.
Highly recommend this system!
Happy diving,
Laurynn
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln, 1809 - 1865
Seainggreen Productions, LLC
Seainggreen Productions, LLC
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Grateful Diver
- I've Got Gills
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- Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 7:52 pm
Re: How do you transport your gear?
Here's how I transport my gear ...
"Please use caution when opening the tailgate, as items tend to shift during transport" ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
"Please use caution when opening the tailgate, as items tend to shift during transport" ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Threats and ultimatums are never the best answer. Public humiliation via Photoshop is always better - airsix
Come visit me at http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/
Come visit me at http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/
Re: How do you transport your gear?
How big is your trunk or back seat? I have several heavy duty military ones that I don't use. I'd be more than happy to bring it out saturday if you don't mind OD Green. Then at home I keep it all in a sealed pelican box similar to the one pictured after it dries so that if I ever develop any sort of pest problem in the garage, my dive gear isn't at the mercy of mother nature. My dive bag does a good job of keeping the water at bay after I've rung everything out.seattlepaul1975 wrote:Awesome!!!! Will look these up.LCF wrote:If the divider between the back of the hatchback and the rear seats folds down, think about using a Stanley tool trunk:
They come in two sizes, and we use the smaller one for transporting our stuff. Fits neatly in the back of my Audi station wagon, and has the advantage of rolling, too.
If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid!
Re: How do you transport your gear?
Danee and I use the same setup. We got ours from one of the guys at the dive shop, it was used and the price was right. All you need to do is keep an eye on the metal parts for rust. I am glad we got ours, it goes right in the back of the KIA real easy. We have to put down the back seat to like LCF said she has to do with her Audi.LCF wrote:If the divider between the back of the hatchback and the rear seats folds down, think about using a Stanley tool trunk:
They come in two sizes, and we use the smaller one for transporting our stuff. Fits neatly in the back of my Audi station wagon, and has the advantage of rolling, too.
Dave