How not to pack your dive gear for a trip--advice?

[mz53480]

Hi all,

Just fishing for thoughts on what NOT to do when packing dive gear for a trip.
I have a warm water destination trip coming up shortly and would like to avoid any major 'rookie' mistakes.

Thanks!
MZ

[Tom Nic]

-don't put your dive knife in your carry on?

-Don't joke about your can light looking kind of like a bomb?

[Sockmonkey]

Don't forget your credit card when you're checking bags... and/or buy a luggage scale for the trip home.

The thing you have to ask yourself is "Will paying for an overweight bag(s) be cheaper than renting gear?" You could leave your bp/w or BC home but renting could be $12 - $25 a day for the week. Check with your airline on their rules.

The one thing I always forget to bring on vacation is a sturdy hanger for my wetsuit.

Here's a quick discussion on dive travel bags.

If you do have a big bright can light bring it for the manta dive (or steal the death light from the good doctor). You'll be the most popular diver in the cluster fudge ring of divers sitting on the bottom. Oh and wear extra weight on the manta dive too.

And if it'll fit please bring me an Uptown Espresso... I mean the whole shop... not just a cup of coffee.

-Eric

[scottsax]

Don't buy a bag that has dive logos all over it. I have a black gear bag that has backpack straps, but there's no indication that it's got dive gear in it (except for the bright red DAN luggage tag!)

Make sure your carry on is within the correct dimensions. You can then cram it as full as possible as long as you don't grunt or grimace when you hoist it into the overhead compartment. In my rolling carry-on bag, I have my backplate, wing, mask, bathing suit, primary and backup lights, regulators, bottom timer, and compass. Fins, wetsuit, backup mask, smb, reel, snorkel (hey, I might need one for snorkelling,) boots, save-a-dive kit, tools, knife, weight pouches, camera housing, etc... all go in my checked bag, along with whatever clothes I might need. In my "personal bag," I have some toiletries, camera, a hat, and that's about it. On my last trip to Bonaire, my carry on weighed about 35 lbs, and my checked bag was 25 lbs or so.

If you're going to a major dive destination like Bonaire, be prepared to gate check your carry on. I've had to do that both times-there were just too many damn divers on the plane, and all the overhead space was taken.

Get to security early. Be patient, friendly, and helpful when they want to open your bag. They will open your bag.

Bring sunscreen. I always forget it.

[mz53480]

...bring me an Uptown Espresso... I mean the whole shop... not just a cup of coffee...

OK, which one would you prefer?
http://www.uptownespresso.net/location.html

(I'm thinking the Queen Anne one might fit better into my carryon than Belltown....)

[billandwende]

And remember these.

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TSA approved. Keeps out the baggage handlers.

I usually pack my dive bag with everything then place it inside a large suitcase. So when you arrive all you need to do is transfer your carry on dive gear to the dive bag and head to the dive site.

I also put a TSA lock on my gear bag and a large typed laminated note that reads Caution Divers Gear Use Caution. They always seem to open the suitcase and never open the bag inside. I think that whatever they see that makes them open bags becomes self explanatory when they see the note. Lots of wires, batteries, knives etc.

I'm also one of these nutters who carries his weights on with him. TSA has no issue with this but I tell them before I put it through the xray so they know its coming.

I use a Sears tool bag for weights they work great. Just dont let it look to heavy when your boarding or they'll charge you for overweight.

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[Jenbowes]

you could do what I did, which is to have your partner pack and bring all of your dive gear to your destination.

Worked for me.

On a more useful vein, I heard that ALL batteries needed to be out of all dive lights in checked luggage. Perhaps that is common knowledge to others, but it wasn't to me, prior to my little dive va-cay.

Also, you have the right (the obligation?) to use your new sears tool bag full of weights to hit anyone who uses the term "va-cay."

[BillZ]

We just returned from a 17 day trip to Curacao - Bonaire - and Aruba. As part of the trip we had to take local puddle jumpers between the islands and the baggage restrictions were one checked bag (max 44lbs) and a small carry -on (max 14inches long). If our bags were overweight there was a chance that they wouldn't make the plane so we really needed to make sure we kept within the limits.

Here's a few things we did to keep the weight down....
- We took only enough clothes for 1/2 the trip and had our laundry done mid way through. If your diving every day you can get away with packing pretty light. My entire wardrobe for the trip was 5 pair of shorts, swim trunks, 7 T-shirts and a pair of flipflops.
- Instead of buying bags with wheels, which can weigh up to 10 lbs, we went for soft duffle bags. This saved us about 6lbs per bag.
- Carry on your regs and computer. If you dive a backplate you probably want to carry that on too.

Save a few pound in the begining of the trip for trinkets and stuff you want to bring home.

Make sure your wetsuit is completely dry before your return trip. A damp wetsuit can add 3 - 4 pounds to your baggage.

[ldevore]

I always carry on my regs in a reg case and leave it open as it is going through the x-ray machine (I fly with them about once a month). The one time I got lazy and didn't, the coiled regs actually looked like a gun on the x-ray machine. After panic set in, they ripped everything out of every bag, and delayed me by 20 minutes. Afterwards, they showed me the xray (it did look like a gun) and explained the paranoia.

...oh, and don't put an avacado in your shoe. It looks like plastic explosive. ....but that's another story....

- Lauri

[sheahanmcculla]

Hi all,

Just fishing for thoughts on what NOT to do when packing dive gear for a trip.
I have a warm water destination trip coming up shortly and would like to avoid any major 'rookie' mistakes.

Thanks!
MZ

Where are you going MZ?

[Pez7378]

Having travelled a few times, and knowing some folks who travel as well, I've got a few tips........On how NOT to pack your dive gear.....

1. Do not pack it all inside a paper bag. If it get's wet, everything will fall out the bottom.

2. Do not label your baggage tags with someone else's name. And don't lose your claim tickets.

3. Do not pack your Weezle extreme + if you're going to a warm water destination, it takes up room in your plastic bag.

4. Do not wear your gear onboard, it'll frighten the other passengers. You should try to pack it in bags.

5. If you do wear any gear onboard, wear the BCD. It'll help in the event of a water "Landing".

6. Do not leave your primary and backup mask hanging on the bathroom door.

7. Do not forget to bring a spare battery for your computer.

8. Do not pack just hours before the flight. Plan ahead and pack a few days in advance.

9. Do not leave your plastic bags unattended, and do not lie about it if you do.

10. Do not let someone else pack your bag, they might forget to pack the booze.

[kat]

i want to hear about the avocado ...

[mz53480]

...Where are you going MZ?...

Hawaii

[airsix]

6. Do not leave your primary and backup mask hanging on the bathroom door.

7. Do not forget to bring a spare battery for your computer.

[/quote]

Chris, you forgot wet-notes. The wet-notes were also hanging on the bathroom door with the masks.

My personal experience/advice (1 day fresh) is pack your lights in your carry-on with the battery installed and plugged in. When you throw your gear up on the rollers declare "These have dive gear in them." The time I remembered to say that went much more smoothly than the time I forgot to. Being able to explain what your can-light is and demonstrate if needed seemed helpful. Expect that there will be a hand-check and possibly a swab. But better for it to be done in your presence than with you not around. In my checked bag I put BP/W, fins, and other durable monkey-proof equipment. I just went to CA and back and both times my checked back got rifled. I was also pulled aside for hand-checks on the carry-ons both times including a bomb swab on the can lights. They cared more about the 8lb hard weights and my shaving cream. The only casualties were I lost my shave cream and another traveler lost his DIR steak knife.

-Ben

[Pez7378]

I carried several items halfway around the world, through three international airports and on two domestic flights, only to lose them to some over zealous security screener at one of the domestic terminals on the last leg of my journey. On the way home, after flying from Seattle to Korea, and all over the Philippines, I had some nail cutters, clippers, files etc, and oddly, the girl took the most expensive item, that would be the least likely to cause injury should I lose my mind and decide to attack someone.

I bought a bottle of whiskey at the duty free in Seattle. Had it wrapped in a Security sealed plastic bag, carried it all over with me through 4 different airports in two countries, and finally had someone tell me I had to check it in for the short 30 minute flight to my final destination.

:angry:

[mz53480]

...My personal experience/advice (1 day fresh) is pack your lights in your carry-on with the battery installed and plugged in....

Anyone ever have problems with leaving the battery in checked luggage?
Not a big deal, but my carryon is starting to get full....
MZ

[mz53480]

....I bought a bottle of whiskey at the duty free in Seattle. Had it wrapped in a Security sealed plastic bag, carried it all over with me through 4 different airports in two countries, and finally had someone tell me I had to check it in for the short 30 minute flight to my final destination. :angry:

The screener was just mad that it was empty.....
:occasion5:

[LCF]

I learned today not to try to take DSS backplate weight plates through TSA in Los Angeles on Tuesdays. Taking them through TSA in Seattle on Thursday was fine, as was taking them through LA security a year ago, and Hawaii security in February, but LA on a Tuesday, they are apparently out.

We lost a crescent wrench and one of those sets of Allen wrenches that swivel out to the screeners in Cancun at the beginning of the month.

The fact is that the screeners are near-idiots with a set of vague rules that they can decide to enforce any way they want on any given day, with no possible appeal, and when you go through screening you never have an infinite amount of time to deal with the problems they set before you.

Anyway . . . we use rolling duffle bags you can buy at Costco, and two of those will carry all the DIR dive gear for one person, and a week's worth of warm water clothes (which doesn't amount to much -- the underwear is probably the biggest item). We carry on light heads and chargers and batteries and computers, and pack everything else. I carry an o-ring pick, matches, zipties, a few spare o-rings, and silicon lubricant on all trips. Places where support services are thin, I carry more spare stuff.

My biggest recommendation is not to overpack clothes. If it's a dive trip, all you'll need is a couple of pairs of shorts, a couple of bathing suits, and a couple of T-shirts (I also like to pack a sarong or two). What you aren't wearing, you can rinse out and hang to dry.

[mz53480]

Thank you all for the tips.
I made it through Portland (PDX) without any problems. Using the suggestion to place a note inside the checked baggage was a great idea, and announcing to the screener prior to the carryon going through the xray that I had dive gear and a light/battery, was also very helpful. They did re-xray the battery solo, but all was well.
I was very pleased at the attitudes of the TSA at PDX, very friendly & helpful.
Now, on to some diving....
MZ