Do you take your own gear on your cruise?

[Fourseventeen]

I have been diving since 2003 and my wife just recently got her cert finally. We have dove on cruise vacations BUT rented gear with exception of mask and fins (and the gear wasnt anything close to the quality of our gear at home)

We have been debating to lug around the extra luggage on our trips. This would mean taking it all on planes to our port destination, getting it on and off the ship in port and of coarse getting it all back home.

 

Anyone take ALL of their own scuba gear with them on cruise vacations? If so how do you pack all your gear for the plane trips and cruise? Typically my wife and I each have a checked large roller bag (which is always border line on the weight limit for the planes) and one carry on bag that barely clears the size limits. Trying to figure out if its worth it to bring our BC's, wetsuits, regs, computers, mask, fins, etc on our cruise trip if we are only going to dive in one, or maybe 2 locations while on a 7 day cruise. Whats the census say? And if you take all your gear...how do you travel with it?

[cruisin' the big blue]

I have been diving since 2003 and my wife just recently got her cert finally. We have dove on cruise vacations BUT rented gear with exception of mask and fins (and the gear wasnt anything close to the quality of our gear at home)

We have been debating to lug around the extra luggage on our trips. This would mean taking it all on planes to our port destination, getting it on and off the ship in port and of coarse getting it all back home.

 

Anyone take ALL of their own scuba gear with them on cruise vacations? If so how do you pack all your gear for the plane trips and cruise? Typically my wife and I each have a checked large roller bag (which is always border line on the weight limit for the planes) and one carry on bag that barely clears the size limits. Trying to figure out if its worth it to bring our BC's, wetsuits, regs, computers, mask, fins, etc on our cruise trip if we are only going to dive in one, or maybe 2 locations while on a 7 day cruise. Whats the census say? And if you take all your gear...how do you travel with it?

 

I have not been on a cruise since I have been certified, but we plan on taking all our gear on our cruise in October.

[Fourseventeen]

lol ok. Your no help :D

[Middleager]

I have taken my own gears before. But with airline charges for checked luggages going up, this year I didn't take the gear bag. My wife is a snorkeler and I'm a diver. This year we only took our mask/snorkels.

[King Neptune]

I have done it both ways. If I'm only going to be diving at one spot, I don't take my gear, if two or more then I take it. I take my regs in my carry on and everything else goes into a large roller bag that gets checked.

[Fourseventeen]

Thx Neptune. Id have to take things in either my one large roller (that when is loaded weighs about 70lbs) or break it up into 2 smaller rollers, one for my gear and one for my wifes gear. Since our gear consists of AIR2 power inflators and wireless OC1 watches with air integration we cant just take our regs and use them with rental BC's.

[scubadan]

I always take my own gear, I just dont like trusting rental gear that has been used and abused.

After all it is what is keeping you alive down there!!

[Fourseventeen]

yeah im with you on that one Dan. I dont do any crazy dives while on vacation (60' max) but I would still feel MUCH better using my own gear. My main concern is...how to travel with what I need without paying up the butt and of coarse making carrying the gear around as easy as possible. My large roller bag that holds both mine and my wifes gear is just way to large to tote onto the ship and worse yet try and shove in a taxi from the airport to pier and into a van to pick us up from the port and take us to the dive site. And if diving on a boat...forget it! This bag would piss any dive boat captain off LOL.

[King Neptune]

It would still cost you some money but you can get an octo to put on your regs so you could still travel with your regs and AI computer but rent everything else. The octos can be bought for between $50-75 ea. Here's a link to an example.

 

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CSBOXS.html?utm_medium=RR&utm_campaign=RR&utm_source=CATEGORY

[KJHorton]

We always travel with our gear. We put most of our gear in with our regular luggage.

 

We carry on our BCs and regs. You can use a regular small roller bag for this. As you may be aware, many of the dive companies make these bags too.

 

I have been known to just throw my BC and reg into my mesh dive bag and carry it on too. However, this may not be an option if you would mind carrying it around.

 

When I go on a live aboard, I put all of my gear, except my reg, into a large rolling bag with my clothes.

 

Sounds like you may pack a bit heavier than we do so this information might not be helpful, but it works for us.

[kurdav]

Last cruise DH and son took their own masks, snorkels, fins, regs, computers and Dive skins. We went in December and both just wore a skin and were plenty warm. Skin takes up far less space than a wetsuit. I always take my own mask as I have prescription lenses in it--can't see a thing without them.

[Fourseventeen]

Ill always take my mask and fins no matter what. Usually dive operators have the cheapest most crappy fins and masks known to man. Id much rather use my Apollo Bio Pros :D

 

As far as getting an octo so I could use my reg and comp on cruises...that is something we have been considering as well. We would need to buy a standard power inflator hose and an octo. We have AIR2 on our rigs and im yet to find an adapter to use our air2 power inflator hose on a standard inflator.

[King Neptune]

The rental BCs will all come with a regular inflator hose so that is not something you need to get. You'd be all set to go with your regs, your AI, and an octo.

 

Although, it's starting to sound like the only things you won't be taking are BCs BC and wetsuits. It might be worth it just to go buy two duffle bags that you can check with all your gear. Split up between the two of you, you be able to be below the weight limit.

[Pilot70D]

This topic have been written about many times by many of us. :-)

Here is a link to one post I wrote many moons ago. You will have scroll down to my post which is the one in color.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1092984&highlight=

 

I hope this is helpful in making up your mind about bringing your own gear.

:):):)

[Fourseventeen]

The rental BCs will all come with a regular inflator hose so that is not something you need to get. You'd be all set to go with your regs, your AI, and an octo.

 

Although, it's starting to sound like the only things you won't be taking are BCs BC and wetsuits. It might be worth it just to go buy two duffle bags that you can check with all your gear. Split up between the two of you, you be able to be below the weight limit.

 

 

rental BC's will not come with the inflator hose that would go into my 2nd stage. My hose out of my 2nd stage is set up for an AIR2 which has a larger quick connector then the standard power inflators.

 

PILOT...thanks ill go take a peek.

[King Neptune]

rental BC's will not come with the inflator hose that would go into my 2nd stage. My hose out of my 2nd stage is set up for an AIR2 which has a larger quick connector then the standard power inflators.

 

Sorry you're talking about the LP hose off your reg not the inflator hose to the BC. My mistake.

[scubadiver888]

I used to get sinus infections every time I went diving on a cruise. I read an article about how the rinse tanks actually promote bacteria and infections. I decided I was going to bring my own equipment and rinse it when I got back to the cruise ship. The sinus infections stopped.

 

Mind you, this was a no brainer for me... I usually dive 14 to 20 times on a cruise. :D

[Fourseventeen]

really..sinus infections from rinsing your gear on the boat? never heard of that. I have always had a tough time equalizing and not getting vertigo while diving primarily due to sinuses. Noticed that using a neti-pot has helped that drastically. I rarely have used rinse tanks on dive boats.

[scubadiver888]

really..sinus infections from rinsing your gear on the boat? never heard of that. I have always had a tough time equalizing and not getting vertigo while diving primarily due to sinuses. Noticed that using a neti-pot has helped that drastically. I rarely have used rinse tanks on dive boats.

 

Actually I've never seen a rinse tank on a dive boat. The rinse tank has been, for me, at the dock/shop. When everyone returns from the boat trip they all stick their gear in the tank. Studies have shown that they'll leave the water for days. Even if they drain and refill occasionally, they never wash the rinse tank. One place (I think it was St. Lucia) the 'rinse' tank was a plastic barrel and had this nice green 'glow' about it. I suspect it was algae.

[Fourseventeen]

pretty interesting info.

[KJHorton]

Fourseventeen, have you checked out adapters for your Air2?

 

http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-37/034113/IST-Standard-To-Air-2-Inflator-Adapter.html

[libertycall]

We haul our own gear and can easily get it in one checked and one carry on each. Before we had our gear we went to Bonaire once with carry on only and thats with fins, snorkel and mask, we travel light. Regs and dive computer go in carry on and Pam also takes her hi dollar Zena in her carry on. I like the comfort of being familiar with my own equipment, knowing where everything is, knowing when it was last serviced etc., I even have some 1 lb wts sewn into my BC shoulder harness for trim. Our last cruise was our first for diving. Long story short, we used mesh bags on that trip but have roller/backpack bags for this trip which starts tomorrow!

[Fourseventeen]

Liberty...which roller bags did you go with to hold your dig gear to take on the plane?

 

Horton, yeah seen those but those arent what I am hoping to find. I want to try and find a quick disconnector that will plug into my AIR2 LP hose connector (which looks like the one you sent me the link to) and convert it to the standard LP inflator quick connector so I can easily use it on rental BC's if I had to.

[KJHorton]

Here's an article about rolling carry-on bags, http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/2008/04/rolling-carry-on-bags

 

I have the Deep See bag and am very happy with it. I like having several different compartments to store my other carry-on items. However, if you are a large person with an XL size BC, it may be a very tight fit for your equipment in the main compartment. FYI, I wear a women's medium BC.

 

I'd like to know what bags others have and how they like them as well.

[libertycall]

Hey 4-17,

Ok, got me back peddling, our checked luggage are two roller bags we bought at Walmart like 15 years ago for $20 each. This will be the first time we use our dive bags which will go inside the checked luggage and then we will use them to carry our dive gear from the ship to our dive pickup. One of these, Pam bought a couple years ago and is supposed to hold 2 sets of snorkel gear and just says Scuba.com on it, she thinks it was like $20, the other she just bought and is for dive gear, its a Tilos Hydro Gear Deluxe Coated Mesh bag for about $45. She saw someone on a dive boat had one. Neither one has rollers but are backback and have a handle in the middle for carrying. Being backback is what is important. When staying at a resort for a week it isn't that important but on a cruise you will have a long pier to walk plus walking out through the port terminal gates and maybe even to a dive shop if its close or to a meeting point to meet the dive shop personel. We don't do ship excursions. Carrying all that weight on your back is a lot easier on your back than it is on your wrists carrying mesh bags. We've always done the mesh bag or just load everything in the BC and carry it while on week long island trips because you don't have to haul it very far. Last Nov was our first diving cruise and I realized real fast that there had to be a better way. I'll let you know how it goes after next week, we're diving at 3 stops on the Victory cruise this week.