Packing your snorkel gear

[becca23]

How important is packing your own ''so so'' fins..? We will be doing Tall Ship/Snorkel Tour in Cabo San Lucas.

[MoneyGuy]

Do like I do. Wear your mask and fins onto the plane. Keeps your baggage weight down and makes you look cool. :D

[becca23]

funny lol

[JMikeC]

For those of you who have your own snorkeling gear, how do you pack it? My boyfriend and I bought gear that has it's own special mesh bag, but I'm afraid it will take up too much room in my big suitcase with my clothes. It doesn't fit in the small suitcase we are bringing to keep souveniers and other miscellaneous stuff... we are thinking about buying a duffel bag just for that, but that's just another bag to have to carry.

 

What do you guys do?

 

We have a cheap rolling duffel that we use for snorkel/dive stuff. You don't have to worry if it gets sandy or wet, and if it's a little empty going out, you can use it to haul crap you buy or dirty clothes coming back.

 

Snorkelling/diving is the most important part of your trip, don't look at the dive bag as a burden. Clean underwear and toiletries should be viewed as the expendable extra stuff you have to carry.

[Lsimon]

We'll second the idea of a big duffel. We bought the largest rolling duffel we could find - got it at the local Eddie Bauer, but there are other places around - in goes our snorkeling gear, shoes and other odds and ends that don't fit in our luggage - and as soon as we can - our winter coats when we're headed to a warm weather spot.

 

Recently we decided we'd no longer take our fins along. We now use the fins provided on an excursion, or rent fins locally. It is much easier and it is a relief not to have to pack these nor lug them to the beach or excursion. We did have fins that went over booties to protect our feet from chaffing sores and from walking on rough rocks. But we bought some thin neoprene socks designed to wear in full foot snorkeling fins - and they work great. Just enough protection to walk to the water, even at somewhat rocky spots - although they don't have soles so they don't offer too much protection.

[Sheal]

Arubalisa,

 

Thanks for the link, I just bought one of the scales along with a travel hairdryer. RC must have gotton a great deal on the ones they provide in the stateroom. I can't imagine how much more it would have cost to purchase ones with on/off buttons. But that's where the duct tape comes in.

 

Boy I would have looked like a hero if I had that scale last week! We must have wasted 15 minutes while waiting for my sister and BIL to un-pack and re-pack at the check-in counter. With the weight limits just packing clothing only, no shoes or toiletries, will put you off the limit. That's another reason we pack a seperate small suitcase for the snorkel stuff.

[foneguy]

i have to use a seperate suitcase for fins snorkles suits ,,,all of the non life support,,,,as for life support carry on including masks, especially when its 2 complete sets of scuba w/ spare items and 2 more sets of snorkle for dw, and dd...plus the dive bag/ or back pack folded up in the luggage also as for the question of why take my fins...they are mine they fit me and that makes things easier when its time for 20 people on a snorkle trip to get that stuff ( more time in the water )

[becca23]

I forgot to mention in my last post, especially if you are using one big suitcase, one of the best investments we have made is this75 lb Luggage Scale. For $10 + shipping it has really come in handy and saved some major scrambling on the floors of airports.

:) I like to think my dh loves me more because of it. :)

 

Thanks for the scale tip. I just got mine in the mail, cute. It will save time at check in not having to repack..

[richnorto]

We have a canvas and mesh bag sold by the dive shop. It can carry equipment for all 5 of us and best of all - it has backpack straps so DH can wear it and lug all our equipment. We generally do our own snorkelling so therefore don't have access to tour gear. It was particularly handy at Virgin Gorda where we had to hike to the beach! Last cruise, I believe we just carried it on the ship with us as we had thrown swimsuits in the bag for the kids.