What if any gear do you take with you on a dive trip?
I take my own bcd due to being very slightly built which generally isnt a problem in Asian countries but is a massive problem in some areas of the south pacific - specifically PNG and the Solomons.
I also take my own regs for both hygiene reasons as I use a silicone anti fatigue mouthpeice due to being a chronic jaw clencher with unfamiliar second stage regs.
Of course keeping baggage weight is always an issue so obviously i leave my tanks at home so what gear do you take ??
Reply to this The main question is always the same...the space the gears are taking...if we only go for a day or two of diving on a long trip, it's only masks and dive computer, plus the camera housing.
If it's a dive trip, I got the full set. I have a light BCD to save on space, the down side is not weigh pockets...but as I only use 2.5kg with a shorty, it's not really an issue.
Going to carry around Africa my gears in 3 weeks....for few days of diving only...but hey, at the end of the day, it's nicer with your own stuffs if you have them. Mine are my friends birthday present for my 35th...that was a party!
Reply to this We've only got Mask, snorkel and fins... which we dragged all around Asia with us strapped to our packs.
We had every intention of buying our own BCD's when we returned to the UK as we were so fed up of getting leaky, ill fitting and sometimes barely usable ones provided by some dive centres... but... we decided we were going to go travelling again, before we even set foot back in the UK, and buying any kind of diving gear would seriously eat into the savings (hobbies are so damn expensive) so we haven't yet.
We don't doubt that we will one day, probably when the kids are older and we can dive more.... Till then we'll have to make do with rentals... Mmmmm there's nothing like the smell of an old wet suit, you just know someone's p***ed in before you! 😊
Reply to this We don't have much of our own dive gear.....yet.
We take our own masks, dive computer & camera housing.
lol @ Michael and Faye's comment about the wet suit.
Reply to this I'd put the priority of owning equipment in this order; (partly from cost)
Mask, Fins (with Booties to avoid blisters!), dive computer, wetsuit, regs, BCD
I have the full set - I do the same as the guys above and go with either a full set on a dive trip or just the mask and computer (camera housing!) if on a general travel trip.
Reply to this We drag all of our gear on a dive trip. If it is not a dive trip and we will do a couple of dives we always take our dive computers and masks. Depending on the luggage situation we sometimes take our regulators.
We've never really enjoyed diving with a rented regulator.
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