what bag to buy for trips

[Woz]

Personally I'm not a fan of gear gulpers as they take up loads of room and aren't compressible. Fine if you are Billy No Mates and drive to the dive site all alone but if you need to put 2 or 3 people (or even 4) in a car they're a PITA.

I put my twinset together ready to go then shove everything else into my drysuit bag and carry that on.

[littleleemur]

Always call ahead to check what facilities they have there, esp if you're going on a liveaboard. Many American ones have storage rooms & lockers for suitcases and gear bags at port/HQ so you're expected to bring all your gear onboard in a mesh bag which can be stowed away, and your clothes in a soft duffle. Obviously for resort diving, storage wouldn't be a problem. For the small liveaboards in Thailand, make arrangements ahead of time with out hotel (either the one before or after) to store our luggage.

In the worst case scenario, you can always use a Roller-Duffle (with a hard base),
just pack to protect your gear. Wheels are a must.

For trips by car, we always have our mesh backpack, our drybag and a large Rubbermaid storage box for rinsing and to hold all the wetstuff. The lid is handy for not stinking & steaming up your car excessively on a hot summer day.

As for gearing up on/before boaring the boat, as the saying goes "When in Rome...." Call ahead to check if you want to be sure.

Good Luck.

[justme]

Originally Posted by frosty the snowman

For UK diving I've used one of these kit bins for the last 15 years or so.



It's practically indestructable, keeps the boot dry, holds all my kit except the rebreather and I always have somewhere to sit on the boat!

just found this on fleabay might be off some use

STRONG 55LTR FOOD GRADE PLASTIC CONTAINER on eBay, also Feed Feeding Equipment, Horse Wear Equipment, Equestrian, Sporting Goods (end time 25-Feb-08 04:02:52 GMT)

[Big Kahuna]

Thanks for all the advice.

Just got back last night from 2 days in Plymouth and my first Uk sea dives.

I bought an ex display mares 100 ltr bag from Stoney for £25 and a mesh goody bag for a few quid.

Kitted up in car park, assembling kit and carried on to boat. Everything else in mesh goody bag. food in carrier bag with a fleece and placed in cabin.

[Little Naughty]

For lugging my kit around in the UK I had a £9.99 holdall with wheels from Tesco that lasted a year before the zip died. I've now got a water resistant bag with handles from Aldi that cost £4 that I think is meant for putting garden rubbish in.

However, when I go on holiday abroad I am dead posh and have got a two compartment (one for putting my smelly old wetsuit in) holdall with wheels that is long enough to fit my fins in that cost an extravagant £40 from TK Max.