Packing gear under new airline regs

[Cruisebird]

Has anyone flown recently with their gear? DH and I purchased carryon bags which we used in the past, however it seems that the regulations have been trimmed for carryon bags and ours might now be too big.

 

I hate the idea of sending any of our gear through baggage, but I can't see any way around it. Would anyone send their BC in checked luggage? I'm thinking it's my BC and fins that might cause an issue.

 

Any ideas are appreciated!!

[cruzegirl]

Has anyone flown recently with their gear? DH and I purchased carryon bags which we used in the past, however it seems that the regulations have been trimmed for carryon bags and ours might now be too big.

 

I hate the idea of sending any of our gear through baggage, but I can't see any way around it. Would anyone send their BC in checked luggage? I'm thinking it's my BC and fins that might cause an issue.

 

Any ideas are appreciated!!

 

I'm with you. I take my gear too. I have a carry on bag that meets the carry on requirements. And when it has only dive gear, it's fine. When I try to put more in there, it doesn't do very well. :rolleyes:

I hate sending my regulator through baggage. I didn't use to do it. But now I do when I have my big bag. When I have the carry on, it comes with me in that. But it's designed for warm water gear. Not heavy cold gear.

My BC has never caused an issue. It's the regulator and camera housing that has....lol....

[BuzzF117]

I packed everything and checked it in Feb because we were limited in space in our carry ons I did get ahold of the person in charge of Newwaves on the Princess Crown when I got onboard and got a tank and checked everything out before I was on a dive boat and had to scratch a dive. Be careful about packing your gear in your carry on especially if you have a knife or shears attached to your BCD both airlines and Princess frown upon the knives but Princess didn't say a word about the shears I keep attached to my BCD knives go in your checked bag and don't be suprised that will prob definetly get your bag opened. Also alot of poeple I have talked to check everything except their regs/photog gear and dive computer.

[tootsiescurly]

TSA will definately search your carryon with a reg. They have no idea what it is. Be prepared to spend extra time at security. We have had to explain in detail what it is used for.

[CFDAlden]

I open my bag, tell the person at the scanner it's scuba equipment, and send it through. Once it was hand checked, once they had no issues. Usually it's a few questions, and good to go.

[satxdiver]

I only carry my regulator, computer and vision corrected mask in my carryon with additional items if there is room. I check my dive bag with the BCD, fins, etc. I have traveled to the south Pacific, Micronesia, quite a few Caribbean islands and Baja Sur without any problems. Occasionally TSA will search my carryon because of the regulator and hoses. Most of the time the scanner operator will just ask me if I have SCUBA equipment in the bag. Either way I always allow extra time for them to search my bag if they choose.

[scubaran]

Hi,

 

I carry my reg, mask, fins, boots, wetsuit, camera and enclosure in a carry-on (those things I've spend many hours making sure they "fit"). BCD, other items, in the checked bag. Like others have said, I "volunteer" up front as I'm pushing my bag through security that I have scuba gear and a regulator in my bag and have left my dive knife at home and to please tell the x-ray operator. 80-90% of the time they don't even open my bag (if they know it's a regulator it's easier to identify it on the X-ray). BTW, you'd be surprised at how many people get caught with a BCD knife attached to their equipment. Especially on returning from Florida. One TSA said he'd seen 5 knifes that shift alone.

 

Randall

 

BTW, remember the rule is one full size carry-on AND a backpack or purse (I have a snorkel backpack and put my mask, fins, boots in it, the rest in a roller bag). You can get a lot of stuff in two bags.

[CSTX Mom]

I always check all of my gear except for dive computer, and have never had any problems in numerous trips. I have not been on a dive trip since the "1 checked bag" rule, but I know that we will be paying for at least 1 extra bag when we do; my husband, son and I each have 1 bag with gear a piece, and we also need clothes!

[SantaAna,CA]

December of 2007 I took my dive bag on American Airlines to Barbados and back and didn't have any problems at all. I have stopped putting locks on my luggage, since even TSA locks seem to confuse security. And I have everything in there, except tanks and weights! I do have a heavy duty container in which I place my regulator, that goes inside the dive bag, wrapped within everything else. My dive computer I take on the plane with me. When they ask what it is coming back home from the Caribbean (it's a large, bulky black canvas bag), I say "scuba equipment!". 90% of the time they are fascinated *lol*...but I've never had a problem with it at all.

 

Jane

[Loves_Dogs]

TSA will definately search your carryon with a reg. They have no idea what it is. Be prepared to spend extra time at security. We have had to explain in detail what it is used for.

 

Not always. We both took our regs in our carry-ons a few weeks ago for our cruise and as we were going through security we told them we had scuba regulators in the bags. They didn't stop us or search our bags either way, leaving for our cruise at Port Columbus or coming home post cruise leaving from Orlando Airport. We only took our regs in carry-ons, we packed the rest of the gear.

[Sailfish]

Hi Everyone!

 

Well, we are going to the Caribbean in three weeks - on a cruise - and flying out of CA on Delta. I'll report back on our experience, though here is what I was told. We get one free 50 lb checked bag and one 40 lb carry-on. The airline agent recommended I "wear" my BC as it will count as a coat, and not factor into my carry-on allowance if things get tight, though I don't believe they will.

 

I am going on Carnival, so I don't plan to take a lot of clothes - Mike isn't planning to take a suit, but insists on carrying on his Baby Martin (guitar) and dive gear - yes, expect a flight to ensue the night before! Mike swears that no one will notice the guitar on his back as he boards the plane at 6am (you believe this, Debbie - I'll have to knock some sense into the boy one of these days :D).

 

I always pack my fins in with my clothes (Debbie, do your fins fit into your carry-on - I may be looking for a new bag?). I usually get all my gear, including my BC in my rolling carry-on. But I'll report back on how ugly the situation is really. We depart on July 23rd, so wish me luck!!

 

Suzi

[budaman]

We used our trip to Cozumel in May to prepare for the changes that were to take place last month with bags, since we are leaving for Tahiti next month. We each took one checked bag, one carryon & our personal bag.

We packed BCD, fins, wetsuit, clothes & assorted support items in the checked bags. U/W Video & Photo gear went into our carryons along with extra change of clothes & mask. My 'Man Purse' (aka Regulator Bag) held Reg, Video Light, Ipod and Docs. We made sure everything met International size & weight requirments(50LBs checked, 22lbs& 45 linear inches on carryon.

 

We didn't have any issues with Security on the dive gear, but they did check out the Video/camera stuff. They also checked batteries(probably because we had so many:D but once they saw what they were, passed us through quickly.

 

Mike

[cruzegirl]

Hi Everyone!

 

Well, we are going to the Caribbean in three weeks - on a cruise - and flying out of CA on Delta. I'll report back on our experience, though here is what I was told. We get one free 50 lb checked bag and one 40 lb carry-on. The airline agent recommended I "wear" my BC as it will count as a coat, and not factor into my carry-on allowance if things get tight, though I don't believe they will.

 

I am going on Carnival, so I don't plan to take a lot of clothes - Mike isn't planning to take a suit, but insists on carrying on his Baby Martin (guitar) and dive gear - yes, expect a flight to ensue the night before! Mike swears that no one will notice the guitar on his back as he boards the plane at 6am (you believe this, Debbie - I'll have to knock some sense into the boy one of these days :D).

 

I always pack my fins in with my clothes (Debbie, do your fins fit into your carry-on - I may be looking for a new bag?). I usually get all my gear, including my BC in my rolling carry-on. But I'll report back on how ugly the situation is really. We depart on July 23rd, so wish me luck!!

 

Suzi

 

Suzi,

Though I love how Mike plays the quitar, he's got re-think that. lol. They will stop him if he has a carry on item already and a personal item. I'm quite sure they will see it. lol.....

My fins fit on the outside side's of my carry on. There are strips to secure them. As long as I don't overstuff it, it fits just fine in the overhead bin.

That should be a good trial experience on this next cruise. Let me know how it goes. I got my carry on bag from www.leisurepro.com

I've used them several times.

[cruzegirl]

We used our trip to Cozumel in May to prepare for the changes that were to take place last month with bags, since we are leaving for Tahiti next month. We each took one checked bag, one carryon & our personal bag.

We packed BCD, fins, wetsuit, clothes & assorted support items in the checked bags. U/W Video & Photo gear went into our carryons along with extra change of clothes & mask. My 'Man Purse' (aka Regulator Bag) held Reg, Video Light, Ipod and Docs. We made sure everything met International size & weight requirments(50LBs checked, 22lbs& 45 linear inches on carryon.

 

We didn't have any issues with Security on the dive gear, but they did check out the Video/camera stuff. They also checked batteries(probably because we had so many:D but once they saw what they were, passed us through quickly.

 

Mike

 

Ok, this is so making me nervous. Here is my tentative plans but Madlyn will never let me live it down. So I have to figure out to downsize it all.

My large rolling duffel will be one checked bag with clothes (not much, plan to do laundry) but all that a gal needs.

Then my large dive bag with BC, fins, mask, snorkel, regulator, wetsuit/dive skin, and my camera gear in a pelican case in the dive bag. What do you think of that Mike?

If I have to carry the pelican case on board, then it's my personal bag, the pelican case on the plane and 2 checked bags. That is nuts. I could use my carry on and the pelican case but the Van Nuys flyaway guys bent the retractable handle a bit and now it doesn't retract 100%. It's a pain when you need it to retract and put in a overhead bin....lol.....

[budaman]

Hey Deb! You are overpacking clothes if you have a lg. rolling duffle for just clothes. You'll spend the bulk of the time in swimsuits, shorts & tops. You need to have a few mix & match outfits to wear to dinner. We took way too much last trip to Tahiti and between the 2 of us, checked our 2 dive bags & 1 small roller with my suit & Connie's extra clothes. The atmosphere on the cruise got more relaxed each day and the clothing reflected that onboard. This trip, we don't have to worry about Formal Nights, so we are traveling extremely light on clothes.

 

Mike

[cruzegirl]

Hey Deb! You are overpacking clothes if you have a lg. rolling duffle for just clothes. You'll spend the bulk of the time in swimsuits, shorts & tops. You need to have a few mix & match outfits to wear to dinner. We took way too much last trip to Tahiti and between the 2 of us, checked our 2 dive bags & 1 small roller with my suit & Connie's extra clothes. The atmosphere on the cruise got more relaxed each day and the clothing reflected that onboard. This trip, we don't have to worry about Formal Nights, so we are traveling extremely light on clothes.

 

Mike

 

Your right. I'm known for too much clothes. I'm actually planning on 3 shorts, 7 tops, 2 pants, 2 lightweight dresses for formal nights, undies and such. But I plan to do laundry. But I also wanted to leave room for purchases. I won't be taking alot but concerned about what I come home with. lol....I guess I'll be doing dry runs....lol.....

[budaman]

I'll probably take my PADI sport bag that I got with my Sport Diver subscription. It will pack down to about the size of a grapefruit, but is big enough to hold my video equipment. That way if we buy too much there, we can put it in my carryon & check that.

 

But, back to the original questions...kind of. I've always carried my Regulator on because people always told me that putting it in your checked bag was harmful. Did that thinking come about because the older planes didn't have pressurized cargo holds? Seems planes nowadays have pressurized holds, so it shouldn't make a difference.....should it?

 

Mike

[Sailfish]

We've heard about a lot thefts of dive gear heading to FLA and to the Caribbean, so that's why we began carrying on our stuff. We've never had anyone fuss over our dive gear, though we tell the TSA people what it is. We also plan to do laundry, thought I must admit I am not looking forward to it. But what choice do we have? When I look at all the stuff I plan to take, I don't seem to have an issue with clothing, but more with all the other stuff - every little thing I take like shoes, cosmetics, etc. adds up to a lot of crap. I am trying so hard to pare things down, but it's hard. Sunscreen, flipflops, a pair of nice shoes, my hair stuff and my tiny bag of makeup not to mention my tennis shoes for the gym. And then there's all the crap for the laptop and our camera. I can go on and on...

 

 

 

Suzi

[cruzegirl]

We've heard about a lot thefts of dive gear heading to FLA and to the Caribbean, so that's why we began carrying on our stuff. We've never had anyone fuss over our dive gear, though we tell the TSA people what it is. We also plan to do laundry, thought I must admit I am not looking forward to it. But what choice do we have? When I look at all the stuff I plan to take, I don't seem to have an issue with clothing, but more with all the other stuff - every little thing I take like shoes, cosmetics, etc. adds up to a lot of crap. I am trying so hard to pare things down, but it's hard. Sunscreen, flipflops, a pair of nice shoes, my hair stuff and my tiny bag of makeup not to mention my tennis shoes for the gym. And then there's all the crap for the laptop and our camera. I can go on and on...

 

Suzi

 

I hear you Suzi.... And don't forget, hair spray, hair dryer, curling iron, chargers, surge protector and the stuff you purchase and bring home....lol.... What's a girl to do?? It's nuts. But laundry it is. I just hate wearing the same thing over and over. To me, the way I grew up, that represents being poor or like I don't care about my appearance and dress tacky....

[Cruisebird]

Suzi..I look forward to hearing about your trip. Sounds like you are planning like I am for our trip next month. My carryon has wheels and straps and I just love it, but I'm really afraid Delta will say it's too big. It too has fit in the overheads, but not without a little battle.

 

Has anyone actually ever wore their BC onto a plane?

 

Robin

[John Y]

But, back to the original questions...kind of. I've always carried my Regulator on because people always told me that putting it in your checked bag was harmful. Did that thinking come about because the older planes didn't have pressurized cargo holds? Seems planes nowadays have pressurized holds, so it shouldn't make a difference.....should it?

 

Mike

I think that the holds have always been pressurized (easier to make a cylinder all pressurized than to deal with a pressure differential on the floor). The hold may not be heated to the same degree as the cabin but you can still ship pets in the hold so it can't get too extreme.

The reason I carry my regulator and computer is that I don't trust the gorillas tossing luggage around to not drop a very vital part of my life-preserving equipment, or not drop someone's anvil collection on it. Plus it is harder for someone to steal it from my carry-on that is by my side than from my checked luggage, unwatched in the bowels of the building.

[gmcrow]

We are cutting way back on clothing, since cutting back on the dive and photo gear is not possible. I bought swim shorts (just like guys trunks) for our last trip and they were fantastic--more light weight than regular shorts and have a very short drying time. I also bought some of those Magellan lightweight shirts. They are thinner than t-shirts when folded. We use the 2 gallon zip locks to pack undies in. Sit on them to get all the air out and you'd be amazed at how much less space they take up.

 

We always pack our gear, with consoles and masks surrounded by clothing to protect against damage. Have not heard about a theft problem, but then until it happens to you...

 

http://www.cruisedivers.blogspot.com

[Cruisebird]

We're not leaving until the end of August but I've already begun the task of shortening down my clothes. I think what we can actually get our clothes (since no sport coat is "required") into a suitcase so we're going to split our clothes around our fins and BC's in two suitcases. Then carry all the other equipment in our dive bags as our personal items.

 

We've never checked any of our equipment but our flight is direct from Cinti to Miami so at least there is not the risk of losing our luggage or additional handling.

[ellenh]

We always carry our regs/computers/photo equipment in our carry-on and leave the rest of the stuff in our checked baggage. So far, no problems. I say "scuba gear" when we go through TSA screening and generally get through without a hand check.

 

Just want to mention, though, that we've flown four international flights in the past 6 weeks or so (2 r/t's from NYC) and each time we have had our carry-on baggage weighed! This is a first for us--we've always assumed that if the bag fits the size requirements there would be no issue with weight. In two cases we were told our carry-ons were overweight and would need to be checked. The airlines in question were Lufthansa and Swiss--and apparently they have a 7 kilo (~15 pounds) limit which they are now enforcing--at least in NYC. They didn't weigh my purse however, so if you have to carry your weight belt, get yourself a nice roomy purse and act like it is stuffed with cotton balls!

 

I fear that now that baggage is becoming a major revenue source for airlines we're going to see a lot more scrutiny given weight of carry-on's as well as the checked stuff. Maybe the idea of wearing the BCDs isn't so far-fetched! I wonder if they would make us remove our fins when we pass through security...

 

-Ellen

[scubaran]

Your right. I'm known for too much clothes. I'm actually planning on 3 shorts, 7 tops, 2 pants, 2 lightweight dresses for formal nights, undies and such. But I plan to do laundry. But I also wanted to leave room for purchases. I won't be taking alot but concerned about what I come home with. lol....I guess I'll be doing dry runs....lol.....

 

Two words and a suggestion..... SPACE BAGS! You can get the travel kind at stores like Target or even on line. You place your clothes in them, zip the top and roll the bag while air escapes from one-way valves on the bottom. It doesn't solve weight issues but will compress (and keep your clothes from wrinkling) down to practically nothing saving goobs on space. Also they're waterproof so they protect your clothes in your bag should the bag be left out in the rain on the tarmac during loading (had that happen more than once) and you can pack those damp wet suits and swimming clothes in them for the trip back keeping your regular clothes from getting wet (though remove promptly to dry them when you get home). Also with the savings in space, pack a foldable gym bag for those purchases going home (or use it for dirty clothes and pack the purchases in your original bag). I've seen too many overpacked suitcases burst open in baggage claim.

 

Randall