Question

When you travel do you rent or take your own gear?

Answer 1

I'm an experience diver with a kit built over years. I take very good care of all my gear, including annual service of regulators, thoroughly rinse and examine the entire BC, check fin and mask straps. Change flashlight and Computer batteries. I wax the zippers of my wetsuit.

I have redundancy with an extra Rx mask, a dive watch. I am super comfortable with my rig and I take it with me on all dive trips.

Comments

I'm with you, I prefer my own trusted serviced equip. And anyone who argues the baggage fees obviously hasn't check the rental rates. Cheaper to bring the gear especially if doing multi days. my .002

Answer 2

I always dive with my own gear, a. I'm much more comfortable with it, b. I know it has been serviced and in good shape, c. It's set up the way I like it.

Answer 3

I always bring my own gear. I'm used to it and I trust it. Baggage fees are pretty nominal compared to rental fees, and you get 2 free checked bags for international anyway!

I do hire weights on site if possible... no real need to lug five kgs of lead around the world!

Answer 4

It depends for me. If i'm going somewhere that is very long distance, that is also a very well known dive location, i may consider renting, otherwise i would always prefer to bring my own equipment. For example, when I went to Hawaii it would be so much cheaper to rent, and the dive shops we went with had very updated gear, in fact the BC they had was the same one i personally own, so I lucked out there... however, I do bring my own wetsuit every time... it's just too much of a toss up to rent a wetsuit... they can get pretty gnarly

Answer 5

Always with my own gear. Rental equipment scares me, does it you? Your own gear is worth the price you pay for it and worth the luggage fees you pay.

Answer 6

I always take my own gear. I like my gear and know it all works like its supposed to. The only stuff I dont take is tanks and weights.

Answer 7

Take my own regulator and rent the rest. (Assuming the travel requires a flight. If local via car then I bring it all.)

Answer 8

I've bought most of my own gear over time.  One reason is because I don't trust rental service from places/people I don't know. I do know and trust the people at my local dive store, so if I rent anything, it will be from them. (I do, in fact, still rent a regulator setup from them, but that's next on my purchase list.) My second reason for buying my own gear was so I could get something that fit me specifically. I have a short torso, and rental wetsuits and BCDs are made for someone taller than I am. I learned early that it's super-annoying to be tugging on a wetsuit or have a BCD up around my ears on a dive because they don't fit me. Also, having my own gear allows me to get familiar with where valves, clips, pockets and such are placed, so I don't have to waste time looking for something on a dive (or worse, in an emergency!).

Though I've had to redistribute things between my dive bag and carry-on more than once to meet an airline's weight limit, I've never worried that much about a bag fee, because the cost of renting gear at the destination over several days adds up fast and can total more than what an airline might charge for my bag. I'll gladly pay a bag fee to have my own gear with me!

Answer 9

My own BCD, Regulator, and mask.