Traveling abroad with give gear - advice please

[Mikael]

An early October trip to Malta beckons. This will be my first trip to Malta and also the first time diving abroad bringing a lot of my own gear. In the past I have generally just taken mask, computer and dive camera.

Dive operator: https://wreckfindercharters.com/
6 wreck dives over a long weekend
Twinset and nitrox fills are provided
Airline: Easyjet - 23kg hold bag
Water temps: ~ 22 deg C

Advice on what to take and how to pack would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking as follows:

Handluggage - regs and camera gear
Check luggage - rest
Clothes split between the two / used as padding

• Exposure protection - taking my drysuit (don't own a full length wetsuit and get cold easy when diving wet for more than 40 minutes) and otter rock boots
• Thermal protection - base layers only or something more?
• Hood and gloves - might shop for a thinner pair of cloves. Not sure about hood
• BCD - take my steel back plate, dive knife and wing
• Regs - take my standard twinset regs
• Lights - perhaps buy x2 light for me mini torches? Need to think about battery type. For travel abroad AAs or similar would be good for ease of finding replacements
• DSMB - small oral inflate with finger spool
• Fins - My Hollis F1s are heavy and long. Thinking I might get some Apeks RK3s
• Misc - Dive computer, compas and line cutter as normal
• Camera - S95 + housing (tray and strobes with chargers as optional extra if I can fit....)

I also don't have a big enough check in bag so will need to invest in one. I am inclined to look into a duffle bag like this that can be worn like a ruck sack (other brands are also available):

https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/shop/en-gb/tnf-gb/bags-and-tents-travel-duffels

Of course a bag like this doesn't offer any padding to protect gear so careful packing is required...?

Or should I consider a wheely bag perhaps?

Thanks

[Madocks]

I just came back from malta, heres my kit list for 5 nights - dive kit in main bag, personal kit in carry on;

Kit List:

Shortie
Mask
Regs
BCD
SMB + Reel
Torch & Batteries
Gopro + Batteries
Boots
Fins
Computer
Gloves
Beanie
Harness
Rugby undershorts
Diving Qualifications / Nitrox card

Sunglasses
Driving License
Credit card
Sat nav
Tablet
Kindle
Sun cream
Wash kit / shaving kit
Flip flops
Bathers
5 T shirts
3 Polos
2 Evening Shorts
Rugby shorts
Euros
Phone charger

[smileydiver]

You may already be aware, but Easyjet don't weigh hand luggage, it just needs to be a certain size so I put everything small and heavy in there with camera and regs wrapped in a hoodie or similar that I will use on the trip. I also wear a hoodie with a front pouch as you can stash stuff in there too if you are running out of space!

I use a light bag with wheels (scubapro porter but you can probs get a cheaper equivalent) that doesn't have a rigid back as the rigid backed wheelie cases tend to be heavier and also don't fold down to a small size if you plan to use it in future for Liveaboards etc. I would struggle to carry a massive bag as a duffle bag / rucksack for any distance and so I opt for wheels for getting on and off trains, getting round airport etc. I am only 5'1" though so this may be a factor! The scubapro porter does have rucksack straps you can pull out and I have used those for short distances to take gear to dive centres etc where the terrain isn't good for wheels (sand usually!).

Is your drysuit neoprene or trilam? I have a neoprene suit which I plan to take to Egypt next Feb and just wear thinner base layers (bit like the FE xerothem) and wore o'three PBB set with in Malta but it was earlier in the year when water temp was about 16 degrees. When I had a trilam suit I wore FE Arctics under on a Red Sea liveaboard in Jan and wasn't hot! Depends on your personal cold tolerance and run times I guess.

Hope that helps a bit and have a great trip!

[N Bailey]

Get an ali back plate for one I bet the steel weighs a fair bit of your allowance.
malta in October and the sea is still a good 20+ deg
I have a dive bag no wheels weighs under 1 kg and a rucksack cover that's snug over the bag which is then padlocked.
Not had any items gone missing since adopted this method.
There are trolleys close to baggage hall in Luqa take a 1 or 2 euro coin, depending on your departure from UK if trolleys are avail no need for a wheeled bag
You could possibly hire a 5 mm suit there, depending on the dives you intend to do.

[DaveBarber]

i'm out to Gozo early next month.

Will be wearing a 5/4/3mm hood attached shorty ( an overjacket really) with a 2mm under vest.

Air temp can still be hot so can't imagine scrambling around the shoreline in a dry suit, it would be unbearable.

Take a waterproof as thunderstorms are likely.

[MikeF]

October is drysuit weather in Malta for serious dives (trust me I used to work there as an instructor and day in day out you’ll end up cold in a wetsuit). However you won’t need much in the way of an undersuit. Last time I was there I wore FE thermocline suit under my membrane drysuit which worked perfectly to the point I forgot to invert my neoprene neck seal and didn’t notice during a 2 hour plus dive.

[Pete Bullen]

I live and work here in Malta and do serious dives most days, I don't go near a drysuit normally till end of November and even then only if doing more than one dive/day, if oonly doing 1/day then I don't need the drysuit till mid-January.

What the OP doesn't say is what wrecks/depths, we have wrecks in 12m and wrecks in100+m (although I doubt he'd be doing the latter on nitrox). Realistically if doing single tank nitrox dives in October I'd guess at bottom temperatures of 17 or 18 at around 30m to 40m but even on weak Nitrox I wouldn't expect a BT of more than 15 or 20 minutes so the more important temperature is between surface and 25m which is currently 27c, far too warm for a drysuit!.

Why not PM me 3 or 4 days before you leave to find out what the temperatures are then..

[MikeF]

Horses for courses. Some feel the cold, some don’t. I was thinking more spend an hour at 40m plus and spend an hour on deco doing nothing or dive an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon every day for a week.

I’ll confess I was still in a drysuit the last time I was over diving in late August. I took a wetsuit as well but only did one dive in it and felt cold when I passed 40m or spent 90 minutes shallower.

[Pete Bullen]

Horses for courses. Some feel the cold, some don’t. I was thinking more spend an hour at 40m plus and spend an hour on deco doing nothing or dive an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon every day for a week.

I’ll confess I was still in a drysuit the last time I was over diving in late August. I took a wetsuit as well but only did one dive in it and felt cold when I passed 40m or spent 90 minutes shallower.

Yeah doing those kinds of dives or many multiple dives I think you feel the cold more, for someone on a holiday and diving single-cylinder nitrox I don't see him spending that long at depth. Sure, diving the Poly, Stubborn et al and doing 2 or 3 hour run times I'd be diving a drysuit too.

[John63]

Yeah doing those kinds of dives or many multiple dives I think you feel the cold more, for someone on a holiday and diving single-cylinder nitrox I don't see him spending that long at depth. Sure, diving the Poly, Stubborn et al and doing 2 or 3 hour run times I'd be diving a drysuit too.

OP said he feels the cold and will be diving twinset nitrox

Dives might be a bit longer

[Tel]

Apart from the obvious and even if just taking a mask and hiring the rest, the one thing that i'd always take is a basic lumb brothers
weightbelt and a couple of retainers. Having a belt that's marked up with a name means that it's never assumed to be a random shop
one and will always be left alone. It also means that you know the clasp will work and that it's always the right length.

[Mikael]

I don't have an itenary for the dives yet but I gather they are down to a max depth of 40m. Imagine most dives will be an hour surface to surface.

Were are diving off a boat with lift.

I have trilaminate suit.

[greatwhite]

I have used one of these bags a number of times as far as the Far East and it has served me well -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Members-Holdall-on-Wheels-Rolling-Duffle-Various-Sizes-Available-in-Black-Red-/301329434093

it is light and tuff enough to survive a number of long haul flight, not expensive and packs plenty of gear. Camera, regs and computer I carry in my hand luggage.

[Mikael]

Thanks for all the tips, this where I have got to so far:

Bought xerotherms for undersuit, an aluminium backplate, Apeks RK3s, small back up torch as well as some thinner gloves and hood.
I have also picked up a Northface duffel bag in XL.

All of my gear minus the regs go into the duffel bag: weighing ~18kg
This still leaves room for pool fins as my girlfriend might do some snorkelling over the rest of the holiday as well as some clothes / toiletries

What I have left to pack in my hand luggage:

• Dive computer
• Regs x 2
• Dive camera plus strobes, tray and arms
• Camera and phone charger
• Logbook / dive cards
• Remaining clothes

I am not taking a laptop but will take a few SD cards so I can switch during the holiday and in the event of camera flood won't lose all the pictures.


Furthermore I have taken 7 days to spend after the long weekend doing non-diving stuff with my girlfriend. Thinking a couple of days on Gozo and Comino before returning to the main island to finish of the holiday. Details to be worked out.

[Paulo]

Think of how much excess luggage you could have bough lt for the cost of the new gear

Travel kit is a con