Flying with scuba gear

I just got off the phone with a United Airlines reservation agent. I
told her that I had one bag that was going to be over the 50 pound
limit for checked luggage, and I wanted to know how much extra it was
going to cost me to check it in. She said it's going to cost me an
extra $100 for this one bag! On United's web site it says overweight
bags costs $25 extra. So I told her that, and she says it's $100
because I'm going to Mexico. Why the hell does it cost 4 times as much
to fly an overweight bag to Mexico compared to everywhere else in the
world?

Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
guys fly with your scuba gear?

I have flown to mexico with my scuba gear.

I just checked it; counter said "extra" "ok" and off it went.

Since I use a duffle type back, a lock is one of the silliest things to do -- I
use bright colored yarn between teh zipper for "quick identifcation" as it comes
down teh ramp - it also would tell me if someone had been in the bag.

If someone wants in -- A) they have the right to open a bag, B) if you lock it;
they'll just break the lock C) if it's a fabric bag, it can just be cut/ripped.
"We're not responsible" remember....

Don't be so paranoid.. Of all the miles I've flown; I've lost one bag, and it
turned up a week later...

Break it into two smaller bags to avoid the weight limit....
As the hotel you're going to if you can ship some stuff down & UPS it down
there...

On 30 Dec 2005 10:05:06 -0800, "Mick" <micknewton@direcway.com> wrote:

>I just got off the phone with a United Airlines reservation agent. I
>told her that I had one bag that was going to be over the 50 pound
>limit for checked luggage, and I wanted to know how much extra it was
>going to cost me to check it in. She said it's going to cost me an
>extra $100 for this one bag! On United's web site it says overweight
>bags costs $25 extra. So I told her that, and she says it's $100
>because I'm going to Mexico. Why the hell does it cost 4 times as much
>to fly an overweight bag to Mexico compared to everywhere else in the
>world?
>
>Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
>understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
>to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
>simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
>guys fly with your scuba gear?


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In article <1135965906.418610.13450@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups. com>,
micknewton@direcway.com says...
> I just got off the phone with a United Airlines reservation agent. I
> told her that I had one bag that was going to be over the 50 pound
> limit for checked luggage, and I wanted to know how much extra it was
> going to cost me to check it in. She said it's going to cost me an
> extra $100 for this one bag! On United's web site it says overweight
> bags costs $25 extra. So I told her that, and she says it's $100
> because I'm going to Mexico. Why the hell does it cost 4 times as much
> to fly an overweight bag to Mexico compared to everywhere else in the
> world?
>
> Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
> understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
> to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
> simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
> guys fly with your scuba gear?


distribute the weight between 2 checked bags, and remember they don't
weigh your carry-on. TSA will cut the locks if you lock the bags, so
don't bother, or you can buy special locks that TSA can open.

We just went to Mexico with full cave gear, including extra light
batteries, chargers, etc and made our weight limits with no problems.

Many US airports will definitely charge you for excess weight these
days.

al

"Mick" wrote

in message news:1135965906.418610.13450@o13g2000cwo.googlegro ups.com...
>I just got off the phone with a United Airlines reservation agent. I
> told her that I had one bag that was going to be over the 50 pound
> limit for checked luggage, and I wanted to know how much extra it was
> going to cost me to check it in. She said it's going to cost me an
> extra $100 for this one bag! On United's web site it says overweight
> bags costs $25 extra. So I told her that, and she says it's $100
> because I'm going to Mexico. Why the hell does it cost 4 times as much
> to fly an overweight bag to Mexico compared to everywhere else in the
> world?
>
> Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
> understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
> to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
> simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
> guys fly with your scuba gear?

First, we put all fragile stuff, including lights, masks, computers and
regulators in a carry on bag.
Second, we put everything else in one or more hard sided bags, being careful
to keep each bag below the individual weight limit.
Third, most of our clothes go in a nylon duffle bag.
Finally, we put nylon packing tape through the handle and around the bags.
Believe it or not, nylon tape is a better robbery deterrent than a lock.

Lee

On 30 Dec 2005 10:05:06 -0800, "Mick" <micknewton@direcway.com> wrote:


>Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
>understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
>to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
>simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
>guys fly with your scuba gear?

I think the issue for me is not so much "Will it exceed the weight limit?" but
more, "Will anything I pack in checked baggage trigger a TSA hand search?".
That is, will the neoprene rubber of the suits etc. be so dense as to set off
the CTX-5000 alarm, or will the shape of the BCD/fins/snorkel/mask etc.
be so odd as to make the inspector guess and cause a hand search?

All of my gear packed together (including 7mm full suit) is about 35lbs,
well below the weight limit for one bag so I'm not worried about that.
And of course, all the critical hardware (regulator, computer, 1st stage
etc.) will be carried on. But I wonder if the TSA inspectors are experinced
enough to recognize SCUBA gear for what it is, and not get nervous.

And I have TSA approved locks anyway.


____________________________________________
Regards,

Arnold

I travel about once a month and always lock my bags using the TSA approved
locks. They don't cut those since they can get into them.

I do the same thing going overseas. Coming back is different. When we went
to Jamaica this year they hand search all the checked baggage in front of
the passengers and after that we were able to lock them. But In Ireland for
example, they have scanners so no hand checking in the same way. I didn't
lock those bags until after I picked them in the US before going through
customs. Where we never get checked.

I don't pay a dime for oversize bags. Split them into 2 or take stuff out
and take it with you on carryon. We always take as carryon 1 Armour bag with
both our regulators (long hoses and all fit nicely), camera, my mask because
it's prescription and I don't want it lost, both computers, a swimsuit, and
a change of t-shirts.

I'm actually trying to find a way to also carry on the canister lights
By the time I'm done I won't need checked baggage except to take an empty
one for souvenirs.

Irene

"Mick" <micknewton@direcway.com> wrote in message
news:1135965906.418610.13450@o13g2000cwo.googlegro ups.com...
>I just got off the phone with a United Airlines reservation agent. I
> told her that I had one bag that was going to be over the 50 pound
> limit for checked luggage, and I wanted to know how much extra it was
> going to cost me to check it in. She said it's going to cost me an
> extra $100 for this one bag! On United's web site it says overweight
> bags costs $25 extra. So I told her that, and she says it's $100
> because I'm going to Mexico. Why the hell does it cost 4 times as much
> to fly an overweight bag to Mexico compared to everywhere else in the
> world?
>
> Also, she says that I can't lock the bag! WTF is up with that? I can
> understand them wanting to verify the contents of the bag, but for her
> to insist that I leave my property open to thieving baggage handlers is
> simply outragious. Can't they just x-ray the damn thing? How do you
> guys fly with your scuba gear?
>

>I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as 'TSA approved' locks.
>Maybe I should look into getting some.

The result is the same....

Baggage handlers can unlock them....
if they're dishonest, they'll just unlock it; take it; and re-lock it.

Some of hte better "TSA" locks will "alert" that it's been opened; but they're
all fundamentally flawed... They are locks that all share the same "master key"
that tsa & baggage handlers have access to.


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In article <1135985805.651436.101990@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups .com>,
micknewton@direcway.com says...
> I bought a Pelican 1660 dry box to carry all of our gear on the plane.
> It's a very sturdy, lockable case with wheels and a retractable handle.
> It'll carry all of our scuba gear and keep it from getting crushed by
> careless baggage handlers. And, since it's lockable, we can use it at
> the hotel to lock up stuff when we leave our room, such as our very
> expensive camera gear.
>
> I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as 'TSA approved' locks.
> Maybe I should look into getting some.

The box weighs 33 lbs! Much better to just use a suitcase

Al Wells wrote:
> The box weighs 33 lbs! Much better to just use a suitcase

Yeah, but only if you don't mind having hundreds of pounds of suitcases
dropped on your expensive gear.

On our last vacation our brand new luggage was practically destroyed.
Straps on the outside were torn off and the metal frames inside the
cases were all bent to hell.

I suppose I'll either put some stuff in another bag or just pay their
ripoff overweight charge.

In article <1135985805.651436.101990@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups .com>,
Mick <micknewton@direcway.com> wrote:

€ I bought a Pelican 1660 dry box to carry all of our gear on the plane.
€ It's a very sturdy, lockable case with wheels and a retractable handle.
€ It'll carry all of our scuba gear and keep it from getting crushed by
€ careless baggage handlers. And, since it's lockable, we can use it at
€ the hotel to lock up stuff when we leave our room, such as our very
€ expensive camera gear.
€

Bad choice. Nothing says "steal me" like Pelican Boxes and Anvil Cases,
and empty they're over half of your weight allowance.

Yes, they're rugged, but they don't prevent theft against anyone even
remotely serious (including in your hotel room ), and they don't offer
any more protection than most alternatives like hard sided luggage and
coolers. Many professional photographers, including the late Jim
Church, used duct taped coolers to check their U/W camera gear.
Personally, I've travelled ~250K miles with my gear packed into a
soft-sided wheeled duffel that only has one external zipper, and
nothing that would identify it as dive gear. My regulators are rolled
inside my wetsuit, and my mask is stuffed into a fin foot pocket.
Nothing has ever been damaged in transit. The only "lock" I use is a
zip-tie. The purpose of this "lock" isn't to keep out theives (that's
impossible), but to alert me at the airport if the bag has been opened.
On the few times it has been, all post 9.11, I was able to inspect it
before leaving the baggage claim area and would have been able to make
a claim is anything was missing. Fortunately, there were just TSA
notices inside..


€ I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as 'TSA approved' locks.
€ Maybe I should look into getting some.
€

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