What do you pack for a dive vacation?

[Chris H]

I think you are on to something...

[matt t.]

Buy a BMW GS.

[matt t.]

I'll take "goofy" looking and 85,000 trouble free miles any day (not to mention the 9 gal gas tank). Nice looking bike there, what's the run down (yr, miles, engine mods, etc)? I have a newer Electra Glide, but much prefer to ride the BMW. As to the original poster.....Take a motorcycle along to ride in the afternoons after diving ;D.

[matt t.]

Looks good. 

[ethanb]

I tend to be pretty anal and also a bit absent-minded, so I'll often make written packing lists before going on trips.  Here's the packing list from my last dive trip, a week of cave-diving in the Yucatan.  The only thing I forgot was a tube of lip balm (which wasn't on the list).

Dive Equipment

• Personal
  • Mask
    
  • Fins
    
  • Snorkel
    
  • Hood
    
  • Gloves
    
  • Booties and Boots
    
  • Wetsuit (3 mm or 5 mm jumpsuit)
    
  • Sidemount harness
    
  • Regulators (sidemount, yoke only!)
    
  • Dive computer
    
  • 2 sidemount cam bands
    
  • Primary light (w/ battery and charger)
    
  • 2 backup lights
    
  • Reels (large and small) with knotted line
    
  • Survey pouch w/ notebook, compass, pencils
    
  • Line arrows and clothes pins
    
  • Yellow gear bag
    
  • Sherpa harness
    
  • Tanks in Mexico
    
• Team
  • Regulator parts
    
  • Backup backup lights
    
  • Dive tool kit
    
  • Batteries for backup lights
    

Vertical Equipment

• Personal
  • Harness
    
  • Ascenders (2 handled, 1 Croll)
    
  • Rappel Rack
    
  • 3 locking carabineers
    
  • Helmet
    
  • Rappelling gloves
    
• Team
  • Rope
    
  • Webbing
    
  • Carabineers
    
  • Pulleys
    
  • Rope pad
    

Caving Equipment

• Headlamp and backup lamp on helmet
  
• Batteries for caving lamps
  
• Caving clothes (jeans, polypro, coveralls)
  

Photography

• Camera
  
• Spare memory
  
• Batteries and charger
  
• Car inverter
  
• Otter Box
  
• Soft case
  
• Tripod
  

Camp Stuff

• Hammock
  
• Sleeping bag
  
• Blanket
  
• Camp headlamp
  

Clothing

• Swimsuit (2)
  
• 5-6 days of shorts and t-shirts
  
• 1 pair jeans
  
• 1 nice outfit (wear on flight)
  
• Sandals
  
• Hiking boots
  
• Socks
  
• Fleece jacket
  
• Pajamas (shorts and long)
  
• Hat
  

Health

• Sunscreen
  
• Bug spray (100% DEET)
  
• Tick soap (veterinary)
  
• Decongestant (pseudophedrine)
  
• Anti-diarrheal (loperamide)
  
• Antihistamine night (chlortrimeton)
  
• Antihistamine day (loratadine)
  
• Painkillers (ibuprofen and acetaminophen)
  
• Epi pen
  

Food

• Purchase in Cancun
  
• Snack items
  

Miscellaneous

• Towel
  
• Soap
  
• Deodorant
  
• Toothbrush
  
• Razor and shaving cream
  
• Sunglasses, glasses and hard cases
  
• Water bottle (2)
  
• Backpack
  
• Power strip
  
• Cell phone
  
• Cell phone charger and car charger
  
• GPS, car power cable, laptop link cable
  
• Duct tape
  
• Zip-lock bags
  
• Knife
  
• Leatherman
  
• Machete
  
• Spanish-English Dictionary
  
• Maya Dictionary
  

Documents

• Passport
  
• Maps
  
• Flight info
  
• Phone numbers (home, team, airline, embassy)
  
• Notes
  
• Journal
  
• Money (cash, traveler's checks, credit cards)
  
• Car rental and insurance documentation
  
• DAN paperwork
  

Checked bags must remain under 2x50 lbs each!
Carry-ons are officially limited to 40 lbs

[ethanb]

How many sherpas did you have to hire to carry your bags through the jungle?
[/quote]

The only time it really sucked was the walk back from Cenote Usil Chen when Orlando got us lost.  Even that wasn't too bad, since the two of them were helping, but I always feel bad letting Elmer carry my stuff - he is 45 years older than me.

Having too much stuff also sucked when we had to bribe the cop after getting pulled over and ticketed for having the boxes stacked so high we couldn't see the out the back of the Jeep.

I'm always afraid the rental car people will see our pile of stuff and flatly refuse to give us a car. 

Ethan

[systematic.entropy]

Oh, yes, I know the rental car fear. We usually rent from Dollar for our cave trips to High Springs, and our motto:

"Hate your rental car"

Time after time, the thing gets stratched and ripped to shreds, not to mention the piles of sand and garbage that gets piled into it. Hahah! Did I mention the last two times we rented from Orlando the cars started with less than a thousand miles on them?

[ethanb]

Ordinarily I'm not a person who will treat rental cars nicely - I don't think it's unreasonable to jump them or spin them.  However, in Mexico I am extremely careful and paranoid.  It's hard enough on the cars as it is - I live in fear of ripping out an axle on a hidden rock.  The credit card insurance doesn't cover off-road use.

Here's some photos from our last trip:

Road to a cave






Sometimes the truck is an anchor


Buying gas




Adding octane booster so we can drive on the highway again without it knocking