Sometimes, a heavyweight need to go diving calls for only a lightweight set of gear
It's time to pack for the next dive trip. You'll need a pair of Speedos or a bikini (your choice, and we won't go into that detail). Next up, a pair of convertible trousers (the kind you zip off into shorts). We've always been fond of Tilley Endurables AdventureCloth Zip-Off Pants www.tilley.com you may have your own favorites. Teva Circuit Leather Sandals www.teva.com with waterproof leather are all the footwear you'll need for most tropical destinations. As for hats and shirts, you know you'll buy some when you get there. We tend to travel outbound in our on-their-last-legs shirts, then we put 'em into recycling at the destination and come home with fresh trophies. That, and perhaps a poncho, takes care of the threads. Now comes the important part -- the gear. There are quite a few ways to go here, but here's one path to featherweight dive gear:
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Exposure Suit** If you're going where the water's warm, you probably already have a favorite line of dive skins. For cooler water, we're big fans of the Henderson Insta Dry www.hendersonusa.com line of jumpsuits, as they let us travel with just one wetsuit and still avoid clammy neoprene on every dive. We know you're counting ounces here, but be sure to bring along the drying towel that comes with the suit -- it's what you'll need to restore the suit to dry-as-you-packed-it condition.
For truly cold water, we like a trilaminate dry suit such as the DUI TLS 350 www.dui-online.com. Trilaminate suits pack down remarkably small and, teamed with appropriate undergarments, give you all the protection you'll need.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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BCD Of course, we own a few of them. But when we're striving to go light, we grab a Passport BC from Sea Quest (www.aqualung.com). As the name implies, it's made for the traveling diver: A full third lighter than most BCs, it still features integrated weights, a contoured backpack and two large zippered pockets.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Reg There are lots of new compact and lightweight choices out there. One good one is the Aqua Lung Titan LX (www.aqualung.com) with its Comfo-Bite mouthpiece and Air Turbo System for breathing ease. Add the optional Air Source to put your backup reg and power inflator into one package.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Instruments** We remember when dive computers looked like something you could use to build a wall. Today, there are many that you can wear on your wrist and use as a watch topside. When ounces count, a good companion to the regulator we've described is a Suunto D9 (www.aqualung.com) -- the first wrist computer to include a digital compass. Adding an optional wireless transmitter allows you to monitor tank pressure yet leave your HP hose at home.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Mask** Extremely soft and compact, the Mares Mariner (www.mares.com) has the single-pane design that we love in our photo subjects and is available with a regular skirt for average divers or a medium skirt for more petite divers.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Snorkel** The Sherwood Avid (www.sherwoodscuba.com) folds to become the world's most compact snorkel. Need we say more?
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Fins When you're diving lightweight, simple and tropical, a shoe-fin such as Cressi-sub's Pro Star (http://cressisub.it/intro.php?lang=us&id_catalogo=2&id_categoria=6&id_prodotto=308&m=scheda) makes sense. But one caveat: If you'll be diving from an open boat, be sure to bring along footwear that will protect your pinkies from the sun; otherwise, you'll come home with the dreaded "lobster foot" as a souvenir.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Knife Yes, you do need one. The expandable Underwater Kinetics Trigger (uwkinetics.com/D_Trigger.htm) puts fishing-line-fighting technology in your hands in a package that looks small enough to be mistaken for a keychain.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Light Princeton Tec's Attitude light (uwkinetics.com/D_Trigger.htm), which lives in our BCD pocket year-round, has three LEDs for 12 lumens of light and burns up to 150 hours on four AAA batteries. Gotta love that.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
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Gear Bag Deep See's Excursion Backpack Carry On (deepseeinc.com/products/excursion_roller_bp_co.html) has nearly 2,500 cubic inches of gear-swallowing capacity, features an extendable fin pocket, rides on your back or on its own wheels and meets airline requirements for carry-on luggage. See that? You can take it with you.
Exposure Suit | BCD | Reg | Instruments | Mask | Snorkel | Fins | Knife | Light | Gear Bag
