Scuba Trip Packing for Women

This little beauty weighs only 5.5 pounds and folds up to take up less space than a pair of tennis shoes. It is a back-inflate BCD with an integrated weight system that includes back trim weight pockets. It has deep pockets to store your travel snorkel and backup light. My only complaints after using this BCD are that the integrated weight pockets are hard to insert. It takes a bit of force, which is problematic when you adjust weight on the surface. Also, the pockets are cumbersome to zip and unzip, especially since the zipper opens from back to front.

You might pay a little bit more at your local dive shop, but you’re keeping that local business open and you get to try it on before you buy it. We have seen this BCD for as low as $329.

This is a pretty standard, middle-of-the-road reg set with an octi and a 3-gauge console (with a compass).

What do you REALLY need when it comes to a dive computer? If you’re looking for a basic, inexpensive computer that is easy to use (just one button), then the Cressi Leonardo is for you.

If you’re looking for more, why get a *slightly* better computer? Go all the way. Get something that you can see easily in all conditions. Get wireless air integration. Get a system that will let you monitor your buddy’s air if they have the same system. Or get something inexpensive that will get the job done for a Nitrox diver.

The Aeris Accel fins are great for travel. They’re sturdy, shorter than the average fin at less than 21 inches, and are lightweight, coming in at under 3 pounds for the pair.

Normally, you will not use a snorkel while diving, but it is a good practice to keep a snorkel with you in the event that you need it. A roll-up snorkel is an excellent alternative to packing a full-size snorkel.

Also, make sure that you know your destination. For example, if you’re going to Cozumel, there’s no shore diving allowed on the protected reef, but there is some great snorkeling. In this case, the travel snorkel isn’t going to work. Pack a full-size snorkel for shore activities.

You should choose a mask that is comfortable, provides the visual ability of your choice, and provides the volume of air that you like. Also, if you need a prescription mask, that will affect your mask choice.

You should consider the following accessories that are being packed in this article:

• Boots (if you do not have a full-foot fin)
• Wetsuit, shorty, or skin
• eRDP – If your computer goes out, you can technically calculate your dives and keep diving
• Earplugs
• Flashlights and batteries
• Defog
• Ear drops
• GoPro camera and accessories
• Dive Log book – Skip it. Take a picture of relevant pages, including your last logged dive.

The following articles of clothing are included in this article. This plan hinges on your ability to do laundry at the resort, or your willingness to wash items in the sink.

• Hoodie – Bring a sport hoodie to use if you get cold on the boat or in the evenings
• Yoga pants – Bring comfy pants to wear in the resort or over your suit on the boat for night dives
• Underwear
• Socks – Wear them with tennis shoes or walking around your room
• Cute shorts/capris – Bring wrinkle-resistant shorts that can be worn to lunch/dinner at least twice before washing
• Cute tops – Bring some cute tops for dinner with the group that mix/match well
• Cute sandals – Black Teva Women’s Olowahu Flip Flops are great. They are comfortable and can be dressed up or down. This will be your new favorite all-purpose flip flop. It’s also available with a 1.75-inch heel.
• Sarong – Use as a swimsuit cover or as a skirt/dress at dinner
• Swimsuits
• Quick-dry shorts- Bring some board shorts to wear over your swimsuit on the boat, or for walking back to your room. You can hang quick dry shorts in your bathroom or balcony to dry every evening.
• Cover tops – bring a tee or tank to wear over your swimsuit or to relax in your room. Again, quick-dry is the preferred fabric.

Wear on the plane:

• Jeans – Wear this heavy/bulky item on the plane. These can be worn for dinner or cooler evenings
• Plain tee
• Sweater – bring a simple black wrap sweater that can work with any outfit
• Tennis shoes – for walking through the airport and on any hikes/excursions

When you plan your toiletries, make them as small as possible. For example, are you really going to use 3oz of shower gel? That is the default size at Bath & Body Works. Consider the GoToob 1.25oz squeeze tubes. If you use a cosmetic brand that is available in a typical department store, you often have opportunities to get sample-sized products for free with your purchase. Otherwise, you can put your product into smaller containers.

The following liquids are included in the article TSA Liquids Quart bag:

• Shower gel (optional) – Use the hotel soap
• Shampoo (optional) – Make sure that your resort has shampoo and skip it
• Conditioner (optional) – Skip it
• Facial Care (Clinique)
  • face wash – green tube
  • astrigent – small pink bottle
  • face lotion – yellow tube
  • eye cream – small tub
  • aging serum – silver sample pump
• Big Sexy Root Pump – red travel aerosol can available at Ulta
• Liquid Wax – Pureology product pumped into a small tub
• Blistex
• Concealer
• Toothpaste – Save up the freebies you get at the dentist office twice a year
• Nail polish to touch up toes – Get some OPI minis!
• Perfume sample
• Ear drops
• Face sunscreen – Put it in a Go Toob
• Defog
• Bug spray

Other Toiletries

• Hair accessories – Bring bobby pins/ponytail holders
• Deodorant
• Make up – non liquid
• Comb/brush
• Hair clip – Bring this to clip up your hair, and to clip together hotel curtains to keep the sun out
• Feminine supplies
  
• Face wipes
• BioFreeze packets – Get travel packets of Biofreeze for sore dive muscles and after massages
• Toothbrush
• Razor (use soap for shaving or buy shaving cream on location)
• Floss
• Cotton Balls
• Q-Tips

You will need some general travel items:

• Trash bags
• Ziploc bags
• Moleskin for blisters
• Bandaids
• Airline tickets
• Passport
• Wristlet wallet
  • cash for shopping/tipping
  • ID and Bank/Credit Cards
  • Dive cards

• Empty Nalgene bottle – if you like to mix in drink packets with your water, that way you don’t have to buy 16 oz water bottles
• Crystal Light packets (pack in the bottle)
• Protein bars
• Fruit snacks
• Gum/mints
• Sunglasses & case
• Medicine: prescript, med info, OTC, and vitamins
• Motion sickness meds
• Immodium
• Hand fan
• Nail kit
• Chapstick
• Small umbrella

You probably don’t want to travel without your electronics.

• Phone & charger – Often, you can use your phone while traveling and stuck in the airport, but you don’t want to use anything but wifi internationally.
• External Battery – Use an external battery to charge your phone, tablet, and other USB devices. I recommend the Anker Astro E5 15,000 mAh battery:
  
• Extra earphones – bring headphones with a microphone and a case, such as this iKross earbud set.
• iPad
  • charger
  • SD reader – to get photos/video from your camera to your iPad for editing and sharing  (See the existing article)
• Dive camera (mentioned in the scuba gear)
  • extra batteries
  • chargers
  • 7 SD cards – bring one for travel days and one each for each vacation day
• Hotel Wifi Hotspot (optional) – since some hotels provide free ethernet in the room, but no wifi, a device such as the TP-Link TL-WR700N Wireless Portable Router allow you to make your own wireless hotspot. Find out the internet situation before you pack.
• MacBook Air & charger – Decide whether you need a laptop, but if you do, the MacBook Air is a great choice. I highly recommend the Apple Refurbished program.
  • Work key generator – If you need to access your work network while you travel, bring your USB key or key generator
• Power Converters (optional) – if you are traveling internationally, make sure that you have the power converters that you need, such as this Australia/China converter.

When you arrive at your destination, plan to purchase the following:

• Sunscreen
• Aloe
• Shaving cream
• Bottled water – if you need bottled water, buy it in the cheapest method you can per oz or mL, then carry/use your Nalgene bottle.

I don’t recommend that you purchase a heavy-duty dive bag. I can’t find any statistics on the issue, but really, it makes sense that if you have an expensive equipment bag, it indicates to thieves in airport security or customs that there might just be thousands of dollars in gear in the bag.

It might be worthwhile to pack a mesh gear bag. Sometimes, dive resorts keep and move your gear for you. But even if you only need to carry your gear down to the dive shop, it’s nice to have a mesh bag. It’s especially nice if you have to lug and rinse your own gear. A good quality and affordable mesh bag is the Akona Mesh Duffel Bag.

This is the bag or suitcase that needs to fit in the overhead bin on the plane. It’s important to get a square bag of near the maximum allowed dimensions so you have the most space for packing. Travel Nerd has a great chart with details per airlines, but a 22″ x 14″ x 9″ carry on will work for all airlines.

For this article, we will be using the Athalon Luggage 21 Inch Hybrid Travelers Bag (in green).

Most airlines permit you to carry a personal item, such as a purse, tote bag, or laptop bag, as long as it fits under the seat in front of you. Typically, that is 20″ x 17″. If you’re looking for a new bag, EBags has a great tool to search by size – under seat. Most of those bags are rounded and wheeled. And don’t forget, if you fill up the space under your seat completely, you won’t have room to stretch out your feet.

For this article, we will be using the Lesportsac Large Tote. It is 22″ x 13″, but is squishable, so it fits under the seat. The 13″ allows space for your feet beside the bag. As a bonus, this bag weighs around 1 pound.