Travel fin question

[gman]

I searched this topic and did not find anything recent. My family and I just got back from a great trip to Maui. We are trying to commit ourselves to being "carry on" travelers. It sure makes things easier at the ends of the trip. So in addition to finding a suitable bag that is about 22"x14"x9" to meet the airline size requirements for carry on, I am looking for fins. I can carry a mask and snorkel just fine in my bag along with my clothes and everything else. What I would like to find are freediving fins that can be disassembled (like Omer's for example) that have blades 22" or just less so that the blades and foot pockets will all fit in my carry on. Does anyone know of a "long" fin that will fit this description????
I've tried e-mailing a few companies for specs on their fin blades but I have not gotten any responses

Thanks!!

 

[salibandy]

Most airlines will not mind you carrying on your long fins.

 

[cdavis]

I use specialfin blades(kelpies) and have found a carryon bag that works with them. It is a suit bag that folds over and meets the airline requirements. I put the blades in diagonally and the pockets in on the other diagonal. The soft bag flexes to get into the airline's box. Works fine. Note: Specialfin blades are slightly shorter and wider than some other longfin blades. Waterways power blades, for example are too long for this.

Doing everything carry on is a huge improvement in traveling.

Connor

 

[gman]

Most airlines will not mind you carrying on your long fins.

Right. But that assumes you've checked something else through. My goal is to carry on EVERYTHING. I don't want to leave anything up to the whim of a gate attendant. Imagine getting through the initial screen, the second level of security checks only to be told at the gate that you have to check one of your bags... YUCK!!!! I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with wetsuits...

I use specialfin blades(kelpies) and have found a carryon bag that works with them. It is a suit bag that folds over and meets the airline requirements. I put the blades in diagonally and the pockets in on the other diagonal. The soft bag flexes to get into the airline's box. Works fine. Note: Specialfin blades are slightly shorter and wider than some other longfin blades. Waterways power blades, for example are too long for this.


Doing everything carry on is a huge improvement in traveling.

Connor

This is exactly what I am looking for. "Shorter and Fatter" is just fine if the function is still there and they fit into the bags. Do you have a source for specialfin blades that you like? What pockets do you use?

Thanks again.

 

[gman]

Okay, I've found my fin. It is the specialfin Spearfishing Black Speedy.
Here's the link: SpecialFins Monofins & fins for Freediving,Spearfishing,UW Games.

They seem to be exactly what I am looking for. Now the $8,000,000,000 question: Has anyone used these?

Thanks again.

 

[cdavis]

Nope, first I heard of them.

By my calculation, the whole fin is 4 inches, 11 cm, shorter than the kelpies. That's pretty short by freediving standards. Sure that will work for you? The adv doesn't say, but I assume the blades and pockets come apart?

Connor

 

[gman]

They use omer pockets with the side rails removed. I thought there was a pretty good description of them on the site. The blades and pockets do indeed come apart. They are short by freediving standards for certain. But it is either this or I rent cheapo's at whatever local dive shop I find. I looked all over the part of Maui we were on and no one had free diving fins much less rented them. I'm sure there must have been a shop on the other part of the island, but we never went down there. I think these might be a nice half way point between real freediving fins and the pocketed churchills that dive shops rent...

 

[spaghetti]

...and now the N-Zillions dollars question, meant in all respect: why don't you get a bag that's big enough for the purpose, instead of fins that are not long enough for the purpose?
If not, check these ones, Cressi Reaction Pro. They're the best compromise I've used between proper freedive fins and short snorkelling fins. Short but very length-efficient. Scroll down to check the size chart: Spearfishing Fins

 

[Jon]

If you go with something that has a removable blade, like the Specialfin Kelpie, you can just remove the footpockets for travel and put them back together when you get there. This only take a couple of minutes and can be down with a small screwdriver.

I've even seen it done with C4's. Longfins brought his to freedive-a-palooza a couple of years ago and just screwed the footpockets onto the blades and attached the side rails with zip ties. This way he didn't need to glue anything into place and it worked surprisingly well for someone who travels quite a bit.

If you don't want to hassle with the zipties just go with a standard footpocket and blade: Picasso, Omer, Waterway's, Sporasub, etc.

Jon

 

[spaghetti]

You must consider that average freediving blades (Omer, C4 et cetera) are normally 74cm + long, which is longer than the 22 inches of Gman's bag (22inches= 60 centimeters, is that correct?)....

 

[Jon]

I'm pretty sure that when I take the blades out from the footpockets I can put them in my carry on suitcase- if I put them at an angle. I then pack my clothes on either side of them.

Sporasub used to make short blades that could be switched out from the longer ones for diving in tight spaces. Otherwise, Sporasub makes an underwater hockey fin (Cruise) that works surprisingly well for a rubber fin.

Jon

 

[gman]

Thanks fellas. You are both right. My travel goal is to not have to check ANYTHING through. I want to go all carry-on. I know that some people get by with a larger bag, and some people get by carrying their blades in a separate bag and saying they are fragile sporting gear and ect...

But in order to avoid any hassle of dealing with a moody NTSB agent I want to stay within any and all published guidelines as far as bag size. I want to fly under the radar and not attract any attention. So a 60cm blade would fit into my large carryon along with the pockets and most of my clothes. I can fit everythng else I need in my "lap top" carrying case. And that takes care of my two bag limit.

I will have to disassemble and reassemble the fins. This is part of the overall plan. My goal is to join the realm of "ultra-light" travelers. Well, except for my fins, foot pockets, perscription mask, snorkel, and booties, that is...

 

[gman]

...and now the N-Zillions dollars question, meant in all respect: why don't you get a bag that's big enough for the purpose, instead of fins that are not long enough for the purpose?
If not, check these ones, Cressi Reaction Pro. They're the best compromise I've used between proper freedive fins and short snorkelling fins. Short but very length-efficient. Scroll down to check the size chart: Spearfishing Fins

Thanks Spaghetti, I have several bags that could easily swallow up proper fins. The ability to separate the blade from the pocket for travel will allow me an extra six or seven inches of blade length. While still pretty short by free diving fin standards, a 60CM blade coupled to an omer foot pocket is light years better, in my opinion, than a 60cm total length fin.

Ideally I would get the proper fins and a bag big enough to hold them and let the chips fall and when the time comes that I cannot carry it all on then cross that bridge. But I am a cheap bastard and I want to cover as many bases as I can with a single purchase. I'm so cheap that right now I am holding off ordering the fins and instead hoping for the Euro/USD exchange rate to improve a little so I don't have to spend $300 on the fins.

I know, more paralysis by analysis... I just can't help myself.

 

[cdavis]

FYI, most longfin blades are too long to fit in the airline carry on requirement, if you put them in the bag straight. If you have a soft bag that flexes a little and can put the blades in diagonally, kelpies will fit. Some other blades will not.

Connor

 

[strangelove]

If you plan on putting the fins on the check out bagage I would definitly wrap them in card board, Two years ago, one of my blades of my Special Fin Hybrid broke, I still regret not using card board.

 

[gman]

Okay, here's the plan.

I have two bags and only two bags period when I travel.
One bag is a larger one that meets all airline travel requirements and is no longer than 22 inches.
The second bag is a smaller bag like a "lap top" carrying case.
I have fins. The fins separate at the blade and foot pocket. The blades go in the big bag on the back side. I pack clothes around them. The foot pockets go in that bag with clothes and whatever else packet in and around them. All my other travel items including perscription mask and snorkel go in that bag or my lap top bag. I don't check any bags so I have control of all of my property at all times.
When I get to my destination I grab my two bags out of the passenger compartment, get off the plane, find the car rental hut or the bus and go to my dive destination.

That's it. No checked baggage. No hassles at the counter. When I get to where I am going, I put my fins together (attach the blades to the foot pockets) and dive for however long I am there.

When it is time to go home, I take my fins apart again and put everything back into my two (2) carry on bags and fly home.

 

[Jonny250]

Just a couple of suggestions, how about taking a standard set of blades from say omer, etc, where you can detach from the footpocket, then cut the blades down to your size requirement. A plastic blade would allow you to do this fairly easily.

Ref the very good idea of travelling light (and fast) how about your weights? will you take weights with you? when i travelled to sardegna last month i took my weights as carry on and was stopped at every x-ray machine except when leaving sardegna. i would have struggled loads to find rented dive-weights...

anyways, keep on persueing the plan, 'cause its a good'un

 

[gman]

Excellent question regarding the weights. I've thought alot about it. If I'm diving sans wet suit I really don't need weights. I'm positive at about 5m thanks to my ample stores of body fat. On our last trip if the water was more shallow than that I put a few rocks in the pockets of my swim trunks and it worked fine. I know that's not the best idea...
I've been toying with how to deal with weights and wet suits. I have a couple of friends who will ship a box or two of supplies to their destination and then have use of it there. Then they ship it back to themselves at the end of the trip. I would not want to ship weights, but I could ship my wet suit. I would probably end having to rent weights. I know that can be a huge PITA like you discovered on your last trip.

I had also thought about cutting down fins myself. I've tried this sort of do-it-yourself modification on other things in the past with mixed results. It just seems like a good amount of design has gone in to whatever fins I have, and when I start to monkey around with flex points and taper I am setting myself up for disappointment.

I will re-visit this idea, though. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[cdavis]

Weights and carry on seems to be an area of uncertainty. I've carried on 4-6 lb on a belt several times and had no problem. I know a scuba diver who walks aboard wearing his bc and attached weights. He has flown a bunch and no problem. Crap shoot?

Connor

 

[gman]

Crap shoot?

Connor

Precisely.

I seem to have about the worst luck in the history of luck. So I really need to avoid crap shoots. Therefore my quest for packable fins...