Diving Bag Reviews

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

At Sport Diver we believe the most effective way to test the latest diving bags is to run it past our dedicated Test Team for unbiased and frank opinions from divers with a range of experience. Here are the results:

Akona Roller Bag

The Akona Roller Bag is robustly made, stable when fully loaded, and easy to roll about thanks to its smooth wheels and extending handle. However, it is not the lightest of roller bags, topping the scales at slightly over 4kg. Here are some of the comments – “There is a fin pocket on one side which just about fits a pair of fins inside, but the pocket on the other side is smaller and designed for accessories,” said Mark. “This is a smart looking bag which fits everything in, however, it is a tight fit.” Dave said: “The fin pocket eats into the main compartment space. It’s a tight fit, but deceptively roomy for the size. It looks good, and it’s refreshing to see Akona haven’t wasted time with shoulder straps no-one uses.” Martin said: “You’d struggle to get all your clothes in as well as your dive kit. The front pocket is tight when the bag is full and you can’t fit much inside. Not my favourite.”

Specifications:

Price £129
Weight (kg) 4.2
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 48
Depth (cm) 30
Volume (litres) 76
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Top, holdall
Extras None
Contact: www.sea-sea.co.uk

Aqualung Classic

The Aqualung Classic bag is, as the name suggests, a product harking back to the good old days. It is basically a large, durable holdall made from heavyweight material which is more than capable of swallowing everything you’d need on a foreign or UK trip. It might not have any wheels or added extras, but for a lightweight, no-frills bag, it is hard to beat. Here are some of the comments – Mark said: “This is not as big as the DUI bag, but it is a good, solid, basic holdall. It may not have wheels and an extendable handle, but it is very light. It’s made from heavyweight material and you’re certainly not going to miss it thanks to the vivid yellow colour. This is equally as good for use on a diving weekend in the UK.” Dave said: “This is a well-made bag, but there’s a lack of security in the fin pocket – a quick-release strap is all that holds them in – and small front pouch. Good value for money and very lightweight.” Martin said: “We managed to fit all our gear and clothes in, but there was no extra space. The best thing is it’s lightweight and great for travelling. It would be ideal on a budget airline where weight restrictions are particularly tight.”

Specifications:

Price £42.95
Weight (kg) 1.7
Length (cm) 84
Width (cm) 40
Depth (cm) 34
Volume (litres) 95
Wheels N
Extending handle N
Other handles Holdall, shoulder
Extras None
Contact www.aqualung.co.uk
 

SPORT DIVER BEST VALUE: Beaver Imperial

The Beaver Imperial is a basic square dive bag with lots of additional pockets – including two extra-large fin pockets – and wheels to make it easy to move around. While being light compared with some of the other wheeled bags, it is still fairly heavy compared with the basic holdalls. “You can get two fins in just one fin pocket,” said Dave. “Everything you would need to take with you diving fits in, with room to spare. There is no extendable handle, but it doesn’t really need it. Great value.” Mark said: “ This is a basic square design of dive bag. It’s nice and stable and swallows everything you need. It’s a no-frills bag at a good price.” Martin said: “The fin pockets when full don’t encroach on the main compartment, which is good. There are plenty of pockets so you have lots of space. It stands up very well, and is one of the lighter wheeled bags. It’s good value for money too at just £79.”

Specifications:

Price £79
Weight (kg) 3.7
Length (cm) 75
Width (cm) 48
Depth (cm) 28
Volume (litres) 110
Wheels Y
Extending handle N
Other handles Side, top
Extras None
Contact www.beaversports.co.uk

Deep Outdoors Tropical Traveller

The Deep Outdoors Tropical Traveller has a huge capacity, easily taking all the dive kit and clothing, but it is a heavy product and it wouldn’t take long for you to be over airline weight limits if you weren’t careful. Here are some of the comments – Mark said: “Fin pockets go inside the main compartment quite a way when they are full, but there is loads of room inside. It’s robust – all Deep Outdoors stuff is well-built. The pocket are all useful too.” Dave said: “A pair of fins can fit in just one fin pocket and there’s still tons of room. I’ve got one of these which is still going strong after about ten years. It’s a blindingly good bag and money well spent.” Martin said: “This is the largest bag we had on test, and the interior is cavernous. It would certainly store everything you could want to take on a dive holiday, but be careful as you could quickly exceed weight limits!”

Specifications:

Price £185
Weight (kg) 4.7
Length (cm) 85
Width (cm) 56
Depth (cm) 30
Volume (litres) 152
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Top, bottom
Extras Changing mat, rucksack straps
Contact www.cpspartnership.co.uk

DUI Gear Bag

The DUI Gear Bag is a basic holdall-style bag like the Aqualung, but unlike the latter its internal storage space is split into two sections. Designed as a drysuit bag, the larger section is for the drysuit – it even has drain holes for when it is wet – and the smaller section is for undersuits and other clothing, etc. Here are some of the comments – Martin said: “Splitting the bag into one-third dry compartment and two-thirds wet space is a good idea, but it makes fitting some things like fins a bit of a struggle. It can also be worn as a rucksack using the holdall-style handles and the waist strap. Excellent bag for travelling due to its light weight.” Mark said: “Any pair of long fins would be a struggle to get in. With all our gear packed away in the dry compartment, there was still room for clothes in the wet compartment – it’s surprising how much room you have got. This is a basic holdall that swallows a load of gear.” Dave said: “It folds nice and flat for storage, and is designed with a wet and dry section, so it would be ideal for UK use. You can get a hell of a lot of clothes in the ‘dry’ section.”

Specifications:

Price £44
Weight (kg) 1.2
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 38
Depth (cm) 38
Volume (litres)
Wheels N
Extending handle N
Other handles Holdall
Extras Waist strap
Contact www.hydrotech.co.uk

Mares Cruise Roller

The Mares Cruise Roller is by far the most-innovative bag in this test. When you first look at the bag, it looks like a flattened mesh bag or the equivalent, but then you unzip the cover and it folds out to make a traditional-style square dive bag, complete with wheels and multiple pockets – amazing. Here are some of the comments – “This would be great if you were on a liveaboard,” said Dave. “It folds up almost flat and fits in a tight space. The pouch on the bottom has double protection, too. It’s very clever, and well thought out. It looks small, but it’s not. Only criticism would be the fin pocket, which is quite small.” Martin said: “The Transformer of dive bags. It’s amazing how you get a full-size wheeled dive bag from such a compact package. It’s deceivingly big, and fitted all our stuff. It would be great for storing when you didn’t need it, although it was a tight fit getting fins in the fin pocket.” Mark said: “One of the lightest wheeled bags, and good looking to boot. How they get the bag to fold up into such a small space is beyond me.”

Specifications:

Price £110
Weight (kg) 3.6
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 44
Depth (cm) 35
Volume (litres) 128
Wheels Y
Extending handle N
Other handles Top, bottom
Extras Rucksack straps, zip-off front pocket
Contact www.mares.com

Oceanic Cargo Wheeled Duffle

The Oceanic Cargo Wheeled Duffle is one of the most-stylish-looking bags in the test, and the designers were obviously divers – the two grab handles on the top of the main flap are very useful when lifting the bag in and out of your car, for instance. Not as spacious as its rivals, and not the lightest on test. Here are some of the comments – “This is stylish bag but has no additional pockets, so getting all our gear in was a bit of a squeeze, “ said Dave. Martin said: “It’s a smart-looking bag, but doesn’t look that big. You will have to pack lightly if you want to take lots of clothes. It stands upright well, so won’t fall over when full. Personally I’d go for one of the larger bags.” Mark said: “The fins just go into the fin pocket but the pockets eat into the internal space. It’s not as spacious as some, but is good-looking, robust and well-made.”

Specifications:

Price £98
Weight (kg) 4.8
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 42
Depth (cm) 34
Volume (litres) 83
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Top, bottom, two front
Extras None
Contact www.oceanicuk.com

Scubapro Caravan

The Scubapro Caravan is a fairly lightweight wheeled dive bag that has a handy zip-off regulator/hand luggage on one end. It looks relatively small, but easily took all the dive gear and clothing. Stable when fully packed and stood upright. Here are some of the comments – Martin said: “Our dive kit appeared to take up most of the space, but we still managed to fit clothes in too. The extendable handle is easier to get to when the end pouch is removed. This is a smart-looking bag, and the grab handle-cum-stand is a nifty idea.” “It’s surprising that all our stuff fit in, but we managed it,” said Dave. “The extending handle is a bit fiddly to get to, but overall this a great bag.” Mark said: “This is a deceptively spacious bag, although as the guys have said, the handle is a bit awkward to get to.”

Specifications:

Price £110
Weight (kg) 3.8
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 38
Depth (cm) 36
Volume (litres) 94
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Holdall, bottom, top
Extras Zip-off end pocket
Contact www.scubapro.com

Tusa Caster

The Tusa Caster is a heavyweight bag, topping the scales at over 6kg, but it is simply enormous and swallowed the dive gear and clothing with space to spare. The removable rucksack and fin/mask/snorkel bag are a nice touch. Here are some of the comments – “This has a vast amount of space,” said Mark. “It fit all our luggage, plus there was space in the side fin pocket, which is large itself. There are dinky rucksack straps on the removable front pocket. You could lose the two removable pockets and it would still be monstrous.” Dave said: “There’s more than enough room. I’ve never seen anyone use rucksack straps on a bag like this, but if you were gong to use them, these work well. You can get two fins in one pocket, they are that big. One fin pocket zips off, too. I bought this for Mrs Hope I was so impressed.” Martin said: “I liked the modular style of the Caster – if you have less to pack, simply remove one or two pouches, or even use them for hand luggage. This is a sturdy, decent-sized bag that represents good value for money.”

Specifications:

Price £98
Weight (kg) 6.3
Length (cm) 80
Width (cm) 48
Depth (cm) 34
Volume (litres) 100
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Holdall, top, side, bottom
Extras Rucksack straps, waist strap
Contact www.cpspartnership.co.uk

SPORT DIVER CHOICE: Stahlsac Catalina Cargo Pack

The Stahlsac Catalina Cargo Pack is a durable, well-made dive bag that is deceptively spacious, easily capable of taking all the clothing and diving equipment. Stahlsacs – the name means ‘steel bag’ – can certainly take some hammer, and backed up with the lifetime guarantee can be a one-off purchase. However, it is one of the heaviest on test. Here are some of the comments – Dave said: “This has got tons of room – it is like all Stahlsacs, it seems to eat luggage. Very well designed and thought out. Looks small, but takes more than most bags, and has huge side pockets. Expensive initially, but you get your money’s worth in the long-term.” Martin said: “The fold-down flap at the back which protects your back if you use the rucksack straps is a very neat idea, but would you use it? Very solid-looking, and a high-quality feel. One of my favourite bags on test.” Mark said: “It has the usual Stahlsac robust build quality and, thanks to the lifetime guarantee, that high initial price suddenly doesn’t seem so extortionate compared with its rivals.”

Specifications:

Price £199.95
Weight (kg) 5.2
Length (cm) 78
Width (cm) 55
Depth (cm) 42
Volume (litres) 120
Wheels Y
Extending handle Y
Other handles Side, top
Extras Rucksack straps
Contact www.typhoon-int.co.uk

SPORT DIVER VERDICT

Among our ten bags were eight designed with the travelling diver in mind, typically the upright roller-type bag with large load-lugging capabilities. This left two holdall-style bags, DUI and Aqualung, which managed to score points over the others, ironically for their light weight, which mean they would be ideal for saving on weight at the airport check-in desk. The DUI and Aqualung also double-up as bags you could sling your wet kit in when diving in the UK, making them extremely good value for money. The DUI is divided in two, but this meant we struggled to fit our fins inside.

Of the more traditional travel bags, the Akona had the smallest capacity, and fitting all our kit inside was a struggle. The Oceanic was also a bit of a squeeze, and we felt a couple of extra pouches would have been useful. If you like to travel with everything but the kitchen sink, go for the Deep Outdoors Tropical Traveller. At 152 litres, its capacity surpassed the others by far. The Scubapro Caravan offers a good compromise between large capacity and low weight, and is a good quality bag for the price.

One bag we were hugely impressed with was the Mares Cruise Roller. It starts out about the size of a record bag, but unzip it and it folds out into a full-size roller-bag with an impressive capacity of 128 litres, yet it weighs just 3.6kg. The Tusa Caster has two removable sections, so you can increase or decrease its capacity easily. However, we marked it down for its weight, which at more than 6kg is not ideal for travelling.

When it came to deciding on a winner of the Choice award, the Stahlsac was difficult to beat. Large capacity, robust and good quality, plus the clincher, a lifetime guarantee. It’s an expensive purchase, but you’ll get your money’s worth in the long-run, particularly if you travel regularly. The Beaver Imperial was our choice for the Best Value award, thanks to its large capacity and light weight. It was hard to find a fault with it, and at just £79 represents excellent value for money.