Review: SporTube Series 2

Introduction

I used to travel with my gear in regular luggage (and I still do occasionally), but at some point I wanted something dedicated that allowed me to travel with regular spearguns and spearfishing fins, so I decided to look at what was out there (see my Traveling with you gear post) and settled on the SporTube Series 2.

Specifications

• Adjustable height between 122cm to 212cm
• Width: 28cm, depth: 15.2cm, Weight: 5.45kg (without handle & lock)
• Linear size (for airlines) between 165.2cm and 255.2cm, but I have never had an airline ask my to measure it or pay extra (other than the normal extra baggage fee). Mine is usually closer to the lower number.
• Hard resistant plastic shell
• Wheels for airport maneuverability
• Lifetime warranty
• Lockable

Build

The build is rock solid, I have no worries of my stuff getting damaged inside (as long as it cannot move around too much). I always take the spears out of the mechanism so it doesn't break (the mechanism). The wheels are also very though, I don't see them betting broken anytime soon.

Usage

I am able to fit the following (while keeping it close to the minimal length):

• 4 spearguns
• 3 knives
• a 500g anchor
• a big pump (for my Best Hunter Okipa II float), something like this.
• a custom Carter float with it's belt attachment
• a marseillaise belt
• a 50m braided float line with its winder
• 2 pairs of neoprene socks and gloves
• a pair of fiberglass fins
• 2 snorkels
• other small misc. stuff

It is easy to use, tough; I do have some small issues:

• The wheels are not very pronounced, so if the ground is not paved/flat then I usually have to carry it. That is one of the reason the wheels are to tough though. It also probably means that if you are shorter then you have to raise your arms a bit to make it roll, if not then it will just scrape the floor.
  
• Since it travels as special luggage (like baby push-chairs/strollers), then it also has a tendency to be forgotten when there are connections, but this will happen with any special luggage.

Conclusion

I am very happy with mine and the size. As long as you can keep it on the shorter side airline should not bother you (at least not in Europe). If you get the series 3 it is much bigger and can fit much more, however it also looks more imposing and may be viewed as too big to be checked in as extra luggage by some airlines. Most airlines set 158cm as the max linear size so even the series 2 is technically too big but if you keep it short then I have never had issues with it. I think the smallest linear size you could get setup/have with on a series 3 is 180cm... Worst case they charge you are oversized/sports luggage.

Review: Pocket Bouy

Introduction

I was looking for a portable Buoy with a high flag that I could fly with (so it also needs to be light). I found the Pocket Buoy and found the concept alluring:

It has a foldable flag and inflates using regular party balloons, everything is neatly stored in a mesh plastic bag that can be used to put a counter weight:

Flag & Pole

The flag pole is like a small tent pole (fiberglass tubes with an elastic running through the middle, this is a great idea and allows it to fold up nicely as you can see in the above picture. The version I had purchased was their first and there were some defects which I worked around (more on this later):

• The flag pole dismantled when used in windy conditions/choppy waters: I added a string that spanned the length of the pole and titghtened it when in use, this kept the tubes from coming apart.
• The plastic part where the flag pole attached to the buoy cracked on the inside after some use and the pole fell out: I removed the inside of the flag attachement part and used epoxy to fix the pole back on, this held great.

The flag is a nice nylon flag, not one of those cheap plastic flags like Best Hunter uses. I feel it is big enough and that the flag pole is high enough:

The Buoy

The buoy is a nylon sphere with two quarter circle plastic parts inside that come together in the center with a pin. The form a foldable half circle for structure; the ends of each quarter circle have a threaded part to where you can attach the flag pole and on the other side the counter weight pole:

On the center of the nylon sphere is a small slot so you can slip in the uninflated balloon and inflate it, once inflated just tie a knot and you are done. It comes with a couple balloons and you can buy more from them. The balloons are 17" (43cm) outdoor balloons (thicker than the party type), I ended up having to get new balloons quickly so I got regular indoor ones and doubled them up (I had no local source for the outdoor type or the possibility/time to order them), it works just fine and it is cheap. Smaller balloons may work but I wouldn't try as they wouldn't fill up the nylon sphere. I have never had the balloon(s) puncture and I have used the same balloon for two days (on the 2nd day I had a backup with me just in case). After the 2nd day of heat and salt does make the rubber feel a bit weaker so I wouldn't push it. They also sell a more heavy duty inflatable ball that you can use instead of balloons. I read it does not fully fill up the nylon sphere, it makes it a bit more heavy in your luggage and you have to have a pump (which for me defeats the purpose of the original design), but some people may want that:

The counterweight

To attach the counterweight you have a single flag pole segment that attaches like the flag pole, it has a metal plug and a hole so you can attach something to it. You can either directly attach a lead weight as shown in one of the above pictures, buy their a counterweight pouch (also shown being used in an above picture):

but I just use the storage mesh pouch:

and pick up a heavy stone and stick it in the pouch. The original counterweight pole attach point had the same issues as the flag pole.

Support & Build

I ran out of balloons while on a trip and I wasn't sure of the balloon size so I emailed the maker. I got a quick reply and as I thanked them I told them I liked their product and that I had had only some small issues since I worked around them). They told me that the Pocket Buoy has a lifetime warranty and that the first batch had some issues and that they had fixed them, so they sent me (to my home) replacement parts. They had fixed the flag pole coming apart issue like I had done it (but more professionally) and had reinforced the flag and counterweight pole attach points. I have not had any issues with these new parts. I have since used the old flag pole to replace Best Hunter Okipa II flag pole with a new flag (see here for more info).

Conclusion

I am very happy with this buoy, it does what I need in a neat way. I am using the buoy only to signal my presence and not to help me fight/land fish (I have a post about buoy/floats in general here); for this later use case I would not use it. I had some issues with the version I purchased, it was their first version and I worked around the issues myself but as mentioned above the product has a lifetime warranty and they replaced the faulty parts quickly with no hassle. I applaud their great customor service, thank you. Since then I have never had any issues. I would recommend this product for a similar use case as mine. 

Review: JBL Travel Magnum Combo Speargun

Before you go off about JBL, please read this, and be aware that their bad reputation was from before they were sold.

I bought this speargun as a travel reef + rock gun. It is actually two spearguns in one, fully assembled it is a "Magnum" (US/overall length 55"/140cm, Euro/tube length 102cm) suitable for larger reef fish:

And in the smaller setup it is the "Custom" (US/overall length 31"/79cm, Euro/tube length 43cm) suitable for rock hunting:

It is well built, it floats well when the spear is not on. Where is shines is its portability, especially for air travel. I can just slip it in a suitcase and fly off anywhere, no need to carry a sportube or any other special luggage. It comes with two cords (spectra braided outside and spectra fibers inside) each with a shock cord.

Handle

The handle is solid and feels ok, it has a protection for the knuckles, not that you ever fist fight under water :-). It is made of aircraft quality aluminium, anodized and finished with an epoxy system; it has a metallic trigger:

Safety mechanism

The safety mechanism is my favorite (I am right handed), it is located above the thumb and is a switch type, you can see it in the picture above. The reason I like it so much is that it is easy to toggle with your thumb. This allows you to keep it on at all times and turn off the safety just when you need to. It is sturdy (metallic) and effective. I can see however how it could be a pain if you are left-handed however.

Barrel

The barrel is made of aircraft grade aluminium, it is quite resistant and has a sealed inner tube to provide buoyancy. I have had this speargun for probably ten years now and I have been getting corrosion where the stainless steel screws touch the aluminum. This is normal (salt water + steel + aluminium) and has happened even though I rinse it well every time in still water. I cleaned it well & removed the corrosion and covered those parts with a sealant. It seems to be holding out well. This is more of an issue with this speargun than others since others usually use plastic to hold things in place; the Travel Combo uses screws so you can take it apart. Again, this has only been an issue recently and I would still recommend it despite this.

The rail

The rail is made of "True-Glide", whatever that is. It does its job well though and is changeable if you need to, not that I have ever had to do so.

Sling

There are three 24"x 9/16" (14mm) bands for the long setup and two 14" x 9/16" (14mm) bands for the short setup. They are made of a special latex using a drip method and have anti-oxidants to protect against UV rays, from what the website says. They have a 302 stainless wire wishbone.

Shaft

The shaft is a 7-14 hardened Stainless Steel. In the long setup (48"/122cm) it is split into two parts and comes together using threads; the front part has an 8mm diameter and the rear part a 9.5mm diameter. In the short setup it is 24"/61cm long with an 8mm diameter. I am always afraid that it will break where is screws together (long setup) but it hasn't so far. I bought an extra set just in case since you can find this type of shaft in most stores. It has on issue of unscrewing itself sometimes, I use the supplied thread seal tape to prevent that. The shaft tip is threaded (6mm) so you can choose your points depending on what/where you are hunting. The shafts being quite heavy means you have strong penetration but it will shoot not as far as a lighter shaft. The shafts use sliding rings.

Points

It comes with two points/tips, the JBL-823 and the JBL-825. The first one is for the long setup, it is a beautiful hardened steel tri-face (laser cut) breakaway with a stainless-steel cable:

and the second is a simple single flopper made of stainless steel:

I recommend getting some hardened steel rock points, I got the rotating type, and a good trident.

Muzzle

The muzzle is a standard closed type, nothing special:

It does have a slightly annoying issue, I am not sure if this is the case with other multi-band spearguns as this is the only one I own. Once you shoot, the bands overlap and get tangled up sometimes. I think this is due to the way they are held, when the energy dissipates/rebounds the pushes them out a bit and they overlap/get mixed up and sometimes tangle a bit. I assume if they were held like this:

it wouldn't happen since they cannot overlap (at least I don't think they can). It is no big issue, when you pull them back to reload they sort each other out, but is does perturb my methodical mind a bit...

Carrying bag/case

It comes with a handy carrying case, it looks a bit like a mini soft guitar case:

It holds and protects the speargun well and has a small mesh separator so you can put extra spear tips, a screwdriver, the thread seal tape, etc:

This is very convenient when traveling, it holds everything nicely; I just stick it in the center so my cloths add extra padding on all sides and off I go. At  a total of 7.75 lbs (3.52 kg), including the carrying case, it is not light, but it is not too heavy for airline checkin weight restrictions.

Conclusion

I think this speargun is well build and innovative (the 2-in-one & folding aspect). It is a tank and has survived many trips for more than 10 years all over the world. The one thing they could make better is the way it is taken apart and put back together, you have to do this setup on land or on a boat if the see is not too choppy, you need a screwdriver. I lost a part once on the beach, it was a pain to find. I think they could use thumb screws for this it would make it MUCH easier. All in all I would recommend this beast if you need a travel speargun built like a tank.

Traveling with your gear

Introduction

Some spearos are lucky and live close to the ocean, for some however this is not the case so they have to travel with their gear to go spearfishing. Even the ones that live close to the water may want to travel to somewhere else from time to time so this article also applies to them. Traveling by car is not an issue as you have the leisure to pack your gear as you want, traveling by bus, train or plane is however a bit more tricky. I will mostly focus on air travel as this is the most restrictive; most of the info given is valid for other types of travel. On a side note you can also air mail your equipment, for this you should usually pack it like air travel, make sure it arrives before you do, make sure the destination knows it is for you and pay the often expensive rate. For some this may be the best and less stressful means of traveling but you could end up with your gear arriving late.

Before I start with air travel, here are some non plane friendly bags but that are useful for foot travel to remote sites:

• Beuchat Mundial Backpack: Main compartment with drain for fins, mask, etc. Secondary compartment is a full length cooler, quick-stow bungee on the outside for a towel or jacket, compression side straps for reducing the size, Guns can be attached to the designated external gun holders on both sides of the pack.
  
• Sporasub Zaino Dry Backpack: a large TPU dry backpack with padded back. It only has one compartment but it can hold lots of gear including full freediving fins. See my review for more information.
  
• Salvimar Drybackpack 60: a large PVC dry backpack with removable straps. It can also be carried like a buffle bag. The old version is not tall enough for freediving fins, the new version is supposed to be able to handle them. The issue is that they use the same name and model number for the old and new versions so be careful not to order one from an old stock.
  

Air travel has gotten more and more complicated, restrictive and expensive. You can't carry any sharp or pointy objects in the cabin, so you have to check your gear in. There are different ways to check in your gear:

• As oversized luggage
• As extra luggage if it is less or equal to 158 linear centimeters (l+w+d)
• As normal checked luggage (in your free allowance) if it is less or equal to 158 linear centimeters (l+w+d)
• As sports equipment. Some companies have sub categories by size others by equipment type, etc.

On top of that there are different types of luggage you can choose from: soft or hard. This is an important question since it will determine if it gets to your destination in one piece. Something else to take into consideration, the customs/border control. In some countries it is illegal to own a speargun, even if you are passing through (Singapore & Hong Kong for example). Other countries have dishonest employees which could steal your gear or parts of it. Lastly some countries such as the USA don't have international zones in their airports so their customs are very aggressive, over worked, etc (since they have to check a lot of luggage since they have no international zone). They may thus damage your gear when inspecting it, not pack it up correctly after inspecting it (thus is can get damaged in subsequent travel), "forget" to re-pack parts of your gear or not close the luggage correctly thus it could open up in subsequent travel. I have had some of these things happen to me when traveling back to the US and good luck trying to get your "forgotten to to be re-packed" gear back or the damaged gear reimbursed. To be fair this could happen at any customs in any country, but most countries have international zones in airports so they usually don't bother checking luggage in transit, unless they have very strict laws regarding weapons, drugs, etc, in which case they may check (as is the case in Singapore and Hong Kong). I will describe different types of luggage you can use later on.

Ways to check your gear in

Checking your gear in as oversized luggage

This is the simplest way to do it, it is also the most expensive. If money so no object than do this, no questions asked, you just pay. Most spearos will not do it this way though as it can easily cost $200 each way. This method though may allow you to have heavier luggage and less size restrictions.

Checking your gear in as extra luggage

This is almost as simple as the previous method but can cost almost the same but is usually less. For this though you have the same restrictions as your free checked in allowance, usually 23kg and it must be >= 158 linear centimeters. I will explain later on ways to find luggage of those dimensions.

Checking your gear in as normal checked luggage

If you travel light, this is the way to go, you can pack all your clothes and non lethal gear in your carry-on and check only one luggage in containing your gear. You have the same size and weight restrictions as above obviously. If you can fit it all in the above restrictions, then this is the cheapest way to travel.

Checking your gear in as sports equipment

This is the way most people travel, it is also the most complicated; each airline has its own rules. You may do (or have to do) this if you already have used your free allowance for checked in luggage limit or if your luggage is bigger than the allowed 158 linear centimeters. Some airlines are sports equipment friendly and allow you to check extra luggage in for free as long as it fits in your free allowance, for example most companies allow one 23kg checked in luggage so if you have sports equipment in another bag and the sum of those two is under or equal to 23kg you are fine, if you only have the sports equipment and it is under or equal to 23kg you are fine, etc. Some even allow you to pool your luggage allowance if you are several traveling, so if for example two people are traveling you get a total of 46kg to split as you wish. Most however are not so nice, they charge you extra regardless on if you have "left over" weight allowance. Those airlines usually have a list of prices per type of sports equipment and spearfishing isn't on the list. The closest is fishing, but often they list the allowed items in this category and spearguns are not in the list. This is fine in most cases, you stick it in luggage that can be used for fishing equipment and say it is fishing equipment (leaving out the terms "spear" and "gun"), which it is, no questions asked and off you go. Sometimes your gear does not fit in fishing luggage, this prompts you to try to camouflage your gear as another accepted type of sports equipment such as:

• Snow sports gear (Skis, Snowboard, etc)
• Water sports gear (Surfboard, Wakeboard, Kiteboard, etc)
• Golfing gear

What you choose depends on the price as not all sports equipment is equal in the eyes of airline companies, they charge different prices for different gear and it is not always logical in a weight/space occupied way. Also, if you have a snowboard case and you are traveling to a tropical region with no snowy mountains they may find that suspicious, some don't care though. Also, if you have "golf equipment" and you are dressed like a beach hobo you may make them suspicious too, so mind your appearance. You should also use special wording when checking in, for example don't say you have golf clubs, say you have a golf bag; if they ask if you have golf clubs keep saying this is your golf bag, this way if they later ask for it to be opened you don't have any explaining to do, you never said you had golf clubs, only a golf bag. These last three points are especially important for some airline companies as some companies ask to see the gear because you have it in a non conventional bag for the specified equipment type or because they have rules that state if you store anything else/extra in your sports gear bag you will be charged as extra non sports (normal or oversized) luggage which is quite expensive. I will describe different types of bags/luggage later on.

Luggage type

As mentioned in the introduction, you have different types of bags at your disposal. I will separate them by soft/hard and then by type.

Soft bags

These are easy to find, can accommodate various shapes and sizes and are cheap. The downside is that you gear is not protected (or less protected since some bags have padded walls). You can partly get around this by padding your gear with clothes and towels, although this doesn't protect as well as a hard case. Another way to protect is to put a hard case around your gear, such as a PVC pipe and put your spears/shafts inside one and your speargun inside another, this adds extra weight however. Some soft bags I have looked at (I only purchased a SporTube series 2 so far), the width in the dimensions (l x w x d) are of the widest part as measured by airline companies:

Imitation Golf bags

• F-One Manera Golf Travel Bag: this bag is well made, looks like a real golf bag, it is made for kiteboarding originally. The fact that is looks like a golf bag and has a big golf label on it means you can't say it is anything else. The external dimensions are 137cm x 52cm x 27cm and the internal dimensions are 135 x 49 x 19cm, it weighs 3.2kg, it has top, middle and bottom handles, 5mm padding, waterproof external material and has wheels.
  
• NSI Pro Golf Bag "The Deceiver": Couldn't find a real website, only an amazon page so not sure of the quality. It is made for kiteboarding originally. Has a big "NSI Golf" label to say it is a golf bag (but looks less like one than the F-One Manera). Having a big label on this bag can be good and bad, good if you want to say it is a golf bag but bad if you want to say it is another type of bag. The outer dimensions are 150cm x 34.3cm x 38.1cm, the internal dimensions are 147cm x ?cm x ?cm, the weight is unknown (shipping weight is 20.73kg), it has middle and bottom handles (no mention of a top one and pictures don show this), padding of unknown thickness, waterproof external material and has wheels.
  
• Surreal World Tour "Golf" Wheelie Kiteboard Bag: Couldn't find a real website, only an amazon page so not sure of the quality. It is made for kiteboarding originally. Has a small "Surreal Golf Tours" label to say it is a golf bag (but looks less like one than the F-One Manera). Having a small golf label is good and bad, it is good because you can say it is something else and they may not notice the label but bad if you want to insist it is a golf bag, even though once they see it it should be fine. The outer dimensions are 135cm/140cm/148cm/166cm (fixed length) x 28cm x 15.2cm, the internal dimensions are unknown, the weight is 5.44kg, it has middle and bottom handles (no mention of a top one and pictures don show this), 10mm padding, waterproof external material and has wheels.
  

Real Golf bags

• Bag Boy T-2000: The external and internal dimensions are unknown, it weighs 3.95kg, it has top, middle and bottom handles, padding of unknown thickness and has wheels.
  

Speargun Bags

• Mares Attack Gun Bag: external dimensions 175cm x 20cm (diameter), large enough for a large rigid tube, center handle, no wheels.
  
• Riffe Large Speargun Travel Case: external dimensions 160cm/185cm (fixed length) x ?cm x ?cm, center handle, no wheels.
  
• Sporasub Speargun Bag: external dimensions 170cm x 20cm (diameter), large enough for a large rigid tube, center handle, padded ends, no wheels.
  

and many other types...

Rigid luggage

These are harder to find and are more expensive. The upside is they protect your gear really well, the downside is they are heavier and being rigid can't contain strange shapes (not much of a problem IMO).

Real Golf luggage

• Cargo Golf Pro Series 500 Golf Travel Bag: The external?/internal? dimensions are 126.12cm x 23.18cm x 23.18cm, it weighs 4.31kg, it has top and middle handles and has wheels.
  
• ClubGlider Tour Series: unknown dimensions and weight, it has top and middle handles and has wheels plus another pair of fold out wheels for stability.
  
• Trav-A-Lite Ultima II: 127cm x 19.05 (diameter), 2.54kg, it has top and middle handles and has wheels.
  

Fishing tubes

• Flambeau Bazuka Rod Case: 160cm-220cm (telescopic) x ?cm (diameter), has middle handles, unknown weight, no wheels.
  
• Plano Airliner Telescoping Rod Case: 119.34cm-223.52cm (telescopic) x 12.7cm (diameter), has middle handles, unknown weight, no wheels.
  
• Flambeau Standard Telescoping Rod Case: 96.52cm-182.88cm (telescopic) x 7.62cm (diameter), has no handles, unknown weight, no wheels.
  

Ski/Snowboard luggage

• Sportube series 1: external dimensions 122cm-212cm (telescopic) x 16.8cm x 14cm, internal dimensions unknown, weighs 3.63kg, padded ends, two middle handles and one top handle, has wheels.
  
• Sportube series 2: external dimensions 122cm-212cm (telescopic) x 28cm x 15.2cm, internal dimensions unknown, weighs 5.44kg, padded ends, two middle handles and one top handle, has wheels. This is what I own.
  
  
• Sportube series 3: external dimensions 107cm-183cm (telescopic) x 36.8cm x 20cm, internal dimensions unknown, weighs 6.35kg, padded ends, two middle handles and one top handle, has wheels.
  

Rifle luggage

• Pelican 1750 Waterproof Rifle Case: external dimensions 134.6cm x 40.6cm x 15.5cm, internal dimensions 128.2cm x 34.3cm x 13.3cm, weighs 10.7kg without foam (11.6kg with), is waterproof, middle handle and has wheels.
  
• Pelican 1770 Waterproof Rifle Case: external dimensions 145.8cm x 46.9cm x 28.5cm, internal dimensions 138.6cm x 39.6cm x 21.9cm, weighs 13.15kg without foam (16.33kg with), is waterproof, middle handle and has wheels.
  
• Gun Rifle Shotgun Long Aluminum Locking Carrying Case: unknown external dimensions, internal dimensions 134.62cm x 27.94cm x 10.48cm, weighs 10.7kg, middle handle and no wheels.
  

and many other types...

Finding a 158 linear centimeter bag/luggage

If you want to get your gear in as normal surplus luggage or as the main (free) checked luggage you need it to be no bigger than 158 linear centimeters and no heavier than the authorized weight (usually 23kg). The weight aspect is easy to manage but finding airline friendly dimensions is not easy to say the least. To check if luggage is the correct size, just add up the l + w + d (double the diameter if it is a tube). However, it is not easy finding something tall/long enough to fit a spear/shaft (longest part). You can put the shaft in diagonally to gain lower the overall height to fit in the required dimensions. You can use the following formula to calculate the minimum hight of your luggage (for a spear in diagonal) to see if it works for you:

     l = sqrt(s² - (w² + d²))

where:

• l is the minimum hight
• s is the spear/shaft length
• w is the width
• d is the depth

and then use the obtained length in the l + w + d <= 158 and see if this is true. I found that most rigid fishing tubes and the SportTube series 2 has to be shortened to at least 114.8cm (total outer length) to fit in 158 linear centimeters, this means a 110cm would fit or a 115cm spear (75cm speargun) would fit fine diagonally. The SporTube series 3 can be shortened to 101.7 to fit a 110cm spear in diagonal although this would technically make the luggage 158.5 linear centimeters, but it should slide. The default series 3 is too big even in it's minimal size, although it would fit a 115cm spear that would make it 163.8 which I am not sure you can argue with them about. The SporTube series 1 can be set to 127.2cm (outer length) and fit in the 158cm limit; this should allow you to fit up to a 129cm spear. Good luck!