Hi... I am a newbie rebreather diver based in the northwest of the UK. My wife is also about to train up... just as soon as we find her an Inspiration.
So first off... hi to you!
Secondly... I'd like to pick your collective brains...
How are divers are managing to use Inspirations abroad as the weight would appear to prohibit taking it on an aeroplane without having to pay massive excess baggage charges - and from past bitter experience Air Marshall Isles and Continental BOTH charged us a fortune this summer for just one bag which was nothing like as heavy as an Inspiration? Someone has mentioned to me something called a travel cage (or travel frame) which apparently is a lightweight allloy frame to strap the stack and cylinders too along with a backplate for the counterlungs. But I can't see how that could save weight as it only appears to replace the turtle and that's plastic anyway.
And why do the cylinders have an Inspiration specific pillar valve? If they had conventional DIN fittings then presumably I could hire cylinders abroad and save weight that way... assuming I could find some way of fitting the different cylinders in the turtle of course. I've not experimented because I believe if a thing works well then don't mess with it but I just can't see a viable way of transporting it for holidays without somehow losing some weight from the equation.
So all answers on a postcard please to:
Behind the third washbasin along,
Piccadilly Station Gents (that's "restroom" to our American brethren),
Manchester.
Best wishes, Martin and Tracy F
