Photo of dive gear travel bag with words "Jay's Faves Stahlsac Curacao Clipper"
· ·

Why the stahlsac Curacao Clipper is an excellent scuba gear travel bag (according to a scuba instructor)

ByJason Botticelli Hours

I purchased my Stahlsac Curacao Clipper in 2020, just before heading off to Little Cayman (It was a short trip as we had to leave since they were shutting the island down due to COVID, but that’s another story). Anyway, I was looking for a bag that had plenty of room, but was lightweight as there are some strict weight restrictions taking the plane over to Little Cayman from Grand Cayman.

Photo of Scuba Jay and wife in front of plane to Little Cayman.
For the plane to Little Cayman you have to watch the luggage weight.

The Curacao Clipper fit my travel needs and has been my travel bag of choice ever since. So let’s “unpack” – see what I did there – why Scuba Jay travels with this luggage when off diving.

Function

First off the Curacao Clipper is a nice looking bag and comes in three different colors, blue, yellow and gray. With any of the colors you choose, the bag stands out and is easy to spot on the airport luggage carousal.

photo of three Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bags with trim in blue, gray and yellow.
The Curacao Clipper comes in three colors. (Photo courtesy of stahlsac.com)

The bag dimensions are 32 x 16 x 11 in. It has a 96L capacity and weighs approximately 9lbs empty. If you’re looking for something larger, you might want to check out the Stahlsac Caicos Cargo Pack (33 x 14 x 19 in / 133L capacity). However, I have found the Curacao Clipper has had more than enough room for my travel dive gear needs.

Photo of diagram of dive gear that can be stored in the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
All the gear you can carry and then some in the Curacao Clipper (Photo courtesy of stahlsac.com)

The Curacao Clipper has two main compartments that will comfortably hold your wetsuit, BC, mask, snorkel, fins, boots and other misc. items. I’ve never had an issue packing this bag to the gills, but not going over travel weight limits (Little disclaimer. I carry-on my regulator, which I place in a regulator bag inside my backpack).

Photo of interior of main compartment of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The Curacao Clipper main compartment is good to stow your wetsuit and BC.
Photo of interior of secondary compartment of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The Curacao Clipper secondary compartment is good to stow your fins and boots.

The Curacao Clipper has several smaller and larger side pockets for sunscreen, seasickness medication or some extra underwear. Stahlsac totally maximizes the space available in this bag for as much storage possible.

Photo of interior side pocket of the secondary compartment of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The Curacao Clipper does not waste any space as both of the main compartments have interior stow pockets.
Photo of interior storage pocket of main compartment of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
Interior side pockets are a nice addition for smaller items.

The handle of Curacao Clipper is sturdy, light and retractable. It smoothly rises and lowers and clicks into place.

photo of the handle of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The Curacao Clipper has an easily retractable handle.

Finally, the Curacao Clipper has side compression straps, which really allows you to tighten down your gear so nothing is flopping around. I’ve found these strap to remain tight and do not loosen during transport.

Photo of exterior straps of the Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The Curacao Clipper compression straps really help to batten down your bag.

Durability

As mentioned above, I bought my Curacao Clipper in 2020. Since that time, I have traveled with this bag to Little Cayman (twice), Key Largo (three times), Bahamas – Nassau and Bimini and Roatan. Despite the miles, the bag has held up very well. The only issue where there has been some wear is the back top corners (See more below).

Photo of Scuba Jay's Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
Scuba Jay’s Curacao Clipper is holding up pretty well after several years of heavy use.

Some Cons

The only con that I have found with Curacao Clipper is wear at the back top corners. A wider leather or plastic corner cover would serve a little better to protect the bag. But like I said above, I’ve put a lot of miles on my bag and other than some minor wear on the back corners, it has held up very well.

Photo of the back corner of Stahlsa Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
The corners could use a little more reinforcing.

Final Thoughts

The Stahlsac Curacao Clipper is a lightweight, roomy and durable bag, that looks pretty nice too. I have been very pleased with my bag and would buy it again, In fact I did. Santa brought my daughter a nice yellow one a couple of years back and hers has held up just as well.

If you like what you see, you can get yours here.

Phot of Sofia Botticelli with yellow trimmed Stahlsac Curacao Clipper dive travel bag.
Scuba Jay’s daughter Sofia with her new Stahlsac Curacao Clipper.

More of Jay’s Faves

Check out the below, if interested in more of Jay’s Faves.

“How boring would the world be if everywhere and everyone were the same. Safe travels and good adventures.” Scuba Jay

Similar Posts