portable monofin ideas

[Kamanaka]

Hello fellow mers,

I travel a lot with work and want to practice my swimming in the hotel pools, unfortunately I can't fit my monofin into my carry on suitcase and I'm not allowed to check a case in to the hold.
I dont want to spend much money and the one that requires cycling shoes won't be an option.

is there any way to buy flippers and attach them so they can be folded into my suitcase yet still function somewhat, or are there smaller monofins that are reasonable?

any ideas please!! :-)
many thanks,
Kamanaka

[Mermaid Wesley]

Well I think the finis foil might fit in your bag


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[Kamanaka]

I shall measure it up thank you :-) my sweam monofin is way out but my case isn't tiny!!

[Kamanaka]

looks rather suitcase sized, going to put it down as a future purchase, annoying as I didn't get a finis due to the fact that the foil foot pockets weren't adjustable and the wave gets bad reviews for cracking and breaking fairly easily. I wish I could get one slightly cheaper than the Amazon price of £43 ! :-)

[Kamanaka]

I think im ready to order the foil, would anyone be able to tell me how wide it is? Ive been googling but cant seem to come up with much, believe i'll order a m but any size width would be great :-)

[AptaMer]

Here's another idea Kamanaka. Otter Bay Wetsuits makes a monofin that splits in half for travel for the mermaid wetsuits they make.

You can see their mermaid wetsuits here http://www.otterbaysuits.com/Mermaidhome.htm

and they have a description of how that split monofin works here http://www.otterbaysuits.com/Goals.htm

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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ooo! That would look so awesome if it had side fins and a webbed crest on the head...

[Kamanaka]

that's pretty cool, I bet it's mega pricey though as they are custom made and I think I'd scare quite a few hotel guests ! :-)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

If it wasn't so pricey, I'd definitely get one. Considering the ocean pool is way closer than the indoor pool I currently swim at! And its free at the ocean pool.

[AptaMer]

Funnily enough, at $550, including custom tailoring, Otter Bay's mermaid wetsuit is actually way cheaper than most custom made tails ( http://www.otterbaysuits.com/howtobuy.htm ). You could paint them with patterns, attach fins, laminate those laser printer sheets you can get at Staples with custom patterns, and still spend less money than on a custom tail for $1,500 - $3,000.

The monofin is pretty pricey though. $220. But I guess it would be, being a design that can split apart, and having weights you can attach.

Actually, that's a great idea I've never heard of from anyone else. Small weights on the fin let you maintain a horizontal balance in the water, if you tend to get that "fins above your head" angle that some people end up having.

I think this one is really cool: this lady had a PU silver coating laminated onto her mermaid suit so she looks like a silver fish

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[MerAnthony]

I like this idea very much, but when you look Otterbay up an all you see is women. An to have a suit made it is always princess cut. Why is that? Alot of us merman would most likely like this idea. It apeals to me, an if I had the money I would most likely have a suit made for me.

[Kamanaka]

I think you could easily have a guy's version made, seeing as its made too measure anyhow :-) maybe it's possible to adapt a wetsuit anyway?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Or maybe they haven't cottoned on that there ARE mermen out there!

[Kamanaka]

tell them to get it sorted ....and of course you would be happy to model a merman version in return for the suit :-)

[Echinacea]

Another suggestion, Kamanaka... I have the Fin Fun Monofin Pro, and one of their fabric tails, and I had no problems carrying it tied onto a backpack with my other mermaiding gear (weight belt, goggles, two tail skins, bathing suit/top) and fitting it into the overhead as carry-on luggage when I went down to NC Merfest back in January. The monofin is about $50, and the custom tail skin was $90. http://www.finfunmermaid.com/

[Kamanaka]

That is a good idea thank you, can you use use the fin on its own with finfun or is it more to use with the tail? Swimming with a tail would be rather cool of course in hotel pools ! :-)

[Echinacea]

It can be worn alone, I swam for a month with just the monofin before getting a tail skin. The tail skins are so light and easy to pack, though! I have been swimming 2 - 3 times a week for the last month or so, and it has been holding up well to the wear and tear. Quick and easy to put on and take off, which is a big plus, too! I put the monofin in the tail, roll the tail down so the foot holes in the monofin show, sit down on the edge of the pool and put my feet in the holes (kind of like putting on a pair of socks!), pull it up a bit, jump in the pool (shallow end) and pull the tail up to where it is supposed to be. To take it off, I pull the tail skin down, pull my feet out of the monofin, step out of it, and it floats to the surface and I collect it and climb out of the pool. Easy!!

[Kamanaka]

Echinacea oooh good advice I'm considering the fin tail and monofin or the finis foil, finis foil will be £40 or the fin fin around £80 with postage (uk mer lol) going to have to decide soon :-) love that the tail will be portable but if I get the foil I'll make my own tail....

[Naiad Rose]

Have you made a decision yet? I actually just bought a Finis Foil myself, only because I figured out that I could stuff it in my 21" carry-on suitcase. (It fits, and it's flexible rubber.) :) I still hope to get a MerFin for checked travel later. I never thought I'd get a Foil, I love the Competitor, but the carry-on issue recently came up for me.

I have the Foil in size S. I'm a US size 9 so I thought the M would fit me (I had to get the Finis Competitor in 1 size up), but I had to send the M back, it was too loose. I need the S for the straps to stay on, but ouch, it's narrow. If you want fin socks for your heels/ankles, it'd probably be good to look for thinner ones.

The S Foil is 17.5" from the center of the blade to the heel straps and 14.25" across the widest point.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Get one that you can roll up and stuff into a bag.

The Finis Wave can do that, I've only got that one so far, yet to receive my Fin Fun Monofin Pro...

I'm not sure about other types of monofins though, like if it can be folded up. I'm guessing anything made of the same thermoplastic as the Wave can and MerFins too.

[Naiad Rose]

Wow, you roll up your Wave? I never would have thought to try rolling up the Rapid (same stuff), I'd be afraid of having it stay in an odd bend. It doesn't? I know it's sort of flexible, but it's fairly stiff.
The Foil is a lot softer, it definitely folds over, but again I'd still feel a little nervous about possible long-lasting bends.

I'm guessing a MerFin would fold a lot too, its rubber is probably as soft as a Foil. But a MerFin would probably be too big for a carry-on even with folding.

[Mermaid Wesley]

You can roll up the wave but I would be worried about the foot pockets getting messed up....


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[Kamanaka]

I went for the finis foil in the end and it literally just fits into my case, so happy! Haven't been able to use it yet though as the hotel pools I've been too have been so busy, madness as they are normally so quiet, think I've had a couple of weekend stopovers recently, bring back the weekday ones!!!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Wow, you roll up your Wave? I never would have thought to try rolling up the Rapid (same stuff), I'd be afraid of having it stay in an odd bend. It doesn't? I know it's sort of flexible, but it's fairly stiff.
The Foil is a lot softer, it definitely folds over, but again I'd still feel a little nervous about possible long-lasting bends.

I'm guessing a MerFin would fold a lot too, its rubber is probably as soft as a Foil. But a MerFin would probably be too big for a carry-on even with folding.

Yes. I roll up the Wave so I can put it in and out of my homemade tail. It has a hole in the fluke about the size of a small melon. The foot pockets don't get squashed permanently, if that's what you mean.
Once your feet go into them, it sorts itself out when you start swimming.

[MermaidBrandie]

My merfin can easily fold in half, but I dunno if that's good for the rubber. So long as it wasn't hot while folded I imagine it would be fine.