AKONA Azul Mesh Backpack Review: Sized for a Boat Bench

Twenty eight by fifteen by nine and a half inches, which is the dimension that decides whether a dive bag works.

Specifications

Specifications above come from AKONA's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• The dimensions are the feature. Twenty eight by fifteen by nine and a half inches is sized to slide under a dive boat bench, which is where your bag has to go and where oversized bags do not fit.
• A zip running the whole body means you open it flat and take out what you need rather than excavating from the top with wet hands.
• Mesh drains, which is the whole point. A solid bag full of wet gear grows mould and smells, and the gear inside stays wet until the next dive.
• Six hundred denier is a real fabric weight for a mesh bag, and mesh bags usually fail at the mesh rather than at the seams.
• Backpack straps plus side handles covers both the walk to the boat and the lift onto it.

Where it falls short

• It offers no protection. A regulator, a computer or a mask in a mesh bag will get knocked, and a dive boat is a hard environment. Delicate items need their own padded case inside it.
• Mesh snags. Anything with a hook, a buckle or a rough edge will catch and eventually tear it, and mesh tears propagate.
• Sixty five litres is enough for a set of gear and not enough for a set of gear plus a wetsuit plus fins plus a tank boot, depending on your kit.
• There is no lock, no separate compartment and no way to keep dry things dry. This is a wet bag, and it belongs at the boat rather than as your travel luggage.
• Backpack straps on a bag full of wet gear are still carrying wet gear. Sixty five litres of soaked neoprene is heavy however good the straps are.

What owners report

Owner reports on mesh dive backpacks are practical and consistent: the ones people keep are the ones that drain properly and fit where they need to go. Complaints are almost always about capacity or about mesh tearing at a snag point, both of which are inherent to the format rather than to a particular bag.

The decision is our mesh bag versus padded regulator bag comparison, and the correct answer for most divers is both. A mesh bag for the bulk gear that gets wet, and a padded bag or case for the regulator and instruments that do not survive being dropped.

Our dive travel packing guide covers the whole system, including what goes in checked baggage, what has to be in hand luggage and the items that cause problems at security. Rinsing gear properly before it goes back in the bag matters more than the bag does, and our maintenance guide covers that. Nothing on this page replaces training. Dive equipment is only as safe as the diver using it, and every item here assumes you hold a current certification appropriate to the diving you are doing.

Who it suits

• Anyone diving from boats where bag size and drainage decide whether it is welcome.
• Divers carrying gear to shore entries and needing hands free.
• Anyone whose current bag holds water and smells.

Who should skip it

• Divers wanting to protect a regulator and computer, which need a padded case.
• Anyone needing a single travel bag, since mesh does not work as luggage.
• Divers with a large kit including a thick wetsuit, where 65 litres runs short.

Alternatives worth considering

Keep reading

• Mesh bag vs padded regulator bag
• Dry bag vs hard case
• Dive travel packing guide
• Scuba gear maintenance guide
• Rosemont Save-A-Dive Kit review
• Best scuba gear bags

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.