Those who routinely dive with a pony tank?

[dave4868]

Thanks,
I appreciate all the help and info. I'm a new diver and the few dives I have in so far have all been pretty shallow (<40'), but I've always wanted the "security" of a small pony. I've just been kicking around how to rig it and carry it. I'm going to Bonaire this spring and would like to have a small pony set-up to be able to take along. Again, I sure appreciate all the help.

This may not be currently applicable, but I had no problems taking my al30 pony bottle in my luggage to Bonaire in 2003.

I also took my Highland SS pony band. Very simple to use.

Highland's Pony Bands

My experience is limited to open water, for the most part, but I like having my al30 mounted to the main tank because it's out of the way.

It's simply rigged with its own regulator and spg.

Dave C

 

[SussexMedic]

I use a 30AL slung on the left with a reg and 6' hose with SPG like a stage. My "pony" is really used as a bailout bottle and not included in gas plan. I use this setup whenever diving on "deep" NC wrecks. My main reg set has 7' long hose and bungied backup under my chin in necklace. I'm not even remotely DIR but this setup is very streamlined and has worked well for me over the last 50 dives or so. I don't bring a cylinder with me when I travel but do bring the reg set so I can rent if I feel like it.

 

[drl]

For cold water diving, which is often deep and usually wrecks, my husband and I both carry pony bottles. He carries a 40 cf pony slung from the left D-rings; I carry a 13cf hp banded to my tank, valve facing down. The valve is right at my hip where I can reach it easily. Both of us carry an octo on our main tank (single HP steel 100s) as well as the pony. It is purely a bailout bottle for emergency use, though I would hand it off to another diver if necessary. We have never tried to travel with them.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

ya know ... after reading that you are vacationing ... one thing that my local dive shop made me feel a little better about, is slinging on vacation. you heard someone mention various ways to accomplish redundancy while away ... here's one i didnt see anyone talk about so im assuming im going to get looked at funny (can you actually see me) about ... my buds an i bring a simple dive rite sling setup for AL80s since most carib vaca spots only carry them ... YES i said it ... we sling an 80 ... but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ... if you decide to do this, PRACTICE with it many times prior to using it for practical purposes ... have a wonderful trip ... hope this helps ...
ps. most of my own research tells me you should be carrying the same mix in your sling as your primary source for vaca dive with non deco ...SB peers with more experience taught me that ... whether 21%, 32% or whatever

 

[Seekerdiveservice]

I carry a 19 cu ft pony clipped to my main tank strap with a SS slide clip. I have an octo on my main tank and I carry a 1st and 2nd stage and extra dive computer on the pony. I normally dive solo so I feel this is the best setup for me. On deep dives looking for boat anchors I sling a 40 cu ft pony also, but only have an octo on it for filling lift bags. The 19 pony is only for emergencies. I have gotten funny looks and comments a couple of times while on vacation due to carrying the pony and diving a FFM. I don't let this bother me since most of the time it is coming from people that do not dive much. I have taken the small pony to Hawaii and Curacao and never had a problem traveling. Just had to take the valve off the tank. Filling it when I got there was a different issue till I found a good shop to dive with. After that it was not a problem and they didn't charge for filling or topping it off periodically over the course of my stay.

 

[ClayJar]

here's one i didnt see anyone talk about so im assuming im going to get looked at funny (can you actually see me) about ... my buds an i bring a simple dive rite sling setup for AL80s since most carib vaca spots only carry them ... YES i said it ... we sling an 80 ... but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ... if you decide to do this, PRACTICE with it many times prior to using it for practical purposes ...

Actually, I've heard of people doing that. I just did a dive at a spring slinging an AL80, although I wasn't using it just for bailout. (I did a 181-minute dive around 20 feet deep, plus or minus five, just to get some experience with it.)

I'd have to say that if you're used to slinging an AL19 or whatever, it's really not too hard to sling an AL80, but it does turn you from a sleek sports car of a diver into a lumbering UPS truck of a diver. I wouldn't want to have to fight a big current with one, but since I'm firmly in the "59th Street Bridge Song" camp, it's a perfectly palatable procedure for basic backup.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I carry a 19 cu ft pony clipped to my main tank strap with a SS slide clip.

What does an SS slide clip look like?

 

[drbill]

I believe in redundant redundancy. I carry my pony with a separate reg, and have three secondaries on my primary tank/reg. Of course I also dive solo almost all the time.

 

[RonFrank]

Question to you folks out there who, like me, like the idea of a redundant air system and carry a small pony on all of your dives. How do you rig your set-up? Do you have your octo on the pony? Is there a common way of doing this? Thanks much.

When I dive warm, I have an Octo+ off the main first stage, and my primary. I then have a second first stage, and a third second stage backup on that! :blinking:

When I dive dry with my BP/W setup, I generally have my backup on my octo with no other backup available. I am looking for another backup however to change this, but my reasoning is that my pony can get one diver up in any OOA situation from any rec depth. The size of the pony comes into play here (mine is a 19CF) so if you have a 6CF pony... look out.

The main reason I'm looking to add another backup on my primary first stage is because I want to be able to donate if necessary without using the pony. If my primary first stage fails... guess who had *dibbs* on my pony!

 

[digital_steve]

i rig a pony for solo dives
back mounted with the zeagle bands, not inverted. Have the pony 2nd stage bungied around my neck and the SPG on a d ring on the right hip, always turned on.
Main tank has a 2nd stage on a 5 foot hose and an octo-z