Using a pony - keep regular octo also?

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rico68

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For those of you who wear a pony on deep/cold dives.....

Do you keep your regular octo on your primary regulator in addition to the pony backup?

I've seen people who remove the octo from their primary setup and carry only the pony regulator.

I've also seen people who leave their regular octo attached to their primary in addition to the pony regulator. So they end up with the reg in their mouth, their regular octo clipped to their chest, and the pony reg.

How do you normally rig up with a pony? Advantages one way or the other?

Thanks.
 
Those are all really good questions. You certainly aren't alone in wondering about the many combinations in rigging a pony. I'd like to suggest a SEARCH in this forum or the Tanks, Bands Forum elsewhere. Just type in PONY. Also, look below this post for a list of thread suggestions that sound similar to yours and check them out. Lots of good stuff for you already posted.

Ask yourself what size tank you want to use as this seems to suggest one of the biggest opinions from many divers. Whether to sling the tank or mount it to your primary. How much air do you think you'll need to deal with a situation, do a safety stop and return safely to 1 atmosphere?

As far as the number of regs? Many different opinions again. Me? I carry a 19 attached valve up to my primary, charged, with an octo and long hose attached in the triangle.

Sea ya!
 
I sling a 40cf with it's own reg setup, plus prim/alt on my tanks. This way I can hand off the bottle if needed.
 
rico68:
For those of you who wear a pony on deep/cold dives.....

Do you keep your regular octo on your primary regulator in addition to the pony backup?

I've seen people who remove the octo from their primary setup and carry only the pony regulator.

I've also seen people who leave their regular octo attached to their primary in addition to the pony regulator. So they end up with the reg in their mouth, their regular octo clipped to their chest, and the pony reg.

How do you normally rig up with a pony? Advantages one way or the other?

Thanks.

Definitely keep the octopus in addition to the pony reg. If you have to share air you want access to everything....

R..
 
Absolutely keep the octo. In the event of a failure on the main secondary, you can continue to use your main tank air supply. I dive with a pony all the time but keep not only a regular octo on my main system but also an Air-2. I don't use the Air-2, but like the button placement so I keep it on my BC.
 
In the case of a recreational diver using a pony on occassion as you indicated,,,,keep the octo on your first stage. Happy and safe diving!
 
If you didn't have the octo on your main reg and just used a pony, and then you have a fellow diver you have to hand the pony off to (if they had an air failure) and then in the rare event you had a failure of your regulator, then you have no backup.

Keep the octo like everyone else says.
 
mike_s:
If you didn't have the octo on your main reg and just used a pony, and then you have a fellow diver you have to hand the pony off to (if they had an air failure) and then in the rare event you had a failure of your regulator, then you have no backup.

Thanks for all the feedback. And the other threads were helpful also.

As for the situation in the above quote.... how is that different than when diving without a pony, sharing air and then having your own primary fail? You're left without a backup either way.

Of course, for those of us who were trained 15 years ago or more, we know how to buddy breath. :wink:
 
rico68:
Of course, for those of us who were trained 15 years ago or more, we know how to buddy breath. :wink:

LOL...but would your buddy,,,I still practice a few times a year this skill just to make sure I remember!! :eyebrow:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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