Pony Bottle

[FritzCat66]

Juesus folks i just wated to know how to rig a pony on a BCD jacket And advice on the methord of carrying the thing...(TANKK MOUNT OR SLING)

Teddy - I dive a 19cf pony (soon to be a 30cf) on a SeaQuest BCD as just part of my regular gear, whether I'm going to a 35m wreck or a 5m shore dive. Reason being, I want the pony to be just part of my regular rig, I want to practice with it and become intimately familiar with its operation so if and when I do need it, it's just there.

I use the Innovative Scuba Concepts EZ-On Pony Bottle Holder, part #TK0410 (about halfway down that page) so I can hang my pony off my CAM BAND and still have it backmounted. I would rather hang it off the cam band than attach it to the primary cylinder for a couple reasons:

1) I want the pony to be available even if for whatever reason the main cylinder gets loose and starts slipping away. In fact, I would especially want the pony available in that situation!

2) I don't want to custom-modify my primary cylinder. Most tank-mount bracket solutions require you to put a clamp and bracket on your primary cylinder(s) to mate with the other part on the pony. But that doesn't help if you rent tanks much, or it can get expensive if you have a lot of cylinders that you regularly swap between. There are "soft-mount" solutions that don't require mounting, but most of the really quick & convenient brackets do.

So for me, this cam-band pony mount is perfect, although I doubt it would work well for anything larger than a 30cf without the lower part of the pony banging against the primary cylinder.

However, I'm rigged for solo and don't intend to give away my pony, while it sounds like you wish to have it for either you or a buddy. In your case, then, I would highly recommend slinging it, so you could easily hand it over. One of the techies here should be able to point you to a page describing how to rig a stage bottle, you would do pretty much the same thing. It's just a pair of clamps and bolt-snaps to clip onto your BC's D-rings.

[Cave Diver]

OK folks. I've been following along and guess i'm simple, because I still don't get why a pony bottle is bad if you're not carrying it as a crutch for poor gas management skills, but as a redundant airsource in case of equipment failure.

My personal opinion - It's not necessarily bad so much as it is unnecessary for recreational NDL diving. Dive equipment is pretty damn reliable. The idea of equipment failure is pretty remote, unless there is a maintenance issue. And under those circumstances, that's why I have a buddy. For solo diving (which I typically don't do) I'd reconsider that position. I also feel that the "peace of mind" some people claim might actually encourage them to push limits because they know they have a reserve. For normal, recreational, NDL diving, I don't see the need for me to personally carry one and if I don't need it, I'm not carrying it.

[Cute Teddy]

ok guys i will first try this configuration FIRST.Then Try SLING when i move to TEC.
Back mount i chose this because at present i do not dive in an enviornment which represent an entanglement harzard..ITS OW reef with no fishing nets around..& non penetrating wreck diving.
So now how to mount it UPSIDE DOWN or VALVE UP..what would be the best option..

[FritzCat66]

ok guys i will first try this configuration FIRST.Then Try SLING when i move to TEC.
Back mount i chose this because at present i do not dive in an enviornment which represent an entanglement harzard..ITS OW reef with no fishing nets around..& non penetrating wreck diving.
So now how to mount it UPSIDE DOWN or VALVE UP..what would be the best option..

Well, that's a matter of personal choice. There are lot of choices to be made with a pony, and none can universally be called "the best", because there are so many variables. These include:

• carrying a pony to begin with: good idea vs. bad idea
  if carried, all dives vs. some dives
• terminology and intent: "pony" vs. "bailout" vs. "stage"
  related: part of dive plan vs. not part of dive plan
• capacity: 6cf vs. 13cf vs. 19cf vs 30cf vs. 40cf
  related: reserve capacity vs. ascent-only
  related: ascent with stops vs. ascent with no stops
• backmounted vs. slung
  if backmounted, left side vs. right side
  if backmounted, valve-up vs. valve down
  if backmounted, on tank vs. on cam band
  if backmounted, bracket vs. quick-release vs. bag
  if slung, underarm or cross-mount
• standard valve & reg or custom streamlined valve/reg combo
  related: intended use - pony only or double as stage bottle
• valve open vs. valve closed
  if closed, line charged vs. line not charged
• no SPG vs. mini SPG vs. regular SPG
  
  
• first stage OPV vs. no first stage OPV
  
  
• air vs. backgas vs. some other mix
  
  
• reg clipped vs. reg necklaced vs. reg stage-style on bottle
  related: pony donatable vs. self-use only

Every one of these aspects has its supporters and detractors; what's more, if you're wrong about any one choice, You're Gonna Die^TM.

Everything about ponies makes them extremely ideosyncratic. So, you'll just have to experiment around and see what works for you. Whatever you decide, just be sure and practice practice practice with it so you become intimately familiar with your pony and can deploy it quickly and effectively even with your mask off.

[Dr Wu]

?...and in case of emergancy (i mean equipment failure) at that depth (YET TO HAPPEN BUT..???***) we both will be in pretty much in the thick of it..

Your fear is both you and your buddy will have simultaneous, catastrophic gear failure?

AS all you know THIS SUBJECT IS NOT COVERED IN OW or AOW classes

I'm sure you don't want to know the reason for this.

[Cute Teddy]

ok fritzz you nailed it down pretty well i think. Decision time now for me i guess.

Acutally i will be using it for self use ONLY,MOUNTED on my R/H side, as an asent ONLY device with stops,with the valve alwas OPEN & line pressurized always.will carry it on all dives..will mount it firmly on the tank.So that leaves US with

01) which size of PONY
02) how to mount the pony on the tank I mean UPSIDE DOWN or Valve up
03) and the regulator set up ( i am planing to use a normal reg set necklaced )

So can you folks who has real life experiance educate me on the pros & cons of my set up i am open to construtive suggestions..

[Cave Diver]

Acutally i will be using it for self use ONLY,MOUNTED on my R/H side, as an asent ONLY device with stops,with the valve alwas OPEN & line pressurized always.will carry it on all dives..will mount it firmly on the tank.So that leaves US with

<snip>

So can you folks who has real life experiance educate me on the pros & cons of my set up i am open to construtive suggestions..

Just make sure that you can reach the valve if necessary (free flow?) and that you can see your gauge to monitor you gas supply. I would also suggest that you have a way to definitively identify which reg is the pony reg by making it different from your primary/octo, preferably by touch and sight so there is never confusion about which reg you might be breathing off of.