Pony Bottle Sling Recommendation While Hunting

[Water Boy76]

After a LP hose blowout last year I've decided that I need a 19cf pony bottle for dives deeper than 80fsw. I posted in this forum because I only dive with a speargun or tickle stick in my hands. Therefore, I need something efficient under water. ie: no side mount (it's difficult enough with a zookeeper, I couldn't imagine adding a tank too).

Half of my diving is 60fsw and under so I will not use a pony all of the time. And when I do use the pony, I want to make switching tanks out easy. Don't want to fight my gear on a pitching and rolling boat.

My question is what setup do you use or suggest? So far I'm considering two options.

1. Zeagle Pony Bottle or Battery Attachment: From what I see the benefit of this is that it stays attached to your BC not your tank. So this seems like it would make tank switch-out easy? Or would you need to undo main and pony bottle cams making it more difficult?


2. Reef Scuba X Bracket: I guess the pony stays on the stainless steel bands and you thread it through your existing cam bands. Wondering how difficult it would be to thread that through you band every-time you switch out main bottle on the boat?

Any experiences or other recommendations are appreciated.

 

[Andyoak]

Another pony bottle thread...... How many different ways do you want to skin a cat.

My favorite http://m.simplyscuba.com/products/Metalsub/PonyQuickRelease.aspx

One side stays on the tank cam band, the other on the bottle. Clip on and off as required. No dramas when changing main bottles.

 

[Water Boy76]

Last thread specific to hunting only was from 2007. Products and styles have changed.

I think you need to get over yourself Andy.

 

[tbone1004]

Dive Rite remora system if you can find it would be a good one to look at. I actually have a pony bracket here that has a cam band for the pony bottle and another one for the main bottle and one tab and it slides out. They're used fairly regularly in the rebreather world so we can QD Dil and O2 bottles from the main unit.

Edd actually has one of the Remora mounts at Cave Adventurers. Not on his website, but if you call he'll have it.



****ty picture, but you can see where the pin gets pulled up then you can slide the tank out. That way you can just leave the cam band on the pony and slip it in when you need it, leave the other block on the back gas tank and then you don't have to monkey with much of anything.

Tiger Gear Tiger Pony Bracket | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
here's another option but I prefer the remora because it has the rubber padding on it so you don't have metal on metal like in the tiger system. You could also just plastidip the metal or glue on some rubber drawer liner to the tiger bracket.

as far as hunting goes, there's not really anything terribly different about it, just have to be nimble, and as most of the bracket systems are about the same, it doesn't really matter which way you go about it. I don't like the pouches because they aren't as secure. For spearfishing I actually prefer double lp72's, or double LP45's/50's because it gets me the redundancy of a pony bottle, but because they are small and light I don't lose any of the nimbleness of a single tank.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

After a LP hose blowout last year I've decided that I need a 19cf pony bottle for dives deeper than 80fsw. I posted in this forum because I only dive with a speargun or tickle stick in my hands. Therefore, I need something efficient under water. ie: no side mount (it's difficult enough with a zookeeper, I couldn't imagine adding a tank too).

Half of my diving is 60fsw and under so I will not use a pony all of the time. And when I do use the pony, I want to make switching tanks out easy. Don't want to fight my gear on a pitching and rolling boat.

My question is what setup do you use or suggest? So far I'm considering two options.

1. Zeagle Pony Bottle or Battery Attachment: From what I see the benefit of this is that it stays attached to your BC not your tank. So this seems like it would make tank switch-out easy? Or would you need to undo main and pony bottle cams making it more difficult?


2. Reef Scuba X Bracket: I guess the pony stays on the stainless steel bands and you thread it through your existing cam bands. Wondering how difficult it would be to thread that through you band every-time you switch out main bottle on the boat?

Any experiences or other recommendations are appreciated.

when you say "sling' a pony bottle that generally means that it is clipped off under your arm pit more or less. Most spearfisherman do not use that pony configuration and prefer to have the pony back mounted. There are some distinct disadvantages to back mounting, but in my opinion it is more convenient and out of the way.

I did this video on how to make the best DIY pony mount. It is so simple, I just show it. If you can't figure out how to make it, well then you shouldn't be in the garage with tools anyway.

[video=youtube_share;j0sdSL-ng-g]http://youtu.be/j0sdSL-ng-g[/video]

 

[Water Boy76]

when you say "sling' a pony bottle that generally means that it is clipped off under your arm pit more or less. Most spearfisherman do not use that pony configuration and prefer to have the pony back mounted. There are some distinct disadvantages to back mounting, but in my opinion it is more convenient and out of the way.

I did this video on how to make the best DIY pony mount. It is so simple, I just show it. If you can't figure out how to make it, well then you shouldn't be in the garage with tools anyway.

[video=youtube_share;j0sdSL-ng-g]http://youtu.be/j0sdSL-ng-g[/video]

Yes wrong choice of words in the thread title.
This Vid is exactly what I was looking for. I've got old cam bands and everything else I need handing around in my garage. Consider this thread closed.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Cool, one of the tricks with using hose clamps is to make sure they do not represent a line trap. String or fishing line or shooting line can get caught under the free end of the clamp strap. If you use a 1.5-2 inch section of vinyl tubing (home depot) with a diameter that goes over the clamp and will cover the free end of the clamp, you will have a much nice rig. Also covering over the metal screw clamps will be nicer to the boat deck compared to those things gouging paint or gel coat.

 

[ktomlinson]

How do you feel about h valves? Much more streamlined than a pony or even small doubles.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

How do you feel about h valves? Much more streamlined than a pony or even small doubles.

I had H-valves on some tanks. I took them off because I prefer the redundancy of a pony. An H-valve is definitely safer than nothing.

For me, for no-deco diving, a 13 cu-ft pony is sufficient to get to the surface and streamlining is not a big issue with a 13.

 

[tbone1004]

I like H-valves in one situation only. You are too lazy to swap regs over from doubles and you dive singles on and off enough to not want to switch hoses around.
Pony bottles are much better overall since an H-valve only really protects against regulator failures, which while the most common failure, are generally not the most catastrophic for gas loss compared to neck o-ring, OPV, etc etc. They also require you to own your own tanks, are a general pain to manipulate, and look funny. A pony is nice and small, still quite streamline, and can use the same regulator setup as the H-valve, and is easier to move around than doubles.