Bail-out bottle question.

[Meng_Tze]

I would also argue that when you dive with insta buddies, you are effectively diving solo. You do not know that person, his/her skills and mindset under pressure.......In those instances, you either accept that or carry redundancy (in whatever form).

 

[wedivebc]

Just curious here, I assume you dive a single tank? Why do you need a 'pony bottle' ? Your backup gas is in your buddy's cylinder if you have do your gas management properly. If you really need more gas you should be diving doubles. I used a pony for a short while until I realized that it is not a solution to any problem and creates more problems than it solves. A pony makes your whole rig unbalanced. If anything, carry an extra cylinder as a stage tank clipped to the left hip and shoulder D-rings so you at least have proper access to the tank. Proper gas management eliminates the need for a 'pony' bottle. Just an idea.

A very predictable response

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Just curious here, I assume you dive a single tank? Why do you need a 'pony bottle' ? Your backup gas is in your buddy's cylinder if you have do your gas management properly. If you really need more gas you should be diving doubles. I used a pony for a short while until I realized that it is not a solution to any problem and creates more problems than it solves. A pony makes your whole rig unbalanced. If anything, carry an extra cylinder as a stage tank clipped to the left hip and shoulder D-rings so you at least have proper access to the tank. Proper gas management eliminates the need for a 'pony' bottle. Just an idea.

Not everyone is DIR, some of us are Methodist.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

.... In a scenario where a buddy can come grab the reg, it would make no sense to bungee that. Unless of course you put two regs on there......

What does this mean? Are you saying that a pony bottle second stage shouldn't be bungied on the diver's neck?

 

[terrillja]

What does this mean? Are you saying that a pony bottle second stage shouldn't be bungied on the diver's neck?

Not if you want to pass off the pony to another diver. If you have the pony rigged as a stage bottle, you can pass of the entire bottle. More difficult if you have a bungee around your neck.

 

[jeraldjcook]

What does this mean? Are you saying that a pony bottle second stage shouldn't be bungied on the diver's neck?

I have my octo from my main tank bungied around my neck. I used bungie cord keepers on the pony to secure the second stage to it. Just the way I do it, others may vary.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I have my octo from my main tank bungied around my neck. I used bungie cord keepers on the pony to secure the second stage to it. Just the way I do it, others may vary.

Me too.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I have no octopus, rather a pony second stage bungied on my neck. Wonder why he thinks this is bad? My pony is fixed and can not be handed off.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I have no octopus, rather a pony second stage bungied on my neck. Wonder why he thinks this is bad? My pony is fixed and can not be handed off.

I would think you are now using your pony as independent doubles (although significantly less useful gas-wise)

I opted for 1st, 2nd and octo and a pony with its own 1st and 2nd.

A second stage failure on your back gas now limits you to only using your pony to ascend/recover where an octo may have permitted a source to said back gas.

If diving with a buddy in an OOA situation you have severely limited your own gas supply if you donate the reg in your mouth.

 

[terrillja]

I have no octopus, rather a pony second stage bungied on my neck. Wonder why he thinks this is bad? My pony is fixed and can not be handed off.

So do you have a long hose on your primary? If your buddy goes OOA, can you share air with them and still maintain any distance at all? I realize that you can share using a standard length primary hose, but it's tricky, especially if the buddy is panicking.

I have my primary, and octo, and a separate first and second bungeed to my pony in a stage configuration. I used to have the pony attached to my tank, but I wanted it slung so I could hand it off easily if needed. If my buddy needs air, (he has his own pony, but anyways) he can use my octo until I get the second stage pulled loose, the valve is already on (time of second stage deployment ~1 second). Then I can hand off the pony and make sure he is ok from a safe distance.