Recommended Pony Bottle Size

[Superlyte27]

I don't use "pony bottles", but I sling a 50 for deco. It's hardly noticeable. I sling it to my right side. Would it be my first choice? Nope, but it's a bottle I use for bailout when i'm surface supplied and it's O2 cleaned so it works great for deco. Sure it's a little fatter, but it's not cumbersome, there's not any noticeable weight difference. You've already made the purchase, put some bolts and bands on it and try it.

 

[PvtStash]

Its not like your going to carry that thing with you on All your dives... probably just the ones where you feel some extra insurance is a good thing (like maybe for dives > 100')...

And if your a big guy (6' 3", 250ish) is the difference between a 40cf ana 50cf really all that much? Not enough to lose any sleep over I say... and if the **** really Did hit the fan, you'd be happy for the extra 10cf...

Don't 2nd guess yourself, your 50's fine.

Maybe when/if you get into technical diving you can use it to carry your Travel gas (the gas you use to get Down to 110' or so before you switch to your back gas).

Or maybe you could carry it as a nitrox stage (32/34%) for expedited offgasing during deco.

Keep it, there's a ton of diff ways you can use it later...


Coulda been worse.... you coulda bought a Spare Air...


Hey you divin' this weekend? I'm gonna be there Sat. I think , but I don' know When exactly yet...

 

[Superlyte27]

OMG! he didn't say the "S" word did he? Everyone just ignore that, we really don't wanna go that direction.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Hey! Did someone say Spareair? I love a good hijack! But in regards to a 50... awkward shape and such... but it u have it, use it... you may like it, you may love it, you may hate it. Typically, a 50 is used for a child or a very small person though. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Wolver]

What's this SpareAir thing you talking about? JOKING!

Hey you divin' this weekend? I'm gonna be there Sat. I think , but I don' know When exactly yet...

Yeah, I am free this weekend, let me know what time.

I guess I will rig the tank up and try it out this weekend. I will update how it goes.

 

[hypertech]

I recently went through this and settled on an AL19. I know its smaller than most people seem to recommend, but it is easier to travel with and dive with than a bigger tank.

Here's my reasoning: I dive rec depths. I don't dive overhead environments. I dive 80's or 100's. By the rule of thirds, I should not be doing a dive I can't return from on 25-35 cu ft of air. But, I said I bought a 19 didn't I. Well, there is no overhead environment so all the pony has to do is get me straight up to a depth where I can do a CESA. In an emergency, I can skip the safety stop and do a surface swim if necessary. I did the math, and I really only need 10cu ft or so to come up and do a stop, so the 19 is more than enough for my diving.

It comes down to figuring out what kind of diving you do.

 

[stairman]

aluminum 40

 

[Rainer]

I've been pretty happy with various sizes. From as small as 5'2" to as big as 6'5". I tend to keep them on either side of me, but depending on environmental conditions, sometimes in front of or in back of me.

 

[elmer fudd]

A pony is only useful if you have it on you and if you're using a 50cf pony there are going to be lots of times when you decide to leave it at home because you just don't want to deal with it. Even a SpareAir is better than the set of doubles you're not wearing. And a SpareAir really is nothing more than a tiny pony bottle, (they actually make a 1 cf model just in case 3 cf is way more air than you need).

I'd personally go for a 19 cf for dives up to 100' and a 30 or 40 cf for dives up to 130'. Beyond that, I'd be looking at doubles.

 

[Kern]

I've been pretty happy with various sizes. From as small as 5'2" to as big as 6'5". I tend to keep them on either side of me, but depending on environmental conditions, sometimes in front of or in back of me.

In extremely cold conditions I'd like to have one on either side. Of course this can be quite an exhausting load. As I'm not half the man I was when I was a boy, I don't go to these extremes too often these days.