Pony Bottle Regulator?

[Aaron528]

I would go with standard DIN valve on your pony and get a reg you can use somewhere else if needed. I have standardized on the same regs on pony, singles and doubles setup (my short hose pool gear is Atomic Z2x now as it was my first set and this is to assist in my DMC class to look similar to students' gear.

Advantage of this is only one type of regs and if any reg has issue I can swap it with existing with ease. Let's say I am on vacation and my primary first stage is acting out I can simply put hoses on first stage I used for my pony and dive again. Having first stage that you can't move to another tank is bit of a single tasker.

I admit I'm a relatively new diver so I haven't done much diving outside the USA except for carribean and Jamaica which obviously cater to American standards. I have never seen anyone using a DIN valve in this part of the world. I own 3 tanks and they are all yoke. I would have to get converters for my regs if traveling somewhere yoke isn't used.

 

[iztok]

Considering where you live there is a lot of cold water diving. I would assume HP steel is used frequently and many divers have DIN regs.

I think it is easier to have DIN reg with yoke adapter (if you need to use tank with yoke valve) than other way around. Another reason why I suggested standard DIN reg is that if you decide to go forward towards technical diving you will not have to replace the reg.

 

[charlesml3]

So it seems that in order to remove the reg from the bottle, the whole valve must come off and innards of the bottle must be exposed, taking the psi to zero and requiring a new VIP.

If you travel with the setup you're going to have to remove the valve anyway. It's required for both carryon and checked baggage.

I use the Zeagle Razor setup on a 13 foot tank. The destination ops don't make me pay for a VIP every time. They know the airline regulation about removing the valve and give me a "pass" on that.

-Charles

 

[Hatul]

I would recommend the 19 cu ft pony and not repeating my mistake. Many of the mounting systems are designed for a min of 19 cu ft, and it can be a struggle to make them work with the 13. For example the Zeagle double strap will not work with the 13.

Also everytime you turn on the valve and test the reg you lose a little air, and soon your 13 becomes a 10.

Adam

 

[hudson]

I would recommend the 19 cu ft pony and not repeating my mistake. Many of the mounting systems are designed for a min of 19 cu ft, and it can be a struggle to make them work with the 13. For example the Zeagle double strap will not work with the 13.

Also everytime you turn on the valve and test the reg you lose a little air, and soon your 13 becomes a 10.

I would also recommend an AL19. The trade off is obviously bigger size, but an AL19 will still fit in your luggage. An AL13 pretty much needs to be kept topped off all the time, while AL19 will give you a lot of headroom. Likewise with a transfill whip you'd get better results from the AL19 (if I'm not mistaken 11CF of gas vs 15CF of gas from a single equalization) if you couldn't get the pony filled.

Or another way to look at it, keeping the above in mind, if you have "some" faith in the insta-buddy system and AL13 is there for a worst case scenario, it may work. If you have "no" faith in the insta-buddy system, I'd go with the AL19.

 

[kanonfodr]

I will also recommend switching to a 19cf pony, it would be a small penalty for the extra bailout gas you would be carrying. As for regulators, any will work. I use a MK17 on my pony, I simply turn the first stage so the hoses for both the spg and 2nd stage route down.

Granted, my pony is an AL40 that is stage/deco rigged. I have a bit more room on my pony than you on yours but the concept is still the same.

Peace,
Greg

 

[AndrewA]

In answer to the original question I use Apeks ATX 40 regs on my "pony".
I now use an Al40 which I side sling but used to use a 3 litre steel which I tank mounted(and still occasionally use this set up) I use the same regs for both. It is important that the reg on the pony is good quality as when you have to use it it must work and be able to handle the increased demands of a stress situation.

 

[Aaron528]

I would also recommend an AL19. The trade off is obviously bigger size, but an AL19 will still fit in your luggage. An AL13 pretty much needs to be kept topped off all the time, while AL19 will give you a lot of headroom. Likewise with a transfill whip you'd get better results from the AL19 (if I'm not mistaken 11CF of gas vs 15CF of gas from a single equalization) if you couldn't get the pony filled.

Or another way to look at it, keeping the above in mind, if you have "some" faith in the insta-buddy system and AL13 is there for a worst case scenario, it may work. If you have "no" faith in the insta-buddy system, I'd go with the AL19.

After a lot of mental see-sawing, I took the majority of this thread's advice and went with a 19cf. I use an Atomic Z2 as my main reg; decided to attach my Aqualung Titan LX (backup reg set) to the pony rather than buying a new 1st stage.

FWIW, unfortunately at this point I have zero faith in the "insta-buddy system"... Out of 30 dives done in the carribean, away from the quarry where I do most of my practice diving, I've had a few very positive experiences and several that were profoundly negative, including one where the guy jumped first, didn't wait to submerge, and took off literally in the opposite direction we discussed. Nobody else still in sight, I decided to do the entire dive alone rather than bail and go back into the boat. When it comes to diving with people I just met "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst" is going to be my motto. I don't trust anyone with my life except my wife, and she can't always go with me.

 

[charlesml3]

For example the Zeagle double strap will not work with the 13.

I guess nobody told my 13 that it couldn't work with the Zeagle tank straps...

Because it most certainly does. I've been using a Catalina 13 and a Zeagle Razor with the Zeagle tank straps for over a year now. Works just fine.

-Charles

 

[Hatul]

I guess nobody told my 13 that it couldn't work with the Zeagle tank straps...

Because it most certainly does. I've been using a Catalina 13 and a Zeagle Razor with the Zeagle tank straps for over a year now. Works just fine.

-Charles

I returned the Zeagle straps. The distance between the tank bands on my Zeagle Escape is too long for the 13 pony. Only one would hold the pony which is not stable, so I returned them after trying. Glad they worked for you.

Adam