Pony Bottle Selection

[Easdem]

Hi all,

Here is a question. What size do you think is ideal for a pony bottle to be for teaching in open water (OW, AOW, Specialties), medium depth (80-120) NC Coastal diving and some self reliant quarry dives.

I will not be using this bottle for deco, just for the activities listed above.

Discuss...

 

[Tracy]

30cf

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[Rhone Man]

If you are backmounting I would go for 19 cu ft. If you are slinging I would go for 30 cu ft.

A lot of personal preference in the choice though. YMMV.

 

[rhwestfall]

try this.... I ended up with a 30 (though I also own a 13 that was gifted to me, & a 19 I use for shallow diving).

 

[lsorenson]

When I'm running solo as many do when diving the Meg ledges, I like my chances with my 30... Whether you end up solo intentionally or not, chances to end up solo at 100' looking for teeth is somewhat high (as when there is no current and people are fanning, a hell of a dust cloud can kick up).

Personally, I would never take anyone to the ledges without a pony; 20 or better but that is just my preference... Many will say; skip the 20/30 and go with the 40 if you have higher ambitions in diving... but like I said, I like my 30. lee

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I sling a 30.

 

[gurnie]

Sling a 40cf bottle. Overall the best fit for most situations and has resale value if you ever want to sell it.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

Actually it completely depends on youre body type, height and the bottle. At 6'1" 220lb i prefer the 40cft as a bailout bottle. It fits my body and with a bungee i can tuck it up nuder my arm. My 30cft actually is less floaty and i tend to notice it more than the 40cft.

A couple guys i dive with that are shorter and leaner, use a 30cft because it fits them better and they have smaller lung volume.

T.

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[victorzamora]

My preference would either be tiny (13 or 19) or 40. A 40 can be slung easily, provides TONS of gas, has widely accepted procedures and mounting options from rec to tech, and has a small diameter. Bigger than 40 is overkill, and you had might as well be diving doubles or sidemount. However, if you ever DO get into Tech diving you can throw an MOD20 or MOD70 sticker on there and use it for O2 or EAN50.

Another option not mentioned is a Faber LP Steel. A Faber 23 is a HP tank, and has a tiny diameter. LP27 or LP50 are two other options. A Faber LP50 with a cave fill is almost as much gas as an AL80, in a MUCH smaller package! Due to price, though, I'd still recommend an AL40.

 

[tdchandl]

My thoughts... I got a 19cu just recently. Evaluated between 30 and 19 as the 2 reasonable options. My needs... Solo diving and having some redundancy available in the event of a primary failure - not as an additional gas source to extend dives.

My diving profiles do not extend beyond 100ft. So I looked at a failure at 100 feet. How much gas to ascend slowly and safely with appropriate safety stops along the way.

6cu was not feasible from a capacity perspective and 30cu was viewed as overkill but I will add that 30cu was what my local LDS was pushing me to purchase. The additional consideration was travel. 19cu is a nice size to travel with while 30cu took it over the sizing aspect for us flyers.

From a use perspective it attaches nicely to my main tank, buoyancy not a big factor, and piece of mind refreshing.

hope this helps.
tim