Slinging a pony from AL Dimension i3 BCD

[Marie13]

A friend who dives an AL Dimension i3 BC is going on a Great Lakes diving trip with me this summer. There will be 2 deep wrecks that are 100 & 106ft to the sand. If I dive SM, friend has been offered use of my 30cft pony on the deep wrecks.

Thus my question...can a larger pony be slung from this BC?

 

[JohnnyC]

Sure. It's not optimal, but it's got d-rings. It'll hang low and out of trim. Probably best slung on the right side so it doesn't interfere with the i3 inflator.

 

[UWZen]

Lower hip and shoulder metal drings on the BC so it should work in either side. Dive buddy has the non-i3 version and slings a 40 with no issue. But left-slinging might get in the way of the i3 thingy, so try that configuration out in the quarry before hitting the charter. Whatever way, make sure s/he is practiced in deployment in case of an emergency ascent. Those BCs can also have a standard power inflator substituted for the oral inflate only tube.

 

[Marie13]

Lower hip and shoulder metal drings on the BC so it should work in either side. Dive buddy has the non-i3 version and slings a 40 with no issue. But left-slinging might get in the way of the i3 thingy, so try that configuration out in the quarry before hitting the charter. Whatever way, make sure s/he is practiced in deployment in case of an emergency ascent. Those BCs can also have a standard power inflator substituted for the oral inflate only tube.

Thanks. I looked at pics of this BC online, but I couldn't really tell where the D-rings are. Practice will happen.

 

[UWZen]

Thanks. I looked at pics of this BC online, but I couldn't really tell where the D-rings are. Practice will happen.

The shoulder drings are pretty standard, the hip ones are hard to tell from the photos but are sewn into the lower edge so hang off perpendicular to what you’d expect from a webbing based harness. Best to tighten up the lower rigging of the pony as much as possible since it will hang a bit as Johnny said.

 

[Marie13]

@UWZen

I've switched out the old stage kit I had on it for the Dive Rite stage kit I'm using on my SM tanks. The old kit wasn't adjustable. The DR one is.

 

[UWZen]

DR webbing stage kit is nice and easy to adjust without having to un-tie knots. I don’t like the oversized boltsnaps that come with it, prefer the DGX ‘medium’ size. I’ve cross-clipped one too many times with the DR Xlarge snaps. If you’re not removing anything underwater, not really an issue though.

 

[Marie13]

I love the oversize bolt snaps.