6CF Pony Bottle Mounting

[Romantic]

I am wondering if anyone has came up with a really good way to mount a 6CF Pony?

Please, I am aware that many people think a 6CF pony is a waste of time so I don't want this to become a debate over pony bottles or anything like that. I dive with my kids and each person having a totally redundant air supply gives me and my wife extra peace of mind.

 

[tbone1004]

well just to hit home, 6cf isn't safe for a pony bottle for anything deeper than 50ft assuming rock bottom calculations. That's 1 minute at depth to switch, and 3 minutes at 15ft. Anything deeper than 50ft and that bottle is going to run out of gas or you're going to have to skip your safety stop, which for anything deeper than that you're not going to want to, so redundant or not, it's not adding any real safety buffer. Anything smaller than 19cf is a waste of time assuming depth of 100ft.

That said, there are lots of ways to mount 6cf bottles, look for what they're supposed to be used for, inflation bottles. There are waist strap options, backplate options, tank cam band options. Dive Rite's Argon inflation mount will bolt to a backplate, or thread through a waist strap or cam band and is pretty cheap. If you're diving jacket bc's you are restricted to cam band mounts only as you have no plate to actually put it with the design. Disadvantage to these is you can't see them, and have to have the regulator stowed on you somewhere, but such is life.

Cave Adventurers - Dive Rite Argon Bottle Mount - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

 

[nimoh]

I am wondering if anyone has came up with a really good way to mount a 6CF Pony?

Please, I am aware that many people think a 6CF pony is a waste of time so I don't want this to become a debate over pony bottles or anything like that. I dive with my kids and each person having a totally redundant air supply gives me and my wife extra peace of mind.

what kind of BC do you have?

The one tbone linked to is designed to attach to a back plate. If you don't have a back plate, the following is an option:

OxyCheq - OxyCheq Extended Range Argon Bottle Mounting System

I do agree with tbone that 6cf is pretty small as a redundant gas supply, and you would probably be better served by a 19cf. For the mounting options given, the difference between carrying the two is negligible.

 

[Romantic]

19 is triple the weight and almost twice the height. I barely get under 50lbs when flying now. I started with the Spare-Air 3CF and found them to be totally unreliable. They claim that a 3CF will get you up from 100' w/o a safety stop. I don't believe that but figured a 6CF would. We train to use the 6CF just as a stop-gap to get to our partner in order to share. Really we train to never use them but malfunctions can and do happen and those few minutes to regain composure and think about what you need to do could make the difference. I have considered the 13CF versions but they are twice the weight and 2" taller.

We are tropical divers only. Mostly with a guide. Rarely do we ever get to 100' but we do sometimes. My max so far is 120'.

Been using an Akona pony bag to mount but the bottoms keep ripping out.

Yes we use jacket style BCD's.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I started with the Spare-Air 3CF and found them to be totally unreliable. They claim that a 3CF will get you up from 100' w/o a safety stop. I don't believe that but figured a 6CF would. . . .

If for no other reason than just for fun, try going through the actual calculation, based on realistic air consumption rates. You might be surprised.

 

[JohnN]

19 is triple the weight and almost twice the height. I barely get under 50lbs when flying now. .

You were given some sound advice about why a 6 cf bottle isn't sufficient to safely get you up from anything over 50 ft.

If the poo really hits the fan, I think your financial/logistical rationalization is going to seem short-sighted.

FWIW, I travel with a 19 cf pony with no real problems.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Any redundant air source is better than none, as you wind up doing a CESA from a shallower depth, or may allow one to not have to do a buoyancy emergency ascent if you are tropical diving.

Have you thought about one of these? Highland by XS Scuba Stainless Steel Pony Mount HL409. Nevermind the price, but it does a reasonable job at keeping a 6 cu ft pony bottle in place (I did dive in one trip with a 6 cu ft pony, though from now on, I'll take my 19 and relegate my 6 for argon. But that's not tropical diving obviously).

 

[uncfnp]

The 13 is as you say only 2 inches taller, irrelevant considering you get twice the gas. For travel, weight is the issue. So far I have had no trouble packing a 13 cf for travel. Three extra pounds over the 6 cf. Something to consider.

Question, you mentioned kids and all with redundancy. So are you planning pony bottles for everyone? That is indeed a lot of weight for travel, even 6's. And then inspections and fills on arrival. Sounds like a lot of work. Have you considered renting a pony at destination instead?

BTW, you can sling with a jacket.

 

[tbone1004]

This is going to be harsh, but you said you're concerned about your kids, so here goes.

To me it still just isn't worth it. For what you're using them for, it is an equipment solution to a skills problem. I.e. if you're far enough away from your buddy, and/or your buddy is oblivious that you can't get to them in under 20 seconds, you have skills problems. You initially claim "having a totally redundant air supply", but then state "stop-gap to get to our partner in order to share air". These are two VERY different animals. The first requires use of a 19cf bottle minimum to safely be considered a redundant air supply, 6cf won't cut it, it just won't. The second is a skills problem and you need to have better buddy awareness and buddy diving procedures. I.e. never farther than one kick cycle away.

The 13 is also not twice the weight, the cylinder is twice the weight, but as a rig, it is only an extra 3lbs, 19 is an extra 5. You still have the same valve/regulator etc. If you switch to an integrated valve/regulator, you can shave that weight off. Also, if you go to a 13 or 19, you can remove the octopus from your primary regulator set and just use that as your donating regulator which is a truly redundant air supply, which saves about a pound as well with one less second stage and hose
Dry Suit / Pony Bottle Valve "Nitrox Ready!"

If you're using jackets, you really only have cam band mounting solutions. The Dive Rite solution can be used on the cam bands, it's just not designed for it. It moves around a bit, but this gear is just not designed for use with poodle jackets.
Quick-Tec Pony Bottle Mounting System
I use this as a secure option for my argon bottle on doubles, it's not cheap, but it's secure. XS makes one that is a bit cheaper, but it is a pain when you're switching tanks on a boat since the main bottle side isn't attached until the cam band is tightened.

Also call the dive ops, they may have 30's or 40's that you can rent and sling using something like this
Cave Adventurers - Dive Rite Stage Bottle Rigging - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

or you can mount it to the main bottle with something like this
Zeagle Pony Bottle Band Kit | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba

either way, if you really care about your kids safety, you'll get something that will actually get them up from depth and conduct a safety stop properly, and a 6cf just isn't going to cut it.
DiveNerd - Rock Bottom Calculator, Imperial Units
Play with this, you'll see that with 1 minute to resolve at bottom, 3 minute safety stop, and assuming a full 3000psi fill, you get 0 psi to play with if you can maintain a 0.6 SAC rate. Highly unlikely, especially since you may have to orally inflate if you dump too much and need to recover. You need to plan with a SAC of 1cfm for emergencies which is more realistic, especially if you aren't diving regularly, and with that, at 40ft, you have a 0psi buffer with a 6. 4 minutes total before that tank is out. Are you willing to ask your kids to blow their safety stop? Less than 3 minutes at depth before that tank is bone dry.

 

[nimoh]

19 is triple the weight and almost twice the height. I barely get under 50lbs when flying now. I started with the Spare-Air 3CF and found them to be totally unreliable. They claim that a 3CF will get you up from 100' w/o a safety stop. I don't believe that but figured a 6CF would. We train to use the 6CF just as a stop-gap to get to our partner in order to share. Really we train to never use them but malfunctions can and do happen and those few minutes to regain composure and think about what you need to do could make the difference. I have considered the 13CF versions but they are twice the weight and 2" taller.

We are tropical divers only. Mostly with a guide. Rarely do we ever get to 100' but we do sometimes. My max so far is 120'.

Been using an Akona pony bag to mount but the bottoms keep ripping out.

Yes we use jacket style BCD's.

I understand your dilemma, if a 19 isn't going to fit in your suitcase, that is something to consider. I would also agree that a 6cf is better than a 3cf. I think you should just be clear that 6cf is not sufficient for OOG on a 120' dive.