A search on the forum found a 14 year old thread that said this wasn't a good idea. As times change I wanted to re visit this and get some opinions.
Pony bottle for BC & Octopus?
I currently dive an xtek harness intended for doubles w/60 lb wing.
I recently got 10 tanks, a Ranger BCD, doubles bands and manifold, 3 good regs and an extra first stage.
My idea is to use the xtek exclusively for doubles.
I want to use the Ranger for my other diving, but I still want the redundancy of a 2nd bottle. Since I use a camera and don't want other things to worrie about I was thinking about using the pony with my extra first stage as a bcd inflator (bcd has octo on it).
I understand a small pony won't work and I can't hand off this setup. I have a s6, s19, and s50 for ponys. I don't think the 6 will work, too small, and the 50 is too big. Would a 19 throw off my balance significantly? Also would it be enough air for 2-3 dives and still have a reserve in case of emergancy?
I know the most correct response would be depends on how much I inflate... let's assume I'm not overweighted and don't use an excessive amount but some at depth.
In concern to my buddy (wife) she will have the s6 so she has a pony as well. Hers would be on her back with a long hose and tucked somewhere out of the way.
Is my whole though process here wrong? This seems like a great solution to have air redundancy with out any needless complications so I can focus on my diving, my buddy, then photos.
The only possible problem I see besides using up the 19, is if another dive runs out of air that isn't my buddy. Obviously I would try to help them but I don't think I should plan on setting up my gear to better accommodate anyone besides myself and my buddy.
Pony bottle for BC & Octopus?
I currently dive an xtek harness intended for doubles w/60 lb wing.
I recently got 10 tanks, a Ranger BCD, doubles bands and manifold, 3 good regs and an extra first stage.
My idea is to use the xtek exclusively for doubles.
I want to use the Ranger for my other diving, but I still want the redundancy of a 2nd bottle. Since I use a camera and don't want other things to worrie about I was thinking about using the pony with my extra first stage as a bcd inflator (bcd has octo on it).
I understand a small pony won't work and I can't hand off this setup. I have a s6, s19, and s50 for ponys. I don't think the 6 will work, too small, and the 50 is too big. Would a 19 throw off my balance significantly? Also would it be enough air for 2-3 dives and still have a reserve in case of emergancy?
I know the most correct response would be depends on how much I inflate... let's assume I'm not overweighted and don't use an excessive amount but some at depth.
In concern to my buddy (wife) she will have the s6 so she has a pony as well. Hers would be on her back with a long hose and tucked somewhere out of the way.
Is my whole though process here wrong? This seems like a great solution to have air redundancy with out any needless complications so I can focus on my diving, my buddy, then photos.
The only possible problem I see besides using up the 19, is if another dive runs out of air that isn't my buddy. Obviously I would try to help them but I don't think I should plan on setting up my gear to better accommodate anyone besides myself and my buddy.