60plus
Contributor
should it be on your back strapped to main cylinder or is it better to hang it on your side / front on bcd d rings where you can see the gauge on its 1st stage reg
Correct location for pony bottle
- Thread starter 60plus
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
runsongas
Contributor
better in front. there have been incidents for tank mount ponies where the user erroneously was on the pony reg but thought they were on the main tank, went oom as they thought their tank was still full, and drowned.
I don't know there is a right way or a wrong way. Kind of depends on what you're doing from what I've read. You can see in my avatar how this rec diver wears his........I don't have as much experiential knowledge as the poster above me or most others on the site, just saying I have seen arguments for both ways.
I didn't even notice my pony, when slung, while diving last weekend (I'm only 5'5.5") and have ready access to the regulator and gauge.
I didn't even notice my pony, when slung, while diving last weekend (I'm only 5'5.5") and have ready access to the regulator and gauge.
I don't see any reason not to sling it.
- Messages
- 7,660
- Reaction score
- 4,717
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Hang/Slung is my preference. Has nothing at all to do with seeing the pressure gauge. A button gauge is all you need. Check it before you splash. Pretty much useless to know the pressure afterward.
I like a 'true' pony as a totally independent source of gas. That means (to me) that it is something that can either be quickly unclipped or cut free.
If all else fails, I drop my rig and ride my pony up.
Cyborg Pirate
Contributor
Slung and properly streamlined, not a giant “dangly”
This is an O2 deco bottle. However slung, streamlined, not down swing around below me, and not perpendicular to my body.
This is an O2 deco bottle. However slung, streamlined, not down swing around below me, and not perpendicular to my body.
OTF
Coney Island Whitefish Biologist
The only proper location for a pony bottle is at home because you MUST rely on your buddy for air redundancy. 
Rig it just like a stage bottle and sling it on the left side. Maybe using some sidemount bungee tricks to keep it snug. This offers several advantages:
- You can easily add/remove it as needed with just two boltsnaps.
- You can take it off underwater.
- You can use any size tank.
- Easily traced/identifiable reg, harder to confuse with backgas.
- Easier to disentangle.
- You can pass the whole thing off to an out-of-air diver and not be connected to them.
I always carry one on solo dives, and often throw it on any time a dive is deep, dangerous, or there's increased risk of buddy separation.
Rig it just like a stage bottle and sling it on the left side. Maybe using some sidemount bungee tricks to keep it snug. This offers several advantages:
- You can easily add/remove it as needed with just two boltsnaps.
- You can take it off underwater.
- You can use any size tank.
- Easily traced/identifiable reg, harder to confuse with backgas.
- Easier to disentangle.
- You can pass the whole thing off to an out-of-air diver and not be connected to them.
I always carry one on solo dives, and often throw it on any time a dive is deep, dangerous, or there's increased risk of buddy separation.
- Messages
- 416
- Reaction score
- 502
- # of dives
- I'm a Fish!
Damn. Who took that crap picture
I usually leave mine in the car
Some folks strap it, some folks sling it. Smaller cylinders lend themselves well to strapping, but at a certain point it gets to be too big. On the other hand, you can sling anything. If slinging, most people seem to choose a small aluminum cylinder (mine's an AL40), which don't really affect your buoyancy/trim at all.
One advantage to slinging is that on the surface, you may not need to lug around the extra 10-20 pounds along with the rest of your rig. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to clip the pony to a line, toss it into the water beforehand, splash, then clip it to your BC in the water. On shore dives you can clip it to a buoy, on boat dives you can tie it off to the vessel itself.
One advantage to slinging is that on the surface, you may not need to lug around the extra 10-20 pounds along with the rest of your rig. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to clip the pony to a line, toss it into the water beforehand, splash, then clip it to your BC in the water. On shore dives you can clip it to a buoy, on boat dives you can tie it off to the vessel itself.
Similar threads
