how to sling Al19 pony?

[stepfen]

Hello,
I am usually diving a 7lt aluminum pony (I think it corresponds to AL50) and I sling it as a stage (left side, chest and hip d rings) with the usual stage style harness.
Its' weight topside though has started to bother me (occasionally I have to walk/climb a bit to/from the sea), so I am thinking to switch to a 3lt pony (I think it corresponds to AL19) - it is about 5kg/11lbs lighter .
The question is, how do you people sling it? Isn't it too short to route the hose etc neatly?
Back mounted is not an option.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I don't dive an AL19 but I've seen many divers who do. They setup the stage strap the same way and sling it just as they would a larger bottle. Most seem to either put a small loop in the hose or put in a couple of up/down weaves to allow the hose to be stored properly. It helps to use a flexible LP hose and two retainer straps. I do the same on my AL40 with the only exception that I do not need to loop/weave the hose.

 

[James79]

Hello,
I am usually diving a 7lt aluminum pony (I think it corresponds to AL50) and I sling it as a stage (left side, chest and hip d rings) with the usual stage style harness.
Its' weight topside though has started to bother me (occasionally I have to walk/climb a bit to/from the sea), so I am thinking to switch to a 3lt pony (I think it corresponds to AL19) - it is about 5kg/11lbs lighter .
The question is, how do you people sling it? Isn't it too short to route the hose etc neatly?
Back mounted is not an option.
Thanks in advance.

When I sling mine, I wear it on the right side (due to unrelated training that makes it more natural to me), but it doesn't really change anything. I sling it like a stage, and use ball bungies to contain the 26 inch hose against the tank, tucking the mouthpiece between the tank and hose as a keeper.

And yes, my pony reg is a Conshelf VI from the sixties... works great!

Respectfully,

James

 

[-JD-]

AL19 (tall) , AL27, AL40 - All stage strapped, slung left side, chest and hip (experimenting with more rear-mounted anchors) rings, recently added SM style bungee to tuck it up with pleasing results.

 

[FrogmanFred]

Hello,
I am usually diving a 7lt aluminum pony (I think it corresponds to AL50) and I sling it as a stage (left side, chest and hip d rings) with the usual stage style harness.
Its' weight topside though has started to bother me (occasionally I have to walk/climb a bit to/from the sea), so I am thinking to switch to a 3lt pony (I think it corresponds to AL19) - it is about 5kg/11lbs lighter .
The question is, how do you people sling it? Isn't it too short to route the hose etc neatly?
Back mounted is not an option.
Thanks in advance.

I've just changed from a back mounted 3l (Ali) to a 7l side-slung (steel) cylinder. I carry a pony solely as an emergency precaution. In my case the question I asked myself was would a 3 litre cylinder hold enough gas to get me to the surface from 50m breathing heavily and with a possible deco obligation and the answer was NO.
I much prefer the feel of the 7l and the balance of the tank and accessibility of the back-up reg works better for me than the 3l. I use a harness on the side-slung 7l and, once I had the positioning correct, I could hardly feel it.
I'm sure a side-slung 3 litre cylinder will be even less noticeable - but will it hold enough gas?
Do the calculations based on your type of diving, air consumption and (worst case) depth and the answer will be pretty clear.
Let us know how it goes!

 

[PBcatfish]

I sometimes carry a 19 the same way that James79 does. I also sometimes carry it on a separate belt, rigged sideways across my waist, below my belly, like a bail out bottle. When I carry it that way, I sometimes still rig it with bungee cords like James did. I sometimes clip the second stage to a D ring on my shoulder. If I am doing a very short dive with no primary rig, I will also sometimes carry the bailout rig waist high on my back with the regulator facing my right. I find this useful when hopping in quickly to retrieve lost gear or free a stuck anchor. I can deploy very quickly with that little rig. Sometimes that can be important, especially if something valuable went overboard while you were underway.

 

[stepfen]

Thanks for all the replies.
Just curl/loop a bit the hose and it should be good to go.

recently added SM style bungee to tuck it up with pleasing results.

Can you share a bit more info or a picture maybe?
Are we talking about "Independent Bunge" or "Loop Bunge" as discussed here: Sidemount Bungee Styles - Dive Rite ? And are you using it just to secure the top of the pony (valve/1st stage) closer to your chest or?? I am not familiar with SM at all.

Slinging it to the right hand side (potentially with shorter hose) as suggested by @James79 sounds interesting too.

 

[PBcatfish]

I just get two pieces of 1/4" bungie cord stock & tie knots in them to make loops that are the right size for the tank. On some tanks they are independent & can get lost if you are not careful when you deploy the second stage.. On some tanks they are tied together. On some they are captive inside a 1" web strap. I have a lot of different rigs. The way that James has it rigged with the 1" strap is probably about the best choice. DGX has all the parts for that as a kit, at a reasonable price. Or you can buy individual parts for a custom rig.

Search results for: 'stage straps' | Dive Gear Express®

www.divegearexpress.com

Surgical Tubing - Bungee Cord

We sell surgical tubing and bungee shock cord specifically for use in diving applications. We stock only the sizes and colors listed on this page.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[stepfen]

I just get two pieces of 1/4" bungie cord stock & tie knots in them to make loops that are the right size for the tank. On some tanks they are independent & can get lost if you are not careful when you deploy the second stage.. On some tanks they are tied together. On some they are captive inside a 1" web strap. I have a lot of different rigs. The way that James has it rigged with the 1" strap is probably about the best choice. DGX has all the parts for that as a kit, at a reasonable price. Or you can buy individual parts for a custom rig.

Search results for: 'stage straps' | Dive Gear Express®

www.divegearexpress.com

Surgical Tubing - Bungee Cord

We sell surgical tubing and bungee shock cord specifically for use in diving applications. We stock only the sizes and colors listed on this page.

www.divegearexpress.com

You are talking about the "standard" harness - which more or less everybody (including @James79 in the picture shown in post #3) and myself use for my 7lt pony. I will make one of these for my 3lt one too.

What @-JD- I think said in his post is that he uses some kind of extra "side mount style" bungee I guess to keep the whole pony under control. And I requested more info about this because it is something new to me.
Cheers

 

[-JD-]

This is how I am currently doing it. Worked great with my 27cuft pony on Blackbeard's.

Note: Since the bottle is clipped top and bottom, the bungee is for positioning only, so it is a non-critical failure point.
Also, the bungees could be run to the camband slots or other convenient plate attachment point, but I happen to have two of the sidemount bungee mount webbing strips to use.

I am using these plastic bow cordlocks: - Nothing to corrode!