How you route hose for pony Reg.

[Randy8876]

I was just wondering how to route the hose for my independent air supply? I have the pony mounted valve down and was wondering if you route the hose strapped to the tank and up over your shoulder or do you route it under the armpit? I want to have the reg below my chin on a necklace.

 

[slackercruster]

I was just wondering how to route the hose for my independent air supply? I have the pony mounted valve down and was wondering if you route the hose strapped to the tank and up over your shoulder or do you route it under the armpit? I want to have the reg below my chin on a necklace.

Just as you like it. I tried a rear cylinder pony mount and di not like it. Then went to pony strap and hooked a 13cf on my BC front with a reg holder to keep the reg close to my BC. It is quick and simple. I just clip the pony to my BC and go. If you got a 30 CF pony, then back mount is best and I'd use a longer reg hose and clip the reg to my BC.

 

[RICHinNC]

My pony is also valve down on a ponease bottle mount that is clamped onto my cam bands. I dive a bungeed bladder and I push most of the hose under the bungees. The rest comes under my arm and attached to a D ring on the front triangle. No matter the amount of air in the bladder....the bungees have held the hose securely and never fouled and the hose has always slide out easily. Plus, never fouled on anything.

I use the pony at deco on my last dive of the day and top off before the next days diving.

 

[Nemrod]

I sling mine per instructions learned here on scuba board. I fold the regulator hose back on the bottle and under a couple of bungees. If and when I need it I can quickly deploy the regulator with a quick tug. I carry the valve to the front so I can pressurise the regulator and then close the valve (most of the time). It has one of those screw in pressure guages as well. The Mark V clone first stage has a turrent swivel for the LP ports so it pivots wherever needed easily. N

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Put a 40" hose on it and sling it.

On your back it's a potential line trap and/or could wedge you in a tight spot (if you dive in overhead environments), among other issues, which isn't ordinarily any huge deal except that you've posted in the Solo Diver's forum - which suggests you don't have anyone around to help unscrew you from any dickups you encounter.

Therefore you're more likely to enjoy what we call "an adventure".


Since you're by yourself, it's handy to be able to see and manipulate your equipment should you encounter fishnets, wire trays and hanging electrical wire in wrecks, tight passageways, spiderwire, or other hazards. With the bottle slung in front of you, you can get at it, cut it away, unscrew issues, etc. With it in back of you, ...good luck with that.

Actually, when solo diving it can make quite a difference.

FWIW. YMMV.

Doc

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What Doc said. I used to wear mine on the tank and found that even upside down it was not as convenient as I would like it to be. It also necessitated being creative with the hose routing. For me this type of creativity is not in my best interests when soloing. Simple is better. Slung it's there, I can see it, easily manipulate the valve and reg, and easy to get rid of if necessary. I've got mine rigged DIR style with cave line and hose.

 

[BigTuna]

Ditto what Doc said.

I used to clip the pony to my tank, valve up, and I used a button pressure guage. I routed the second stage down, under my arm, then up to a necklace. That was a 19 cf pony. I didn't like the extra dead weight of the assembled kit, nor the opportunity to foul hoses, nor the trouble of moving the pony from one tank to the other on boat dives, nor the imprecise pressure reading. But the routing worked out fine.

Starting this year I began slinging the pony. Less dead weight, less fouling risk, ability to monitor and operate it, ability to hand it off if necessary. I also acquired a 30 cf cyliner after calculating that the 19 would only bring me up from 80 to 100 feet at a stress-level SAC rate. I rig and carry my pony like a DIR stage bottle, including a proper pressure guage on a 6" hose. Here's a link to a photo of the rigging (from baue):
http://www.baue.org/images/galleries/equipment/stagefront

For me, a pony is defined as needed for an emergency, kind of like a skydiver's reserve parachute. Therefore I don't figure its contents into my dive plan, and I keep its valve open and ready throughout the dive, which you wouldn't do for a stage bottle.

 

[vablackwater]

depends on the setup i am using. I don't like it slung if i am wearing a FFM that has a kirby morgan bypass, the hoses are all over the place. If i just have a normal first stage/ octo, I like having a pony clipped to my bc, valve toward my head. (ERDI has some guidance/ requirements for pony mounting for PSD).

 

[drbill]

Pony mounted upside down on left side of main tank, reg hose routed in front to left chest D-ring to avoid confusion with primary tank's reg system.

 

[divingbuddy]

I sling my pony/deco bottles.

When doing a recreational dive (single tank setup), my pony bottle is slung from my left hip and shoulder D-rings.

When technical diving (doubles), the pony bottle magically becomes a deco/stage bottle - and is still in the same place.

By having the bottle(s) in the same place for all dives, it is much easier (less adjustments/changes). Less chance of entanglement as well. Trying to keep things simple...

Just my two cents...Cheers!