Is there a valid reason for a pony bottle

[tarponchik]

And tires do not degrade from the inside to any degree you can notice.

And how do you know? I am talking about chemical degradation of rubber, not the mechanical wear.

 

[Degenerate]

Here is some helpful reading

A pony isn't meant to extend your dive time, as you suggested in the post Joneill qouted.
It's meant for SHTF situations.
If you want to extend dive times you either get a larger tank, go for doubles or bring a stage bottle.

 

[Fastmarc]

I for one have changed from being "mildly interested in adding a pony" to "not worth the bother".

ymmv,
Brian

Aah, a confirmation at last. Peace of mind that this thread wasn't all for nothing.

Now I can enjoy my weekend and Sunday dive... with my PONEE.

 

[saxman242]

When the **** hits the fan a 13 cf may just about be enough for some. Not recommended for beginners though...

I doubt you'd find anyone here suggesting a 13 cf pony is appropriate for a dive to 180'.

 

[BRT]

Hi Ryan,

You should try some pony bottle ascents the next time you dive. You will be surprised--they are just like every other ascent you make.

And in your case, you would rather do a CESA than have a pony available to get you 2/3 the way to the surface. After all, you must be prone to panic with the slightest issue that occurs in your life.

Solo diver training was all about pony bottle ascents. We did it on every dive. You start to realize that a pony bottle ascent is no different than any other ascent.

2.5 minutes to surface from 90 ft. with a 13 cf pony used. 77cf divided by 13 and multiplied by 2.5 equals 14.8 minutes. Do you breath through an AL 80 in 14.8 minutes? 13 cf in 2.5 minutes is an elevated breathing rate.

Think people, think before you go key board commando on us!

markm

This is truth. Much better to have some breaths than no breaths. A CESA from 30 feet is better than a CESA from 100 feet.

 

[BRT]

And how do you know? I am talking about chemical degradation of rubber, not the mechanical wear.

How many tires have you looked at inside and out? Sidewalls on old tires, even with full tread will get faded gray and develop cracking. Around the edge of the tread cracking will develop. Eventually the cracking gets into the fabric and the tire blows or the tread peels off. Sometimes the tread peels off leaving the tire holding air. If you look at the inside of the tire the rubber looks like new. We commonly see this on travel trailers or motorhomes that get very few miles, especially those that sit with one side to the sun all the time. The tires on the sun side will be much worse than the tires on the other side. I sell a few semi-loads of tires every year and we repair a lot of tires. Been in the business since about 1982. I've seen some. Sunlight is the enemy even more than heat when talking about rubber aging.

 

[barth]

Hi Dr. Mike,

And...if you do it wrong you may suffer AGE?

DCS, including AGE, or lucky. I'll take the pony with me instead.

markm

You care about DCS ?

2.5 minutes to surface from 90 ft. with a 13 cf pony used. 77cf divided by 13 and multiplied by 2.5 equals 14.8 minutes. Do you breath through an AL 80 in 14.8 minutes? 13 cf in 2.5 minutes is an elevated breathing rate.

markm

From 90 ft / 27 meter to the surface in 2.5 minute? You go to the surface with a speed of more than 30 feet/minute. And you skip your safety stop. I thought you did care about DCS.

Hi Ken,

BALDERDASH!

Please take your tech hat off and starting thinking like a recreational diver in benign conditions.

Packing a twinset all over the world because an anomalous situation "might" occur is ridiculous. Using a twinset in benign conditions on a planned dive to 60 feet is a joke. A 13cf pony is all you need if you are solo diving in the normal recreational range (100 feet or less).
markm

I wouldn't agree with that. I would like to have a minimum gas of 1200 liter for 2 divers for 100 feet / 30 m. I never dive with a pony, but if I would dive solo to 30 meter / 100 feet I want at least 600 liter in a pony I wouldn't accept 368 liter / 13 cuft.

(But I never do solodiving, and I never use a pony. Single tank and buddy is enough for me. If that is not enough I will use doubles.)

 

[Storker]

I would like to have a minimum gas of 1200 liter for 2 divers for 100 feet / 30 m.

That's pretty close to my min gas requirement.

On a side note, I just love 10L tanks. Almost no matter how bovine stupid I might be, I'll probably be able to multiply my tank pressure by 10 and get the amount of surface liters I have left. And I'll probably be able to compare that number to the numbers l've written on my slate with a permanent marker. 15L tanks are nearly as good, but only nearly. With a 15L tank I have to both move the decimal point one space to the right and to add 50%. Which requires a slightly lower level of "bovine stupid".

 

[MichaelMc]

Single tank and buddy is enough for me. If that is not enough I will use doubles.

When would you say single tank and buddy is not enough for you?

Edit: noting that this is a a DIR diver with 1000-2500 dives.

 

[doctormike]

A pony isn't meant to extend your dive time, as you suggested in the post Joneill qouted.
It's meant for SHTF situations.
If you want to extend dive times you either get a larger tank, go for doubles or bring a stage bottle.

What's the difference between a stage bottle and a pony bottle?

The dive plan. Otherwise, they are identical pieces of gear.