Necklace or stow the pony reg?

[Ragnar]

Running a hose from a stage bottle under your arm to around your neck sounds like a pain to me. If you want to not change configuration, you can use an air2 inflator, that is what I do mostly and was suggested above.

What benefit does having it around your neck provide? Are you afraid you can not deploy the reg from the stage fast enough? One of the benefits of having a slung pony is the ability to unclip it and hand it off, which would be more of a problem if it is tied around your neck.

No, I'm comfortable with deploying the reg from the bottle. But before I started diving solo I didn't use a pony at all and had been using a longhose and necklace for the octo which I really liked the idea of and still do. Solo diving has led me to more training and in the future probably wreck or cave which will bring me back to a bungied necklace so I'll just keep it that way now.

As far as some people thinking three regs is an overcomplicated set-up and prone to mixing them up, I think leaving the pony reg stowed on the bottle is probably best for that not to happen too. Thanks for the help

 

[DA Aquamaster]

An AL 30 is not much larger than an AL 19 and they are I think the same diameter. The AL 19 is in my opinon to short to efficiently stow a 40" hose and the extra lenght between the bolt snaps also helps it ride better. Plus the extra volume ensures you have more than enough for a hoover buddy from 100-130' even if the tank is less than full.

 

[Ragnar]

An AL 30 is not much larger than an AL 19 and they are I think the same diameter. The AL 19 is in my opinon to short to efficiently stow a 40" hose and the extra lenght between the bolt snaps also helps it ride better. Plus the extra volume ensures you have more than enough for a hoover buddy from 100-130' even if the tank is less than full.

The 19's I've seen are smaller in diameter than the 30 or 40 which are the same. For sure it will have the problems you mention, but I would just carry the 40 if deciding against the 19. The 30, which is only shorter by about the length of the tank valve, would still leave me with nearly the same hassles of travel and stowage yet still not sling quite as well as a 40, not worth it I think. We could get into all kinds of stuff here, different scenarios, SAC's, etc, and I love the 40 when thinking about all that, but it's just a bit much to travel with all the time with the dimensional size difference between the 19 and 40 being huge! Yes the 30 is smaller, but I wouldn't spend the money on one for the reasons mentioned. Right now I only dive solo at home, if I planned to do it on a trip the 40 is coming regardless of the hassle, unless I was organized enough to ask ahead if one could be rented.

I think I'll not buy anything right now, maybe travel again with the 40 and think about the switch a little longer. Overall, considering the typical dives I do when traveling, I'd be pretty comfortable with a known buddy and the roughly 1/4 reserve of my main supply, the 19.

Cheers.

 

[Ragnar]

ya got me thinking about this Aquamaster, here's what I found.

 

[olyvtx]

I've done a lot of reading, but am still undecided. I have a slung AL40 and have been diving with three second stages at the moment, primary on a longhose, octo on a necklace and the pony's reg stowed on the bottle. Most of what I've read has shown that when tank-mounting a pony most people put the reg on a necklace, but when slinging they leave it on the bottle. Why?

I'm comfortable I could quickly deploy my pony reg from the bottle, but lately have been thinking it may be better to have that reg on the necklace and either secure or eliminate the octo. I have no problem diving with only two second stages, mostly I've kept three to avoid having to always change my gear around when not using the pony.

I suspect that leaving the reg stowed on the bottle has something to do with being able to easily pass it off if needed without having to remove the necklace, yet for solo diving this isn't a concern. Other considerations? Thanks.

Whether im diving solo or with my buddy i use a long hose on my primary (and no octo), and necklace my 19cu pony. My pony is attached to my primary tank (ponybracket) with valve up. I would never release the pony from my tank to pass off to another diver. If someone is in trouble and needs air he'll take my primary, I'll switch to my pony and we'll surface together.