New Zeagle Razor 20cu pony bottle - How much integrated BCD weight should I deduct?

[flying lion]

Looking for advice on much weight to deduct from my normal BC weight pockets to account for the new Pony Bottle setup.

I dive the Zeagle Stiletto BCD and will be front side mounting this new 20cu Razor Pony bottle on the D-rings in the Zeagle pony holder.(see pic).
My dirst dive with it will be next week in North Carolina. I usually carry 14 pounds of weight in my integrated BCD pockets: 4lbs left front, 4lbs right front, 3lbs left rear and 3lbs right rear. So should I simply forego the 4lb pocket weight on the front right where the pony is carried and see how it goes? Or should I distribute the weight more in pockets if I need to carry less than 10lbs. I have some 2's, and additional 3's that I could substitute...

 

[inquis]

Specs are difficult to find for this. I did find that the tank itself weighs 12 lbs (no valve/reg), which makes it -1.1 lb buoyant, so I'd guess you're looking at dropping 2-3 lbs (including the valve/reg). If you wanted to know for sure, just measure it while submerged with a luggage scale when empty.

 

[tursiops]

First, "front side mounting" is no such thing. You are just carrying ti from your D-Rings, in front.
Secondly, it is a pony, so you do not intend to use the gas from it, right? At most, even if you did, that would only be about a pound of gas.
Thirdly, most folks carrying a small pony like that don't even both adjusting any weights....the pony and reg makes them slightly heavier (like, maybe 2 pounds at most) and they just compensate by adding a bit more gas to the BCD.

 

[inquis]

If I were using a pony, I would adjust for the empty buoyancy, because it's trivial to do so (assuming I have the needed lead bricks). I'm not giving it up during the dive; after all, it's called "pony" for a reason (Piss Off, Not Yours).

 

[Snusmumrik]

Man. Think of it : if you are in need to remove pony bottle underwater for some reason,
you should still stay neutral. So my choose not to remove any weight.

 

[Searcaigh]

I agree with the above on not removing any weight.

I milk my pony / deco bottle (30cu ft) over a period of time as I use it for occasional deco plus while washing and cleaning the tank and reg after every dive.

I currently have 90 bar in it. I normally use 40-50 bar from 21m to 6m, so it becomes slightly positive over time.

 

[sod kamus]

I found I did not have to adjust my weight with my 19 cu ft pony. I dive HP100's and a AquaLung BCD. Any buoyancy was insignificant.

 

[Rafael Moreira]

OFF TOPIC: Planning to do a self-reliant training and I know I will learn more about ponies. Let me ask you... looking for best practices, if you carry a pony, do you still use an octopus? Or will the pony serve as the backup regulator in case of any issue?

 

[inquis]

Opinions vary, as always. If it were me, I would ideally necklace the pony and have it on throughout the dive. Only 2 second stages on me to reduce potential confusion, and it's extremely easy/quick to switch. Do this whether slung/sidemounted (my preference) or stuck on the side of the main tank like a big leech.

That said, I'm sometimes lazy and don't want to remove the backup/necklaced second stage from the main tank first stage if I'm switching back & forth between normal and solo. In that case, I would leave the pony second stage stuffed in the bands, charged, but off. I would do this only if slung/sidemounted.

 

[34109411]

Looking for advice on much weight to deduct from my normal BC weight pockets to account for the new Pony Bottle setup.

I dive the Zeagle Stiletto BCD and will be front side mounting this new 20cu Razor Pony bottle on the D-rings in the Zeagle pony holder.(see pic).
My dirst dive with it will be next week in North Carolina. I usually carry 14 pounds of weight in my integrated BCD pockets: 4lbs left front, 4lbs right front, 3lbs left rear and 3lbs right rear. So should I simply forego the 4lb pocket weight on the front right where the pony is carried and see how it goes? Or should I distribute the weight more in pockets if I need to carry less than 10lbs. I have some 2's, and additional 3's that I could substitute...

Personally i will get ride of the pony holder and keep the rest.Keep that reg snug to the poney not dangling around. This being said if you dont dive in a dry suit or more than a 3 mm you should be able to get to 12 pound. Seem 14 is bit overweight pony or not for you.