Pony Bottle Configuration

[MikeHoncho]

I make a drop thigh pouch that houses my DSMB, spare mask and trauma shears. Works great. Made it out of trampoline fabric and phyfertex

 

[34109411]

As far as carrying it around on the surface, do whatever's easiest, especially shore diving. Sometimes that will mean donning it at the truck. Sometimes that means bringing it to the water's edge first, and then returning for it with your gear on. Donning while seated or floating is easier than donning it while standing on sand or rocks. I haven't used it much from a boat, but I would don it while seated if doing a giant stride, or in the water if doing a backroll. The issue with donning in the water is that the tank is negative when full, so don't drop it! Of course, sidemount divers do this all the time, and I get the sense that they rarely drop a tank into the ocean.

The Hydros BC has a chest strap D-ring, and a left hip strap D-ring, right? That's close to the typical clip-off locations for tech divers using deco bottles. If you're good with your hands, I'm sure you can rig this up in the standard way.

You want one big-ass boltsnap right at the neck of the bottle, on a short leash. This connects to your chest D-ring. The leash on top needs to be short to keep the valves and regs close to your body -- the closer it is, the less in the way it will be. But you still want to be able to see it, see its SPG, and use the valve, so there's kind of a sweet spot there -- something like a big boltsnap plus 1-2 inches of slack.

The bottom boltsnap should be large as well, and on a slightly longer leash. You don't need as long of a leash as is shown in this photo, because you won't be using multiple pony bottles. But some wiggle room is nice, a little more than on the top boltsnap, maybe 3 inches. The distance between the boltsnaps is determined by the distance between your BC's D-rings. When worn, the valve and regs are around the pec, the middle of the bottle ends up somewhere below your armpit, and the butt of the bottle ends up around your hip. Depending on the bottle, and on your body, it might extend a little bit past your body in the rear, that's OK.

I would recommend mocking it up with just boltsnaps and line (no rubber bits) and fiddling with it a little until you get the length right for your body and your BC. Then go back and redo it with the rubber bits. The vertical rubber handle is nice for handling the bottle in the water (above water, the valve is a better handle).

View attachment 778200

The horizontal rubber bands (or bungees) are there so that you can tuck a regulator hose into them (see below). You can stow the reg this way to carry the bottle around on the surface, and you could put it on a necklace for diving. But, instead of a necklace, I found that it was nice to dive it stowed that way. Deploying the reg from the rubber band is very easy -- the reg can be reached by either hand, just pull and it's there. Once deployed, wrap the hose behind your neck so that the reg hose comes from the right of your face. Re-stowing it while in the water a little annoying, especially if you have a miflex hose. Rubber hoses are much easier to stow in-water.

Not quite as easy to deploy as a reg on a necklace is, but I already have my octo on a necklace. That means I would take 3 second stages down, which is more than needed, 2 is plenty. If I dived solo a lot (like, more than 25% of my dives), then I would agree that removing the octo and putting the pony's reg on a necklace is a better config. But I never dived solo that often, and I didn't want the faff of removing the octo every time I dived solo, so I left it on and tucked the pony's reg into the rubber bands.

View attachment 778201

Hope this helps, cheers.

Have you ve seen some people will also use a bungy instead of the top bolt snap . I will try this next spring.

 

[Bloody Marvelous]

Alternatively, you could just go for backmounted doubles instead. If you're adding a cylinder, why not one that you'll actually use? Have an isolator valve on your manifold so you can shut off the cylinder/stage that is leaking. Unlike a pony, you can have full redundancy with a set of doubles. An SPG on one, and a transmitter on the other, one regulator on each post, and your BCD LPI on one post and your drysuit LPI on the other.

Your real redundancy is of course your dive buddy. If you run out of gas, your buddy can swim to you and and assist you. That pony bottle isn't going to provide any aid.

And ditch that Air2 and get a normal second stage. An Air2 needlessly overcomplicates any emergency situation. You'll need to make a controlled ascent with an out of gas buddy, and you have your inflator in your mouth. Not to mention a full featured second stage, like you're normally breathing from, performs better, and is cheaper than an Air2 system. If your Air2 system breathes better than your normal regulator, you've invested money in the wrong gear.

An Air2 costs the same as or more than a C370 second stage or an S270 Octo, and the C370 and S270 are balanced and cold water rated, unlike the Air2.
For the price of a non-titanium Atomic SS1, you can get a full M1 second stage and still have money to spare.

Another benefit of a normal second stage is that it won't stay at home attached to your BCD when you take your regulators in for a service.

 

[happy-diver]

Nice inside this wreck, about to start squeezing

this guy won't be squeezing anything, maybe clenching

Hey not everybody is into squeezing


If you don't come out smeared with oil, tanks scratched, chunks of rust stuck in your gear you didn't go squeezing

 

[34109411]

could someone tell me if they know if there is a brand out there that does protective mesh for 30 CF ? Also looking to find a boot for the same matter.

Otherwise what are you using to protect tanks ?

Thank you and happy new year

 

[jborg]

Otherwise what are you using to protect tanks ?

Scratched tanks look better. It's like scars, nothing to be ashamed of, just shows you've lived.

I have boots on round-bottomed single steel tanks, because otherwise they are annoying to use, but avoid other protection thingies.

 

[Boarderguy]

could someone tell me if they know if there is a brand out there that does protective mesh for 30 CF ? Also looking to find a boot for the same matter.

Otherwise what are you using to protect tanks ?

Thank you and happy new year

Those mesh are good for storage and that's it. When used while diving they just cause slippage. They're just an added step in process when I have more important things to remember.

Tanks get laid down on my truck bed or in the back of my vehicle with some blocking around them. They are stored on a shelf in my garage or standing in front of it because I didn't feel like placing them on said shelf. The little tanks get similar treatment. Paint scuffs and scratches, especially on aluminum tanks, means nothing.

 

[34109411]

I make a drop thigh pouch that houses my DSMB, spare mask and trauma shears. Works great. Made it out of trampoline fabric and phyfertex

could you show us on pic ?

 

[34109411]

could a have a sling 30 cf on my right side or it need to be always on the left ? I dove my first 20 solo dive having it on the left . What bother me a bit doing so is my spg/dept gauge coming from my main tank is bit big and interfer a slightly with the pony but not that much... On the other hand on the right have the octo still thinking if i remove it or not next summer... yes i know take out the spg and get AI one, wow expensive for me now.

idea are welcome this will be a change from the woody and gus incident.

 

[34109411]

Finally got my 30 cf and install the rigging kit that i custom made myself. It was much more difficult to obtain the optimal result on the first shot than i thought (after numerous try) but now i think it s ok.

Thank you to all of you here and your advice. I only use marine grade 316 stuff and also higher quality material. Your comment are welcome don't be to harsh please .

(Slug life i will not bother you anymore with my silly questions , you did help with this, reading your post here and elsewhere...thank you)