Pony Bottle: to rent or to own

[Divin'Papaw]

I posted this question a couple of days ago, but I put it at the end of another thread. I know ... not a good idea. So, I'm asking again...

For an individual taking a wreck course and who will only occasionally do wreck diving, should I go ahead and invest in a pony bottle (either 19cf or 30cf) or rent one from the dive shop teaching my course?

Do dive shops who teach wreck diving and primarily lead wreck charters typically have ponys (or stage bottles) for rent? I just don't really want to make the $300-$400 investment in a pony, reg, spg, and sling or mount right now if I don't have to.

 

[dkktsunami]

Pony rental is not common in the areas I've dived. I've never seen the service offered.

 

[MSilvia]

If those are your only choices, rent if you have to. If you can get an AL40, buy it. The latter will serve you well as a pony, and as it's nearly neutral (so you won't notice it affecting your trim) and has a great capacity. Better still, if you ever expand your wreck diving to include penetration, a 40 is big enough to use as a deco bottle, so you won't have to re-buy.

Even if you don't get into penetration/deco, the tech diving market will ensure a 40 will hold it's resale value. I'd recommend stage mounting it if you have a BC that's configured appropriately.

 

[spectrum]

Not to jjack this thread but to enhance it... (I hope)

When you travel with a pony I understand the valve needs to be out for air travel, is that correct?

If this is so will you get hit with a VIP when you go to charge it or do they look the other way for travelling divers?

Pete

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I'd recommend stage mounting it if you have a BC that's configured appropriately.

Could you give me a sentence or two on just what this means? Or a link?

I'm buying a SeaQuest Black Diamond BC, if that helps at all.

 

[RICHinNC]

If you review the TSA rules, they say you can take a pony as carry on. The valve must be removed so they can check for explosives inside.

The reality is, I have NEVER met a TSA agent that will allow you now take a pony on board. I have always had to pack it in check in baggage....still....with the valve removed. If you do not remove the valve and they check your suitcase...you just lost your pony.

So I print off their rules and wrap them around the pony in my check in bag and add a dive mag just in case. On their rules I have hand written...."please replace the green plug once you have checked my tank....thanks""

Hope this too was not seen as a highjack....

....and buy a bp and wing......ahhhhhhh I feel so much better now.....just couldnt hold it in

 

[MSilvia]

Could you give me a sentence or two on just what this means? Or a link?

I'm buying a SeaQuest Black Diamond BC, if that helps at all.

Here's a set of instructions on how to set up a tank for stage mounting, which essentially allows yo to clip the tank off at your shoulder and waist, so that it rests under your arm in such a way as to be convenient to access, easy to don/remove, and so that it's so out of the way that you'll hardly notice it until you want it.
http://dir-diver.com/en/equipment/stagebottle_rigging.html

When you're done, it'll look like this:
http://dir-diver.com/pics/stagebottle/stagekit_mounted.jpg

As for whether or not this will work with a Black Diamond... I don't know. I can see that it has D-rings on the shoulders (more than it needs IMHO) that you could connect to, but I can't see from any of the pictures I looked at if it also has them on the hips, where you'd want to attach the lower connector. It has them on the cummerbund, but I don't think that would help... the tank would ride akwardly if secured there. If you're interested in setting it up this way, I'd double check that BC for hip rings before you buy it.

....and buy a bp and wing......

The versatility of a hogarthian backplate harness would ensure you could position D-rings properly, if the BC "you're buying" doesn't have them in the right places... just FYI.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks to both RICHinNC and MSilvia ... thanks for your input. Very helpful.

However, the dive ship I'm diving with says the following on their website: "<name of dive shop here> has a selection of Doubles with isolation manifolds and 30 cu stage bottles for rental." I can't see why I couldn't rent a 30 cf stage bottle and a regulator in place of buying one at this point. Am I missing something? I completely plan on buying one eventually. I'm just WAY over my diving budget for the year already and something is just going to have to wait!

Re: the Black Diamond, I do believe it has a D ring on each hip, but I will verify that. I believe it has two on the right shoulder (one in the small), one on the left shoulder and one on each hip for a total of 5 D rings (4 on the small). The one on the cumberbund they don't really count. So ... I'm fairly certain I could sling a stage bottle without any problem.

Re: a BP/W ... I may eventually move into such a setup. However, as a new diver, I feel a good back-buoyant BC will always be useful, even if I eventually upgrade, and for now it is much simpler for me to get into and learn.

 

[Otto]

There are a lot of wrecks in the lakes to your North. Have you ever tried a BP/W? If not, and you can borrow or rent one and have some one who can help you get it fit correctly I would recommend that you give it a try before you buy a BC. A BP/W can do everything that a BC can and is much more flexible in its ability to fit your future needs without spending more money. If you look at a BP I would not recomend one that has a slot for the tank band bolts but rather a round hole. Try hammerhed Scuba among others. If purchasing, I also recomend the 40cf bottle not the 30cf.

 

[MSilvia]

However, the dive ship I'm diving with says the following on their website: "<name of dive shop here> has a selection of Doubles with isolation manifolds and 30 cu stage bottles for rental." I can't see why I couldn't rent a 30 cf stage bottle and a regulator in place of buying one at this point. Am I missing something?

IMHO, the only thing you're missing is a good reason to buy. Compare the cost of buying vs. renting:
An AL30 (or 40) with a regulator, spg, and mounting hardware would cost... let's say $125 for the tank, $200 for the reg, $75 for the spg, and $50 for the hardware. That comes to an initial outlay of $450, plus another $50 or so for annual reg service and tank VIP. That's $500 the first year, and $50 annually after that, plus hydro every 5th year and fills.

I don't know what the shop charges to rent a pony setup, but let's say it's $25/day. At that rate, if you think you'll do significantly more than 30 days of diving that requires a pony in the next five years, it's worth buying. Otherwise, it's worth renting. Based on your actual costs, and the convenience of getting to the dive shop to rent, figure out what makes sense.

for now it is much simpler for me to get into and learn.

A bp can be a right ***** to get set up right if you don't have anyone to show you how it should be. They're great when they're right, but you need to know what right is to get them set that way.

Double check those hip D-rings on the Black Diamond, and if it has them, enjoy! If it doesn't, you might want to check out the DiveRite Transpac II... it's what I used prior to the bp switch, and is very good overall. If you do an advanced search for user msilvia and keyword transpac, you'll get a better understanding of the things I liked and disliked about it.