Pony tank thoughts/advice?

[rjack321]

Adding a Dring or a clip on the left so you can put the pony on that side is better than right siding it for various reasons. Routing a 40" octo reg hose off the pony behind your neck to your mouth is the most obvious of those. You can also donate that hose then. Don't go handing OOA divers your pony, donate the reg if you can and then go up together as if they were on your octo.

 

[sonofzell]

@sonofzell Welcome local friend!

I dive Dutch pretty regularly (mostly, actually). Given my experiences there (Dutch) with buddies (ranging from insta-, to regular, to instructor) and with insta-buddies in the Caribbean, I have come to the conclusion that I am almost always diving (effectively) solo and, therefore, I am now always diving with gas-redundancy - either a pony or twins.

I'm of the "sling" camp with the pony and I dive it "hot". I turn it on and test-breathe it at the start of the dive day. Before each dive, pressure is checked with the button gauge and "on" state is confirmed with a twist - I also use "Vindicator" knobs on my ponys for easy visual confirmation.

I dive with a "standard" regulator configuration for my back gas ("primary and secondary/octo") and because the pony regulator is tucked on the pony bottle, there is no confusion about which is which.

Immediate donate to an out of gas (OOG) diver is from my back-gas because that always works - pony or no pony, single or twins. The pony is primarily for me, but would give me the option to unclip it, transition the other diver to it and then separate myself from the OOG diver if circumstances should warrant.

Roll with a slung 19cuft pony is negligible, but when diving singles, I do use 5 pounds of high-mounted (upper camband area) trim weight and I use a 2 on the left (pony) side and a 3 on the right which gives me a little counter balance).

A transfill whip is not an absolute requirement, but it is nice to be able to just top off the pony after a few rounds of test breaths. Since I'm usually diving HP100s or 120s, a quick top-off is no issue.

I'm near Norristown. If you are reasonably close and want to check out my pony setups (I have a 19 and a 40) in person and see if it will work for you, feel free to reach out. We could also probably pick up a stage kit (or the parts) up at Northeast Scuba Supply and get your bottle set up for you. I believe John (at NESS) also may have some used tank brackets if you decide to go that route.

Hey there @-JD- thanks for the info and incredibly generous offer! Your descriptions definitely offer some clarity, and are very much along the lines of how I envision using the pony. I also couldn't agree more with your perspective on Dutch Buddies; while I've met - and learned from - countless awesome divers there, I too always show up with the assumption that I will need to be self-sufficient. Considering I'm often diving with one or both of my daughters only reinforces this philosophy for me!

I just ordered a sling kit, button gauge, and hose band and plan to make my first trial dives with a basic sling configuration. I'm holding off on the refill gear and any reg upgrades for now - it seems sensible to wait until I have some practice and determine what I'm comfortable with before making any major investments. I must have misjudged the length of my old octo, as it seems to right about the length others are suggesting (I'll have to properly measure it tonight, but with a few rubber bands thrown on it, the second stage arrives nicely by the valve where it seems it should be). As mentioned before, I really try to shy away from any added "bulk", but this does seem like a pretty manageable payload considering the redundancy it would give me. There is a octo/inflator combo available for my zeagle bc that I've been eyeing up for a while; if the second tank ends up being a frequent item for me, I may go ahead and splurge on the octo-z (which would eliminate any confusion with my primary octo & hose if things go sideways).

I'm actually in Bucks (Warminster). As much as I'm tempted to take you up on your offer, the sad reality is that my Dutch season is over. I don't dive dry and my calendar is pretty much booked solid through the holidays, so at this point I'm really gearing up for '21 and plan to get as much milage as possible out of the extended pass (at least ONE good thing to have come from covid lol). With that in mind, I hope our paths cross at some point; I'm always eager to meet new dive buddies and soak up any tips & advice from those with more experience!

Thanks again for the guidance - it is sincerely appreciated!

Kirk

 

[-JD-]

Hey there @-JD- thanks for the info and incredibly generous offer! Your descriptions definitely offer some clarity, and are very much along the lines of how I envision using the pony. I also couldn't agree more with your perspective on Dutch Buddies; while I've met - and learned from - countless awesome divers there, I too always show up with the assumption that I will need to be self-sufficient. Considering I'm often diving with one or both of my daughters only reinforces this philosophy for me!

I just ordered a sling kit, button gauge, and hose band and plan to make my first trial dives with a basic sling configuration. I'm holding off on the refill gear and any reg upgrades for now - it seems sensible to wait until I have some practice and determine what I'm comfortable with before making any major investments. I must have misjudged the length of my old octo, as it seems to right about the length others are suggesting (I'll have to properly measure it tonight, but with a few rubber bands thrown on it, the second stage arrives nicely by the valve where it seems it should be). As mentioned before, I really try to shy away from any added "bulk", but this does seem like a pretty manageable payload considering the redundancy it would give me. There is a octo/inflator combo available for my zeagle bc that I've been eyeing up for a while; if the second tank ends up being a frequent item for me, I may go ahead and splurge on the octo-z (which would eliminate any confusion with my primary octo & hose if things go sideways).

I'm actually in Bucks (Warminster). As much as I'm tempted to take you up on your offer, the sad reality is that my Dutch season is over. I don't dive dry and my calendar is pretty much booked solid through the holidays, so at this point I'm really gearing up for '21 and plan to get as much milage as possible out of the extended pass (at least ONE good thing to have come from covid lol). With that in mind, I hope our paths cross at some point; I'm always eager to meet new dive buddies and soak up any tips & advice from those with more experience!

Thanks again for the guidance - it is sincerely appreciated!

Kirk

Yep, slowly puttin-away the gear - last weekend fizzled out since my buddy had a tooth pulled last week. With everything getting worse and having a high-schooler myself [mandatory travel quarantine], a winter break trip just doesn't seem feasible. Maybe I'll actually make the New Years Eve Day dive this year!

If you need hand with anything - just yell. Otherwise, maybe catch up with you at Dutch next year. Good to "meet" you anyway.

Cheers
Dave

 

[FishWatcher747]

"Adding a Dring or a clip on the left so you can put the pony on that side is better than right siding it for various reasons. Routing a 40" octo reg hose off the pony behind your neck to your mouth is the most obvious of those. You can also donate that hose then. Don't go handing OOA divers your pony, donate the reg if you can and then go up together as if they were on your octo."

I see you can buy a D ring but have no idea how I would attach it to the Left shoulder of my Aqualung ProHD jacket BC. I have put holes in the L side of BC to attach surgical shears. Is it a similar process? That is making holes?

Any video out there of someone doing this?

 

[-JD-]

I don't know that BCD so I can't say for sure, but you might be able to attach a D-ring with some thing like these:

View attachment 623197
Removable Pin D-Ring Straight Version , Piranha Dive Shop |

-or-

View attachment 623198
Slip-On Webbing LONG D-Ring

"Adding a Dring or a clip on the left so you can put the pony on that side is better than right siding it for various reasons. Routing a 40" octo reg hose off the pony behind your neck to your mouth is the most obvious of those. You can also donate that hose then. Don't go handing OOA divers your pony, donate the reg if you can and then go up together as if they were on your octo."

I see you can buy a D ring but have no idea how I would attach it to the Left shoulder of my Aqualung ProHD jacket BC. I have put holes in the L side of BC to attach surgical shears. Is it a similar process? That is making holes?

Any video out there of someone doing this?

Could you pass the pin part of this through the webbing loop sewed around the upper part of the left shoulder quick release buckle?

 

[FishWatcher747]

Pretty sure this would work, threading D ring though webbing of quick release at upper end. Thanks, I will try this.

 

[FishWatcher747]

Any thoughts about just putting a plastic zip tie through the webbing on the upper snap on the quick release of the Left shoulder quick release? I have dozens of these laying around.

 

[Ghost95]

Hello OP, i hope you're getting all the info you we're looking for. We all have opinions and you know what they say about that.

I dive 2 sizes of ponys, 13 and 30. Not at the same time. I do sling the 30 but the 13 is mounted upside down on the right side of my tank. I use a 48" hose that tucks between the wing and the tank. The hose is routed over my right shoulder and attached on my right chest strap. If I need it it's right there and if I have to donate it it just kind of slips off my shoulder and then is 48" away from me. In practice, with the experienced guys I dive with occasionally, it works well but it's primarily an emergency accent tank on solo dives. 80' or less is fine (for me) and you can usually add a safety stop. If you do have to use it at 80' it's a start accent right now kind of thing not swim back to the anchor and then leisurely start up. A 13 doesn't have the air for that and neither does a 19.

I haven't noticed allot of trim issues with a 13 and a 19 isn't much bigger. You should be able to trim out by moving some weight to your left and be ok. I usually just ignore it.

I charge the regulator on descent and then reach back and turn it off but leave it pressurized. Pressurizing and then shutting off keeps accidental free flows to a minimum and keeps water from going into your reg. It's nothing to reach back behind my hip and spin the knob. I also normally do my last accent of the day on the pony just to stay proficient in it's use. I've practiced this way and I'm comfortable with my setup, you may not be.

One thing to remember it's that you can't donate the whole system with it strapped to your tank. You're kind of along for the ride if you give it to a panicky buddy. Those incidents are always "interesting" and a reason to avoid nervous insta-buddies.

I hope you find what you're looking for for your system. I'm comfortable with mine and the way I dive it but you might not be.

Good luck.

 

[happy-diver]

Where's my 3 litre "steel" pony that can be filled with lots

Out of the way on my back where they are supposed to go!

It's not pretending to be a techslinger

It's diving!

Fin one two, Spin one two, somersault three four, swim on back one two

Diving one dimensionally in a three dimensional world



Magnificent!

 

[sonofzell]

Hello OP, i hope you're getting all the info you we're looking for. We all have opinions and you know what they say about that.

I dive 2 sizes of ponys, 13 and 30. Not at the same time. I do sling the 30 but the 13 is mounted upside down on the right side of my tank. I use a 48" hose that tucks between the wing and the tank. The hose is routed over my right shoulder and attached on my right chest strap. If I need it it's right there and if I have to donate it it just kind of slips off my shoulder and then is 48" away from me. In practice, with the experienced guys I dive with occasionally, it works well but it's primarily an emergency accent tank on solo dives. 80' or less is fine (for me) and you can usually add a safety stop. If you do have to use it at 80' it's a start accent right now kind of thing not swim back to the anchor and then leisurely start up. A 13 doesn't have the air for that and neither does a 19.

I haven't noticed allot of trim issues with a 13 and a 19 isn't much bigger. You should be able to trim out by moving some weight to your left and be ok. I usually just ignore it.

I charge the regulator on descent and then reach back and turn it off but leave it pressurized. Pressurizing and then shutting off keeps accidental free flows to a minimum and keeps water from going into your reg. It's nothing to reach back behind my hip and spin the knob. I also normally do my last accent of the day on the pony just to stay proficient in it's use. I've practiced this way and I'm comfortable with my setup, you may not be.

One thing to remember it's that you can't donate the whole system with it strapped to your tank. You're kind of along for the ride if you give it to a panicky buddy. Those incidents are always "interesting" and a reason to avoid nervous insta-buddies.

I hope you find what you're looking for for your system. I'm comfortable with mine and the way I dive it but you might not be.

Good luck.

@ghost9 yes, I'm certainly aware of the strong opinions on SB, but like always, the info here is super helpful!

It's slightly embarrassing to admit, but this thread pointed out my misconception that a mounted pony's second stage would be tethered to the tank (I hadn't envisioned actually routing the hose to my body like the primaries; I was thinking of it more like a "spare air style" handoff item). With that clarified, the two options certainly make a lot more sense.

Since my typical diving is not the style that would warrant a second bottle, I feel like I've got a lot of freedom to play around with it and find my comfort zone and preferences. I'm actually kind of excited to start experimenting with the pony... I look at any safety redundancy as a plus, and it'll be a useful skillset to have if/when I decide to advance to deeper or more "technical" diving.