dshorwich
Contributor
Wow, starting to question my spare air purchase. Are they really that bad?
If you're in a situation where you need some backup gas, it's better than nothing. But they're not very efficient bang-for-the-buck-wise. They go for, what, about $250? - and give you 3 cuft of air. When I started soloing I put together a 13 cuft pony for the same price: new bottle, valve, and button SPG from Leisure Pro, stage strap from Dive Gear Express, used reg (1st stage, 2nd stage, hose) on eBay. Oh, and I had to have a D-ring added to my BC shoulder strap (mid-'90s BC, a little lacking in robust attachment points). Same price, more than 4x the gas. My pony is more cumbersome than a Spare Air, true, but that was a trade-off I was more than willing to make.