Tips for backmounting an AL19 pony?

[landphil]

I’m running a shark back mount al19 pony for solo diving. The only negative I’ve found is that you need some extra room to get the pony attached when you’re changing tanks on a boat. Otherwise, it’s nice and stable. I just drop a pound off my pony-side trim weight and it all feels good.

 

[Boarderguy]

Slingshot mount is the best imo. The base stays attached to your can band and the mount is attached to your pony. You can swap tanks without having to change your mount system over to the new tank or having a 2nd/3rd base for the system to use on different tanks. I mount mine upside down so I can manipulate the valve if every needed. I also put a hose keeper at the mount to run the 36" hose up the tank and then under my right arm. The reg is then clipped to my right shoulder d-ring. This keeps it tight and I can pull the hose to release it when needed.

 

[NothingClever]

That Shark Pony Tank Mount looks fine for shore dives for pony tank fans but I wouldn't want to mess with it on a rolling boat.

 

[happy-diver]

Please please please score yourself one of these

from somewhere

 

[Endler's]

Once I found the Trident Quick Draw Easy Mount, as shown by @Boarderguy, my quest was over.

 

[JohnN]

I will - I shoot video, for which I have a neutral, balanced rig, and i spend a lot of time with the camera on a quadripod for supermacro. This is super close to the ground, I want nothing in the front or dangling on my side for this.

The other thing I do is shoot vertically in the water colum, black-water type shooting. This is quite dynamic and I really need to have the front clear to accomodate camera movements. Something in the front or under an armpit is not an option for me.

This is why I do want a backmounted system. No slings, no sides (even a true sidemount system would be a problem for what I do), it's just not practical.

Hello all,

I’m looking for tips on how to backmount a Luxfer AL19 pony tank on my primary gear, which is an Apeks Black Ice back-inflate BCD - The tank strap is quite low on this model. I have a standard tank strap, not the Griplock shown here, and also weight pockets are the back.

View attachment 895405 View attachment 895406

I’m looking exclusively for a backmounted solution, as I shoot underwater video, including macro which requires me to get really low, and do not want anything in the way on the front or sides, so no sling type solution for me.

From what I’ve gathered, the options would be to clamp/bracket it to the main tank (typically steel 10 to 12L or AL80 style aluminium tank), or some sort of pouch/hoster or strap solution.

What would you say works best for an AL19 cylinder?


Thank you!


PS. yes, I do know a backmounted set of doubles or sidemounted set of twins is a superior “solution”, but this is not practical for what I do.
I will be using the rig on shallow (20m max) solo shore dives with the camera, for which I prefer minimal redundancy in the rare case of a critical air loss. This is to bring me back to the surface, and yes, I’ve done the maths.

Understood.

Would you please send me a link to the quadrapod you use?

 

[Bigbella]

Over the years, I have had various brackets, both homemade of metal or PVC, and commercial versions;
but I moved to a dirt-simple pin-free Zeagle pony attachment a few years back, with two, light nylon straps with buckles and velcro closures -- around sixty bucks nowadays; and I've never looked back.

Easily removed; secure, and stowable in a boat bag; the pony tank free in seconds; travel-friendly -- and will fit across any number of BC brands . . .

 

[afieldofblue]

I don't think you understand how unobtrusive a correctly side mounted pony is. Even an AL40 or LP50 disappears.

I'm sure it's fine, but for what I do I prefer having nothing on the front, sides or underarm other than hoses and the camera rig should I need to clip it for entries.
It works better for me, which is why I'm not considering side mounted solutions at the moment.

 

[afieldofblue]

Understood.

Would you please send me a link to the quadrapod you use?

Sure - it's now a variation of this system here:

All About DIY Tripods And More

If you want to take home shots of those little animals crawling on the bottom or hiding among the gorgonians, you need a tripod. Although some housings are designed to mount 1" balls to which you can attach legs, the majority of housings do not have them. All the housings have one or two camera s...

waterpixels.net

5" arms mounted perpendicular to the housing tray, with clamped legs - for blackwater I use one of the back legs as a grip handle, and spreading out the 4 legs acts a stabiliser.

 

[afieldofblue]

Slingshot mount is the best imo. The base stays attached to your can band and the mount is attached to your pony. You can swap tanks without having to change your mount system over to the new tank or having a 2nd/3rd base for the system to use on different tanks. I mount mine upside down so I can manipulate the valve if every needed. I also put a hose keeper at the mount to run the 36" hose up the tank and then under my right arm. The reg is then clipped to my right shoulder d-ring. This keeps it tight and I can pull the hose to release it when needed.

View attachment 895540

That looks very nice - Issue I'm having is I'm not sure how well it will work with my Apeks Black Ice BC - it only has one tank band, which is quite low on the rig. I don't like GripLock tank bands so replaced mine with a standard tank band.
I have 2 large dumpable Zeagle weight pockets on the band, and the clip sits in the middle, so not sure how I could mount the basemount on the tank band efficiently unless I remove the weight pockets, which I've been using for years now (yes, I like weight on my back).
Also I a little worried about the center of gravity on such a low rig - it would have to be mounted valve up, given the tank band position, but I'm a little worried that the pony will wobble aroud with a single low attachement