Used the 13 cu-ft pony this weekend

[mikerault]

Odd, everyone says the 6 CF Spare Air isn't enough, but both posters sound like it would have worked just fine for them.

Mike

 

[DwayneJ]

Around here a Z-2 would be considered a pretty high faluting pony reg.

Thanks! My Primary is an M1 and Octo is a T2. My local LDS Dine and Surf had a really really good deal on the Z2 when I purchased the bottle during their yearly sale and I wanted to keep my 1st and 2nd stages "in the family".

Odd, everyone says the 6 CF Spare Air isn't enough, but both posters sound like it would have worked just fine for them.

Mike

Correct - For a quick down and up but an ascent with a minimum deco stop or a deeper depth would be very difficult with a 6 CF. Emergency ascent only. For me its about having air for me or my buddy during 60ft+ dives and a safe controlled ascent.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

My thoughts would be to consider one of the new larger 1" diameter button gauges instead of a 2" SPG on a short HP hose. They are accurate enough to give you a good idea of whether the tank is full and volume remaining within a couple hundred psi and they are easily readable underwater - even with my 43 year old eyes that are threatening to need bifocals in a few years.

A short HP hose, especially on zip tied back on itself like that is going to weather check, deteriorate and leak in short order requiring annual or biennial replacement. A button gauge is more streamlined and eliminates the hose and HP spool as potential failure points. The simpler and more reliable the better in a redundant system like a pony bottle.

Another advantage of a 30 is that the cost is not significantly greater than a 13 but you get over tiwce the capacity. The tank is also long enough to allow you to use a 40" hose. When slung, you can route a 40" hose around the back of your neck and it feels "normal" compared to a short 22-26" hose routed in front of you where it can interfere with dumping air and operating the inflator in addition to feeling less secure due to the shorte hose having to do a pretty sharp 180 between the valve and your mouth.

In short, for a slung pony there are lots of reasons other than air capacity to go with a 30.

 

[spectrum]

Odd, everyone says the 6 CF Spare Air isn't enough, but both posters sound like it would have worked just fine for them.

Mike

In a low stress non event situation........

 

[sheck33]

My thoughts would be to consider one of the new larger 1" diameter button gauges instead of a 2" SPG on a short HP hose. They are accurate enough to give you a good idea of whether the tank is full and volume remaining within a couple hundred psi and they are easily readable underwater - even with my 43 year old eyes that are threatening to need bifocals in a few years.

A short HP hose, especially on zip tied back on itself like that is going to weather check, deteriorate and leak in short order requiring annual or biennial replacement. A button gauge is more streamlined and eliminates the hose and HP spool as potential failure points. The simpler and more reliable the better in a redundant system like a pony bottle.

Hm, I have both my stage cylinders set up with a short HP hose bungeed back on itself and a 2" SPG. Been like that for years and the hoses/SPG's havent leaked yet. The gauge part is unlikely to fail, if you are going to have an issue it will be in the regulator. Simplifying this by using a button gauge that is hard to read is not justified IMHO. Just my 2 cts.

 

[sheck33]

I have been slinging a 13 cu ft Poney for ~1 year and at the end of a dive trip, I always deploy it to return to the dive boat for the the last dive, as I have to dump the air and remove the valve to take it home (Airplane) anyway. Might as well practise its use.

I have done this at various depths, up to ~75 feet, with a 3 min Safety Stop with no problems. Now I know this is not under stress and all, but its comforting to know I have a shot of getting to the surface in an emergency.

Plus the Luxfer Poney is small enough to transport. I just put it into a small carryon with my computer and Regs..no problem at all.

How about making sure you and your buddy can make it to the surface?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Hm, I have both my stage cylinders set up with a short HP hose bungeed back on itself and a 2" SPG. Been like that for years and the hoses/SPG's havent leaked yet. The gauge part is unlikely to fail, if you are going to have an issue it will be in the regulator. Simplifying this by using a button gauge that is hard to read is not justified IMHO. Just my 2 cts.

Your mileage may vary. Time in the sun, ozone in the environement, etc all play a part. I was a fan of the SPG on a short hose approach when the only option was the small button gauges, as they were very hard to read underwater. However, I recognized it for what it was, an inelegant work around and I am not inclined to recommend it now that a better option is available.

I'll repeat myself with the current crop of readily readble 1" button gauges, a 2" or larger spg on a hose is no longer required and carries with it a hose, and an HP spool with 2 additional o-rings that can fail.

I realize I am not going to convert those who don't want to be converted, but I'll repeat myself and say that I have no problems reading a 1" gauge under water even in relatively low light and my eyes don't have the near vision they had 25 years ago. As you can see from the attached picture the old style button gauge is much harder (ie: almost impossible) to read while the larger 1" gauge gives up very little to a larger 2" SPG.

If you use an SPG and hose, keeping the radius as large as possible will extend hose life. Many divers use an even shorter hose and just let it lie back along the tank, and in my opinion that makes more sense than permanently zip tying it back on itself.

 

[DwayneJ]

Hm, I have both my stage cylinders set up with a short HP hose bungeed back on itself and a 2" SPG. Been like that for years and the hoses/SPG's havent leaked yet. The gauge part is unlikely to fail, if you are going to have an issue it will be in the regulator. Simplifying this by using a button gauge that is hard to read is not justified IMHO. Just my 2 cts.

That was the same feedback I received and thus why I set it up this way. My buddy is going to install a button guage on his 30cf pony.

 

[Nemrod]

This weekend I was freedive spearfishing in about 80 ft and had a fish take my gun into a small "cave". Since the current was very strong and I was out of "time" I had to ascend leaving the gun, fish and and floatline w/ float to mark the spot. The current was around 3 kts, which is just too hard for me to recover my gear with breathhold.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
It was an interesting demonstration (to myself) that a 13 cuft pony should be able to get me (when scuba diving) from recreational depths to the surface without too much trouble (if everything goes well). It always kills me when some people say you NEED a 30 cu-ft pony for a 75 ft recreational dive.

You are the man, some are into overkill X 2, as you see and knew already and verified with your exploit, 13 to19 is plenty/ 2.

Mine:

N

 

[Phychotics]

Would a SpareAir be enough to do a safe ascent from 75ft? or would it be "hey lets play Haul ass to the Surface without getting bent!!??"