ways to carry a pony bottle

[Dashrynn]

you could always stick some weight on the butt of the tank, but is it dir if you do so?

 

[DaleC]

You shorten the tail on the tail on the stage rigging.

On a person with my frame (for example) and a Al30 or Al40, reducing the length of the bottom boltsnap only got me so far. My clips were tight against the bottle. Running the top boltsnap from just below the valve, the bottom boltsnap had to be pretty far up from the butt of the tank in order to clip it into the hip. The axis between the two clips was short and the tank torqued and rode up at the rear.
Perhaps a lanky person can extend the pivot points and have it ride more horizontal but I couldn't.

 

[AfterDark]

Butt up, butt down, that ends too high the other ends is too low. I can't believe what I'm reading! Does the tank work? Is it secure? yes? Great go diving.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

WOW, what a wonderful example of how not to sling a bottle.

I really love how divers with no technical training at all feel like they are qualified to comment on technical gear configurations...

I really love how SB members who have no technical training listed in their profile are able to conduct themselves properly in the technical forums where as some SB members with limited diving experience but a couple technical classes listed in their profile, that may or may not have included instruction in the topic at hand, are unable to conduct themselves properly in the technical forums.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

DaleC, thanks for the back-up on the picture of the slung back-up.

Two corrections; I am not a macho gamer, my life is about the shark's home, and that is a picture presumably taken by HowardE! (in his photo gallery) but it is not HowardE! (he is only 41). I am the also pictured solo scooter diver with the low profile, bungee/rope mounted 40.

Halomano is slinging it correctly. You are confusing sidemounting with slinging.

Is it plagiarism to use someone else's pic's from here on SB? Any way, thanks HowardE! It took me over an hour to find a half descent pic for this comparison (nothing personal HowardE). Amphibious really would have been helpful if he had posted his profile pic.

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[David_57]

Yep thats how I set my 40cuft up slung under left arm whether a pony of a deco bottle.

 

[b1gcountry]

you could always stick some weight on the butt of the tank, but is it dir if you do so?

That isn't the best thing to do, although you could probably get away with it if only slinging one small bottle.

Ideally, you want the bottles as neutral as possible so they don't overly affect your trim or weighting. The neck of a tank is always going to be heavier than the butt, so on a close to neutral tank, the butt is going to want to float up.

The best thing to do with only one tank is position the top clip very close to the tank neck so the top of the bottle isn't hanging down as low. This helps, but also makes it harder to clip off at the start of the dive. You can also put the bottom clip fairly far down on the bottle to take advantage of a longer lever arm. Shortening the leash will also help. The last thing that helps a little is to move the waist D-Ring forward a little so that when the bottle gets floaty, it hangs lower. The problem you start to get into is that ideal with one bottle tends to make things harder when diving 2 or more bottles, so I just make my leashes a little long and then just deal with it when they hang a little low.

Torso length shouldn't really make a difference on how the stage needs to be setup. Pretty much all backplate have the same shoulder-waist spacing, so unless you have a custom length, the distance between the chest and hip DRings should be the same.

Tom

 

[marchand]

I really love how SB members who have no technical training listed in their profile are able to conduct themselves properly in the technical forums where as some SB members with limited diving experience but a couple technical classes listed in their profile, that may or may not have included instruction in the topic at hand, are unable to conduct themselves properly in the technical forums.

that's some twisted logic... on the one side you are giving people the benefit of the doubt that they have technical training but just not listed on their profile while on the other you are assuming my profile is up to date.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

One does not have to twist logic when others have limited reading comprehension

where as some SB members with limited diving experience but a couple technical classes listed in their profile, that may or may not have included instruction in the topic at hand

that's some twisted logic... on the one side you are giving people the benefit of the doubt that they have technical training but just not listed on their profile while on the other you are assuming my profile is up to date.

 

[DC53]

I have used both back mounted and slung ponies. I am a big believer in redundant air supplies whether diving solo or with buddies, who in cold dark water where I dive a lot, might or might not where you need them when you need them. It just makes sense. I’ll agree that it is less necessary in warm crystal clear water like Bonaire or at very shallow depths like above 50 feet. I frankly doubt my high performance regs will ever fail and if they do it will be wide open not shut off most likely but carrying a pony is so simple and takes care you. Remember that when things go to S**t they usually do so way faster and more unexpectedly that you had prepared for in “training” and there’s no substitute for back up.

That said it makes sense, then, that the pony should be on you all the time; do that you become totally acclimated to the minor differences in feel and the location of the extra regulator. If you do so you literally do not feel it anymore.. at least I don’t.

The next observation is that nearly no one who does not absolutely need to (ie deep decompression divers) is going to carry a slung pony 100% of the time. There might be an exception out there but it would be rare. It’s just too much clutter in your high use area (and in my opinion less streamlined than a properly mounted back pony.

I use a 19 cu ft pony which lives beside its bigger brother which is a 120 steel HP tank. The pony mount is something I made out of linear carbon fiber which clips the two together as rigidly as if they were made together, but which can be released by removing to industrial Velcro straps. The tiny Aeris Ion regulator sits right beneath the inflator valve on my drysuit, and the primary reg is on a tight necklace that allows it to fall no more than below my chin if I release it.

The first stage on the pony sits below my right shoulder and behind my head where I can see (and avoid) most possible entanglements up close before I get intimate with them. I have gotten brief entanglements with fin straps, compasses and lights but never the pony regulator. I do not have to worry about unforeseen leaks as the pony has its own high pressure hose and SPG, sitting exactly the same as the primary SPG but on the right instead of the left. My canister light is mounted like a mini pony on the other side of the main tank.

Redundancy saves lives and your buddy may not always function as redundant air no matter what they train you to think. I also use two computers. And two fins for that matter. And when I need more or different gas for deco then I’m perfectly happy to sling a pony. But then I’d have my (redundant) doubles, anyway.

Hey, works for me.