5ft reg hose instead of 7ft

[black1]

Hi guys i use a 7ft hose for my primary reg and although i like it Im thinking of just using a 5ft hose. I use the milflex hoses so there easy to bend and all. I just would rather not wrap the hose around my neck and instead just under my arm. I dive with really professional guys and feel a 5ft is sufficient for my diving, the people I dive with are all very concious as well as far as air consumption and problem solving so in case of an OOA situation a 5ft would be plenty. Those that use a 5ft can you tell me your thoughts and does it fit comfortably in your mouth, thanks all.

 

[The Kraken]

I want a 6' hose . . . Miflex.

the K

 

[Peter Guy]

I dive with really professional guys and feel a 5ft is sufficient for my diving, the people I dive with are all very concious as well as far as air consumption and problem solving so in case of an OOA situation a 5ft would be plenty. Those that use a 5ft can you tell me your thoughts and does it fit comfortably in your mouth, thanks all.

What does this have to do with whether you use a 40", 60" or 84" hose on your primary? My "best buddy" is quite "professional" and we both use 84" hoses -- for convenience in no small part because we are both fairly good divers. When we share gas, and this is not an uncommon action in the tropics, it is very pleasant to have the full 84" of hose for me (the recipient normally).

And yes, I also dive a 60" hose but I want it wrapped around my neck to take up the slack -- if it isn't, you'll have a huge loop of hose somewhere!

 

[masterof0]

I have used both a 5ft and 7ft hose and there are pros and cons to each. Ultimately I have chosen the 7ft for several reasons. First, it works regardless of what configuration I need. Even if I don't have a can, I can tuck the excess hose into my strap to manage it. Secondly, I predominantly dive cold water so when I am wearing my dry suit with thick undergarments, the 5ft was a little more snug under my arm and around my neck than I would like. The 5ft is definitely easier to manage out of the water, but once you are rigged up and have the hose routed, the are the same to manage. Speaking from experience through a couple of OOA situations where I had to donate, the extra 2ft came in handy and allow for more freedom of movement.

Ultimately, this comes down to preference. If you have the five and are happy with it and it works for you and your buddies, stick with it. Generally speaking, I have found those that use the 5ft hose are predominantly ow divers while those that use the 7ft hose are confined water (wreck, cavern, cave, etc) divers. With that said, I think that most are migrating to the 7ft for the flexibility and consistency.

 

[rongoodman]

If you're not going to route the hose around the back of your neck, 5' will probably be too long. For just under the arm up to the mouth, 40" is often suggested.

 

[redacted]

I find a 5 ft hose to be a bit short, especially with my D-series regs. I'm using 63 to 66 inch hoses on my primaries with normal routing under my arm and around my neck.

 

[ivobj]

I think this is a matter of preference, but I prefer the 7ft, it does not bother me a bit the extra 2ft, I use a knife in the harness, so if I am not with a can light to hold the hose the knife does the job pretty well, and in case of OOA the extra 2ft makes difference for me, specially in wreck penetration and caves.

But as rongoodman posted, 5 is too big not to wrap around your neck, I maybe wrong but both 5 and 7 are usually routed around the neck, as far as I know

 

[ptyx]

I attempted a 5ft hose not wrapped around the neck, and it wasn't great.

It had it passing in a bungee loop attached to the harness under the right shoulder (no canister light), but the problem was that it wasn't providing enough 'flex' to accommodate the variation of the distance between reg and belt that happens when you turn your head. It was pulling on the reg when I looked left, and pushing against it when I looked right.

It was a standard hose, so that configuration might work better with miflex.

 

[black1]

"If you're not going to route the hose around the back of your neck, 5' will probably be too long. For just under the arm up to the mouth, 40" is often suggested."

ok i thought it was simply under the arm and in the mouth, now i see how a 5ft is used, thanks all.

 

[Ben_ca]

Hi guys i use a 7ft hose for my primary reg and although i like it Im thinking of just using a 5ft hose. I use the milflex hoses so there easy to bend and all. I just would rather not wrap the hose around my neck and instead just under my arm.

You wrap your hose around your neck?