Drysuit inflators

[creamer]

I am working on building up my collection of gear. I just bought my first set of regs and will be adding an octo and brass and glass spg from my LDS. I am wondering what else I should be adding for hoses at this time.

Diving here is cold lakes and I am taking my drysuit course with my AOW soon. I will be renting a drysuit until I find a good deal on a used one. Do rental suits normally include the inflator hose or will I need to buy one now to put on my regulators?

Also, I am looking at the Hollis 38 lbs wing. Do wings normally include the inflator hose or is that something else I will need to buy?

Thanks

 

[KevinNM]

I'd assume the rental would include a hose if you need one. BCDs normally include the hose, at least the ones I bought new had one. But it should say.

 

[BRT]

Why would a BCD include a drysuit inflator hose? Ahh! But you need that one to inflate the BCD!

 

[tbone1004]

all the wings I've purchased have included one, all of the drysuits I've purchased have included one. That's not to say they were the right length, but they came with it... They are usually pretty good though as the hoses are matched to the inflator on the wing and drysuits are pretty standard length.

 

[lv2dive]

Creamer your best bet would be to call the shop from whom you are taking the class. Just to be sure, find out whether they will provide a hose for you to add to your first stage for the rental drysuit.

Your shop may have some great deals on new drysuits and they will come with a hose. Used drysuits *typically* do not although sometimes people throw them in.

Good luck with your classes!

 

[Hawkwood]

We rent dry suits. In fact, most of our students learn OW in a dry suit.

Our rental regulators all have the dry suit inflator hose on the first stage.

If you rented a dry suit, but had your own regulators, you would be expected to have your regulators set up for diving dry, i.e. a dry suit inflator hose on the first stage.

Buy a hose, put it on, and leave it on.

 

[ajduplessis]

Not including a inflator hose to use with a rental drysuit is kind of silly IMO. You are renting the suit because you dont have, or own one.

If I rent regs they come with hose, fancy that......

 

[FinnMom]

Generally the inflator hose is attached to and will be rented/loaned along with the reg set, not to the suit.

The new drysuits I have bought did come with inflator hoses, but the vast majority of most folks selling a used suit are not including an inflator hose (their hose is still attached to their reg set).

 

[creamer]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I don't need the BCD hose since it should come with one but I should add a drysuit inflator hose to my regs(since there are only three shops that I know of in Calgary, I assume Hawkwood's information probably applies to all of those and if not, incase I ever rent from his shop). I am waiting for a reply from the dive shop about their rentals too. I was hoping to save the $60..oh well.
Since it will be on there anyways, how many people use blower attachments on their hoses if not attached to dry suit(ie for inflating a dsmb)? Any problems with this?

 

[Hawkwood]

There are four shops in Calgary:

The Dive Shop (where I teach out of)
Adventures in Scuba
Aquasport
Caribbean Dreams

Not bad for a completely land-locked location in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. They are all very good and will help you out.