Question Is there a best practice for which hoses should be rubber be flex?

[Ares1590]

Setting up my long hose primary donate routing and I was planning on all rubber hoses except the inflator hose being flex since it won’t really have a chance to get loose and float around anyway and figured it would save weight.

In general though is there a guideline for which hoses should be rubber vs flex?

 

[eightytwenty]

Personally, I prefer rubber for all my hoses. That being said, use whatever hoses you want. I don't think hose material is ever mentioned in the DIR tapes, but I could be wrong.

 

[rjack321]

Save your money and just use standard hoses

 

[JoeTPhilly]

You might find this of interest:

 

[happy-diver]

Dorota is great but that incessant background noise even if it were a get free money vid no can watch

I just don't go flex

Did you know those flex hoses are just hoses without all the outer rubber sheathing, are they cheaper

 

[Rich1280]

Anything crossing a seal gets a rubber or sheathed flexi hose, the others I'm less bothered about. I had a conversation with a couple of instructors about the long flexi hoses kinking and blocking, so they aren't fans. I've never used one, so not sure. I have seen them hold a kink though after being coiled in storage, which rubber seems to do less of.
Flexi hoses for inflation hoses or HP seem be OK in my experience.

Rich

 

[NothingClever]

…planning on all rubber hoses except the inflator hose…figured it would save weight

Your attention to detail merits praise but I think your weight savings is negligible. I’d prioritize uniformity of hose material (rubber, of course) for inspection and replacement purposes.

 

[rddvet]

Rubber for all unless it’s like a specialty hose for a ccr that you need a weird length and can only find braided . But then I just get them custom made. Braided have had their issues. And braided around your neck is annoying. It will find a stray hair creeping from under your drysuit hood and rip it out in the most painful way possible

 

[Germie]

I use flexhoses on a lot of regulators, but NOT on my longhose. It is a floating hose and that is the problem. It can get behind your valves.

Otherwise, some flexhoses are quite rough and can damage a neckseal. I like colors, so have them in a lot of colors on stages, as drysuit inflator hose, etc. But not as a longhose and also not for the backup regulator.

 

[steinbil]

I have all rubber hoses except the HP on the SPG, that's just how it came configured when I bought the regs from the LDS, and to be honest even just that one hose I find slightly annoying. I'm thinking about replacing it with rubber, but might wait until it needs replacement.

Flex hoses are super rough on skin, the little strands break off and leave small sharp prickles all over the hose. I would never want to have it behind my neck, both because of the rough surface and it's floaty characteristic.