long hose length question

[red_infinity]

I'm looking to change my hose config to a long hose/bungied octo. I'm just wondering for the long hose though...what length should I get? I am 5'5", 140lbs....so I can't imagine using the 7 footer.

Any ideas? Sorry if this is a dumb question or that it's been answered already.

-Francis

 

[herman]

Unless your doing caves, going in side wrecks or other tight places, a 5ft works fine. It also eliminates the need to tuck it in.

 

[PerroneFord]

7ft is nice, but can be problematic for some I guess. I used a 5ft for a while, but I'm larger than average. For your size, it should be great.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I'm looking to change my hose config to a long hose/bungied octo. I'm just wondering for the long hose though...what length should I get? I am 5'5", 140lbs....so I can't imagine using the 7 footer.

Any ideas? Sorry if this is a dumb question or that it's been answered already.

-Francis

You have to remember that the 7ft isn't for you--it's for the person who's OOA. It's main use was originally for caves. If someone went OOA in the cave, during the exit you might have to go single-file into a tight constrained space. The OOA diver is in front of you and you need to have enough hose for them to be completely in front of you.
Hence the reason for using a standardized 7ft hose. You might be 5'5" but your buddy might be 6'5" tall...and a 5' hose might not work too well with him/her. 7' should cover just about everyone...

For standard OW stuff, 5' would probably do you fine. I use a 7ft hose and don't cave dive, but I route it under a light or a waist pocket instead of "tucking it in" to my waist strap.

 

[limeyx]

I'm looking to change my hose config to a long hose/bungied octo. I'm just wondering for the long hose though...what length should I get? I am 5'5", 140lbs....so I can't imagine using the 7 footer.

Any ideas? Sorry if this is a dumb question or that it's been answered already.

-Francis

i have more than one 5'2 ish or less buddy that use 7' hose with ease.

if you go into an overhead, then it's the height of your buddy that's important, not yourself (as if you donate gas to them, the hose has to run their body length), so in this case you need a hose longer than the height of your tallest buddy usually 7 feet is good unless you go diving with the circus.

I use 7' for everything and I'm a "short" 5'7

 

[S. starfish]

My girlfriend is 5'5"/110 and can use a 7ft hose. I don't really see a reason not to get one, it does take practice to use but so does everything else so no worries there.
I know some people who started out with a five foot hose and ended up switching to a 7 foot later on. If you're not diving with a cannister light then the 7ft hose can be a little annoying as you have to tuck it in, but if you buy a knife that you can attach to your harness then you've solved the problem and you have a backup knife.
The real thing is getting the right length short hose, i'm too lazy to switch my short hose to the proper length for a long hose setup and it's damn annoying.

 

[*Floater*]

My girlfriend is just a little over 5'5" and 105 lbs. She didn't have a problem per se with a 7 ft hose, but it was a little too loose on her. A little extra was always hanging out and making the hose more likely to come loose. She's getting a 6.5 ft. one, but could probably get away with a 6 ft. hose.

About "it's for you buddy argument": Well, you are the one using it and wearing it 99.99% of the time. But if you are diving in an overhead environment and it's so tight that you have to move in a single file, and your buddy experiences a true OOG, then he exits first so that you don't accidentally loose him (i.e. you don't want to look back and see he's not there anymore and your longhose is just hanging in the breeze).

If the buddy is really tall, then you may need that extra 6-12", or even that may not be enough to comfortably swim in a file with him first. OTOH, that situation is pretty unlikely, and somebody dying because they couldn't make it work without that extra 6" is pretty damn unlikely, so it may be better to just go with the hose length that comfortably wraps behind or in front of your wing, under the can light, across the chest (maybe helping to stow your lighthead), behind the neck and into your mouth so that you can still move your head comfortably but don't have too much loose hose hanging behind you (you push the extra behind the can light in general). So take your pick. Stop by a shop and try out a few different lengths if you want, or just get the 7 footer.

 

[wallacm]

I'm 5'4" and use a 7-ft hose, i have done both stickin extra in the waist and now run it under my cannister light. I have never had a problem with the extra.

 

[ianr33]

Although a 7 foot hose is not required in a non-overhead environment I find a 7 foot hose much easier to manage than a 5 foot hose.A 5 foot goes under the right arm and just kind of flops around there.A 7 foot can be tucked under a can light,a knife sheath a pocket or just tucked in the waistband.

 

[TSandM]

I'm 5'4", 120 lbs, and tiny framed, and I dive a 7' hose without any problems. Several of my friends, and my husband, dive the 5' hose, but Peter found that the reg didn't sit comfortably in his mouth, and had to put a swivel on it.

If you are using a traditional BC, the 5' is easier to deal with, at least from what I've seen. With a BP/W/harness setup, the 7' is not a problem.