"long hose" length?

[segraves1]

I just got my spare 2nd stage today (Apeks XTX50 2nd stage to go along with my XTX100 1st/2nd). It came with a hose (about 28") but I want to go with a long hose donate (primary). I plan to take the XTX100 2nd off its hose and use the 28" hose on my XTX50 2nd on a necklace, then put the XTX100 2nd onto the long hose.

Questions:

1- What length hose do most people use?
2- Is there anything special about the 2nd stage end of the Apeks hoses or is it all standard?

 

[JeffG]

1: 7 feet
2: Nothing special.

 

[newman_diver]

7' is what most people will recommend for cave diving or wreck diving. This allows you to share gas while travelling in line.

You may be able to use a different length if you do not plan on conducting such diving. Depends on configuration, height, etc. Somewhere in between 5-7' should work.

Apeks regs use a standard connection to the LP hose.

 

[rongoodman]

You'll probably find the 28" hose is too long on your secondary, leaving a big loop over your shoulder. 22"-24" should be about right. This is a good application for the super flexible Miflex hoses.

 

[Gombessa]

Seagraves: Most people will use 7ft hoses, but a good percentage go with 5ft hoses for open water. 6ft is pretty rare. The 5ft can be a little tight on some people (depending on your girth), and most people need to tuck the excess of the 7ft if they don't use a can light.

Hijack, but I recently brought in a buddy's Apeks regs for service, and the first stage had the odd, single 1/2" LP port. In order to keep the doubles routing symmetrical, we just got a 1/2-3/8" converter which allowed him to use a standard LP regulator hose. I assume Apeks no longer uses 1/2" LP ports?

 

[segraves1]

Thanks everyone

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Hijack, but I recently brought in a buddy's Apeks regs for service, and the first stage had the odd, single 1/2" LP port. In order to keep the doubles routing symmetrical, we just got a 1/2-3/8" converter which allowed him to use a standard LP regulator hose. I assume Apeks no longer uses 1/2" LP ports?

Joinig the hijack, I have a Mares V32 first stage with the same 1/2" LP port. It had a 1/2" hose to go with it. I was able to purchase a 7' long hose with a 1/2" fitting for it. The downside is the aggravation of what to do if it fails on a trip and this weird size is unavailable, so I do have a 1/2" short hose in my kit. If the long hose fails, I can replace it with a 3/8" hose and run my backup reg on the 1/2" hose.

Getting back to the hose length, do a search, especially in the DIR forum. Although there are many people who are perfectly happy with a 5' hose, the consensus is soundly with 7' hoses, even for open water diving. I don't boast hundreds or thousands of dives, but I am quite happy with a 7' hose for OW diving.

 

[Peter_C]

Apeks got away from using the 1/2" port on their later model 1st stages. My gals older Apeks DST 1st stage has the 1/2" port and she has a 7' with 1/2" port Halcyon hose. We use Halcyon hoses not because of the name, but the quality. They are much higher quality than other LP hoses and since they are thinner, they tend to flex better.

For the backup reg, I tried a 22" and still have it, but find it restricts my head turning left. So a 24" hose is what I settled on, whether diving singles or doubles.

 

[Gombessa]

The downside is the aggravation of what to do if it fails on a trip and this weird size is unavailable

This is why we went with a converter plug. It adds maybe 7mm, and is completely camouflaged from the metal end of the hose itself unless you're really looking for it.

Having the plug lets him use standard hoses (duh), swap his first stages if needed, and eliminates the necessity of finding a 1/2" blanking plug in case a hose fails and you don't have your spare.

 

[ucfdiver]

I read somewhere that JJ uses a 6ft 10in longhose, instead of the traditional 7ft. Is 7ft no longer DIR? Should I trade my 7ft hose for one that's 6ft 10in?

I'm so glad we have these threads come up weekly.....no really...