long hose primary, but how long?

[buddhasummer]

How stoogacious of you.

I tried to look that word up, how stupid do I feel...

---------- Post added May 3rd, 2013 at 09:08 PM ----------

Seems pedantic for people to argue over the words routes under, passes under, tucks under, routes the same...

I believe in the buy it once theory and 7' fits all potential uses for me.

I don't think anyone is arguing, just trying to explain.

 

[ams511]

It's not clear to me that everybody here understands that the 5' hose is routed just like the 7' hose, except that it doesn't require to be caught by something on the right-hand waistband. So the hose passed under the right armpit, across the front of the body, over the left shoulder, behind the neck, and around the right side of the face.

What determines whether it works is really the breadth and depth of your torso. If you are barrel-chested or very broad in the shoulders, a 5' hose may tend to pull a little in your mouth. If you are tall and narrow, it can work just fine.

A standard octo-length hose, routed under the right armpit, and using a 90 degree adapter, can also work just fine.

I agree with this. Also it would be best to test the hose length attached to the first stage if you can. A shorter hose may work better if your first stage has a bottom port like a MK25 or a HOG. If your regulator doesn't have a bottom port or ports that point up rather than down then a longer hose may be a better option. If you are buying local then I recommend testing out the hoses first to see what works best with your body type and first stage.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

greetings.
i am thinking of transforming my gear to a more dir like setup, but only meant for recreational tropical diving.
i plan on using a long hose on my primary second stage. i am 5'10, 175 lbs, medium built. i only use single tanks. would the standard 5 foot hose be enough length for me?
tia

A 5' hose is long enough for me, and has never been an issue for air shares which of course is reason for the long hose. I dive a 7' hose now but honestly the 7' sometimes gets un-hooked from the canister light or from under the waist belt, but that is never an issue with a 5' hose. Some of this may be body size dependent and you may ultimately want a longer hose but trying is really the only way to tell.

 

[eelnoraa]

Just get 7', tug the rest under waist harness

 

[Mike.D]

When you say you tuck the rest under your waist belt do you mean you literally tuck the excess hose under your belt or is there something else holding it secure?
Do you find this gets in the way when trying to deploy your primary quickly?? Care to share some photos please?
-Mike

 

[rongoodman]

Just take the extra that would normally go under your primary light, make a bight, and stuff it under your waist belt on the right side. It will stay put, and if it starts to pull up from time to time, you just reach down and give it a tug. Should you need to donate your primary, it will pull straight out if you need the extra length.

(That being said, I keep a 5' hose on my travel/yoke regulator, because I don't always carry a primary light on "pretty fishes" trips and 5' works OK for me. I also still have a Miflex long hose there, just because it's packs more neatly.)

 

[halocline]

I have both a 7 and 5 ft hose, and I find the 5 ft much more comfortable for OW recreational diving. Tucking the excess under your belt works okay in a pinch when you have a 7 ft hose and no canister light, but it makes no sense to actually purchase a 7 ft hose for the purpose of recreational diving. The 7ft hose is used for single file air-sharing in restricted areas, so there's no practical reason you need it for OW diving.

I agree that 5 ft is a little shorter than ideal for larger people, or some types of BCs. If the tank is mounted low, the 5ft hose might not reach well on land, but in the water it might be fine. Anyhow, if you want to fine-tune the perfect length long hose for recreational use, get a hose coupler, they're only a couple of dollars, and start experimenting by coupling hoses together. It's easy to find a 36" and 28" hose, plus the coupler, and you have about 5'6". If that feels just right, you can order a custom hose from trident, you could probably even get a braided one custom length if you wanted. Or you can live on the edge and just keep the coupled hoses in use. It's two extra o-rings.

To me, the 5ft primary, 22" alternate is perfect. I do have a regulator with an end port on the turret, so I can point the turret down and two the right a bit, which gives the long hose an extra couple of inches.

 

[chrpai]

Call me crazy, but all these people who tuck their hoses when they aren't carrying a can light... why not just put some shears there? An extra cutting device seems to be a good thing to me.

 

[Mike.D]

I am currently only doing OW dives however I do think that a 7ft hose may be beneficial for a few reasons, mostly to do with emergencies where y buddy/another diver is low on air and we need to make an exit from a wreck and ascend in conditions where there may be some current. Having that extra hose length would still allow me to make the proper ascent without having to 'hug 'a diver the whole way up. It may also come handy during surf exits where getting smashed into another diver close by could present another hazard. Call me anal but the hog setup makes sense to me and i prefer this systematic type of diving.

 

[elan]

Agree except for when you scooter even in rec OW then you have to have a 7'

I have both a 7 and 5 ft hose, and I find the 5 ft much more comfortable for OW recreational diving. Tucking the excess under your belt works okay in a pinch when you have a 7 ft hose and no canister light, but it makes no sense to actually purchase a 7 ft hose for the purpose of recreational diving. The 7ft hose is used for single file air-sharing in restricted areas, so there's no practical reason you need it for OW diving.
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