Normal config to Long Hose

[halocline]

OK, I started to enter a new thread but this one is close enough to re-awaken....

I had been diving a long hose set-up for my single tank recreational rig before I got out of diving. Looking into getting a new regulator and I just don't see a reason to go back to two short hoses. I've tried the buddy breath thing with short hoses (28 or 30-ish inches)...and when the other diver is inexperienced, and/or panicked their buoyancy control can be off and that is a royal pain in the rear to do a safe ascent that way...snuggled up like lovers face to face....

My old regulator has a 7-ft primary hose and a 28-inch hose for the necklace.
The 28-inch seems almost too long looping out over my right shoulder, but any shorter and I wouldn't be able to rotate my neck to the left fully.... so 28 inches seems good
The 7-ft also seems good. Super easy to wrap. Just naturaly wraps around the waste and while not specifically necessary, I can tuck it under something on my right waist just to keep things tidy.

My question though is about the shorter long hoses...I see a lot of mention for 5ft hoses and shorter
Some of the regulator companies...Deep Six for example, list 40-inch octo hoses for their single tank package, and I see 40-inch mentioned earlier in this thread, too.

I understand the thought that a super long hose isn't absolutely necessary if you're not caving or wreck diving through restricted passages, so I can see some advantage to getting slightly shorter long hoses....but
How do ya'll route these shorter hoses?
5-feet seems to wrap under my armpits to have enough length to then get around my neck again and back to my face....and it just seems weird
and I can't imagine wrapping a 40-inch hose....so then that leaves all that hose to dangle somewhere.

I'm not a big guy...just over 150# and 5-9...so it's not like my belly circumference is taking up the slack. I don't get it!

When I was reading this I assumed you were a giant if you like a 28” hose for your alternate and a 7ft hose for your primary without tucking it. Then you said 5-9/150, and that’s certainly not giant. I can’t imagine why a 22-24” hose doesn’t work for your alternate. Keep in mind that virtually all the time, it’s just sitting under your chin, so I wouldn’t prioritize the comfort of turning your head all the way to the left over a streamlined routing when it’s not in use. I suggest you try a 24” hose, see how that feels. You can add an elbow to it, which essentially adds a bit of length because your hose has less bend in it. You might try 22” with an elbow.

For the primary, it’s hard to imagine 5ft not working for a guy your size, but some of this is might be due to the 1st stage. For me, I use a 1st stage with an end port, and point the stage down and a little to the right, so the long hose is heading straight in the correct direction. It routs across the chest and around behind the head. Adding an elbow to that also might give you a bit more room.

I have never tried the 40”-elbow-under the arm option, but people like it quite a bit. For me, I’m so used to the long hose in technical diving that the behind-the-head routing is 2nd nature.

We’re about the same size, I’m an inch shorter and 10 lbs heavier.

 

[bradlw]

Keep in mind that virtually all the time, it’s just sitting under your chin, so I wouldn’t prioritize the comfort of turning your head all the way to the left over a streamlined routing when it’s not in use. I suggest you try a 24” hose, see how that feels.

well that's a good point!

My hose lengths are all lefteover from what I was using with my double tank set up. I had just transfered both seconds to one first stage for my single tank BP/Wing...and that's how it is now, just leftover from that.

I just pulled my stuff out of storage recently, and working 'dry' to dial in my set-up a little before I get wet. again.

yeah, my old first has the LP reg hoses coming out pretty much straight to my right, and that's why the 28-inch hose loops out what I consider to be too far past might right shoulder. If I pretend to choke up on it a bit, making it 24-inches there's no way I can comfortably turn my head full left. Maybe though, to your point I can do it close enough for the very unlikely event that I'll be using it.

Ditto for my 7ft hose, it points out of the first straight right, level with the ground if I'm standing.

So maybe an elbow as you suggest, or a swivel...or I might add a different first stage port configuration might make a big enough difference.

As it is though, I like the 7ft long hose and don't have an issue with it. If my first port configuration had it pointing 'down' then yeah, I can maybe see it being a little bit too loose as it wraps around my waist.

Kindof makes me want to get my new regulator and try it out before settling on my new hose lengths

 

[dmaziuk]

I have never tried the 40”-elbow-under the arm option, but people like it quite a bit.

FWIW I'm 6'1" and I found the 40" to be shorter than I'd like -- though I do have the 2nd D-ring with camera leash there, it'd probably be less of a nuisance without that. I replaced it with a 5', that's long enough to clip off to hip D-ring, that should keep it neat and tidy, but I haven't had a chance to dive that yet.