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.

 

[halocline]

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

I wouldn’t use a swivel, 90 degree elbow only. I’m still having a hard time understanding why a 24” hose is too short for your alternate. I use a 24” hose (with elbow) on the left SM tank, and that’s a LOT further away than a single BM tank. I would try one on a dive, if you feel that it’s too tight then add an elbow. Since that’s a pretty typical SM left-tank hose, I’m sure you could sell it if you don’t like it.

 

[halocline]

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.

So you use a 5 ft hose but don’t rout it behind your head? And you clip your primary reg hose to a D ring? I’m not sure I understand.

For me, the 5 ft hose routs just like the 7ft hose, except instead of going down and around a canister light (which I don’t use anymore) and then back up, simply goes under the right arm, across the chest, over the left shoulder and around behind the head. I keep a bolt snap on the hose right where the 2nd stage connects so I can clip it off if I’m not using it, but while I’m breathing off it, it is never clipped to anything. That would make much more problematic for quick donation.

The classic routing for the 40” hose is simply under the right arm and then back up on the right side, attached to a 90 elbow at the 2nd stage. I only brought it up because lots of people like it. I’m much happier just keeping the same hogarthian style routing that I use in cave/technical diving. I also would not be crazy about having an elbow on the hose I’m going to donate; I feel like that might make air sharing a little less comfortable. But I’ve never tried it, so I could be wrong. I like having 60” of hose for air sharing, it really becomes effortless.

I apologize if this stuff seems obvious to you! Written communication isn’t always the easiest to understand for me.

 

[dmaziuk]

So you use a 5 ft hose but don’t rout it behind your head? And you clip your primary reg hose to a D ring? I’m not sure I understand.

Same as 40" only clip the slack off at the hip. As I said, I haven't had a chance to find out if I like it that way yet.

 

[bradlw]

I wouldn’t use a swivel, 90 degree elbow only. I’m still having a hard time understanding why a 24” hose is too short for your alternate. I use a 24” hose (with elbow) on the left SM tank, and that’s a LOT further away than a single BM tank. I would try one on a dive, if you feel that it’s too tight then add an elbow. Since that’s a pretty typical SM left-tank hose, I’m sure you could sell it if you don’t like it.

Yeah, I'm not sure....maybe my hoses are too stiff.

I don't see how an elbow would help, unless you mean to route the shorter hose from my regulator port to point more forward towards my right ear instead of more or less 90° out to my right

Anyway, it was just my impression doing the mockup while standing with it in my garage that anything shorter than what I have would restrict my head turn a little. It's probably not too short in reality, because how often really, do I need to turn my neck full left rotation to look over my left shoulder....

 

[inquis]

Another vote for 22"-24" for the short hose. That's the typical recommendation, and I found even 22" to be longer than necessary for my setup. <shrug>

Have you had someone hold the hose at 24" at the 1st stage to test, or are you trying to mock this up by yourself?

 

[halocline]

Yeah, I'm not sure....maybe my hoses are too stiff.

I don't see how an elbow would help, unless you mean to route the shorter hose from my regulator port to point more forward towards my right ear instead of more or less 90° out to my right

Anyway, it was just my impression doing the mockup while standing with it in my garage that anything shorter than what I have would restrict my head turn a little. It's probably not too short in reality, because how often really, do I need to turn my neck full left rotation to look over my left shoulder....

So you haven’t tried it in the water? That explains it. You can’t do this standing up on land.

The elbow allows the hose to make less of a bend and travel straight back towards the tank. But none of this matters until you try it in the water where the tank is positioned correctly, not hanging down from its own weight and being pulled off your back.

 

[halocline]

Same as 40" only clip the slack off at the hip. As I said, I haven't had a chance to find out if I like it that way yet.

So you clip a regulator hose while in use that you intend to donate in a OOA situation? Like a clip attached to the mid point of the hose?