Primary Donate - Hose Length

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I believe all the configurations have been mentioned.....
Yes, and hoses are relatively inexpensive which makes it easy to experiment to find what works best. I'm going to try the 5' primary donate one day.
 
Wow.

I scanned most of this thread, so maybe I missed these points.

On the topic of primary donate, I tell every non-tech diver I dive with to take my primary at need. It's the only one they know is safe to breathe, because I'm breathing that gas and I'm not dead. It's up to me to cope. I can do that. The tech divers I know and dive with will do this anyway, for the same reasons. We can figure out what to do next after we can both breathe and (if necessary) calm down.

On the topic of hose length, if you're not diving with other people in overhead environments with restrictions and not diving where you have a deco obligation in open salt water where wave action matters, there's no particular reason for a 7' hose. But if it's what you usually dive, there's no reason to change to something shorter, either.

On the topic of which hose to breathe from, I use the 7' hose as the primary. The shorter secondary is bungeed under my chin. If someone does the opposite, I'd be interested in the reasoning.

Sorry if I missed this stuff above.
 
On the topic of which hose to breathe from, I use the 7' hose as the primary. The shorter secondary is bungeed under my chin. If someone does the opposite, I'd be interested in the reasoning.
Well, hmmm, I guess you did miss somethings :). There is plenty of reason not to breath and donate the long hose, for the best reason, it is not how nearly all sport divers are taught by nearly every ABC agency. The vast majority of divers breath a short hose primary over their shoulder and donate a longer hose "octopus" safe second usually routed under their shoulder and affixed in the chest triangle area. Like this fellow here I met in Cozumel. Possibly one of the most squared away divers I have ever met, I believe he is also a NAUI Instructor. Both of his second stages are AL Legends, one just happens to be on a yellow hose with a yellow purge cover:



I am not being critical :), I do mostly agree, I too dive (and would donate) a long hose most of the time (but not always) though it is not a 72 inches hose. But my wife is NOT going to and neither are most of the divers I know. I am a Rock, I am an Island, a Hogarthian island alone and lost and fortress mighty shielded by my long hose, I have heard the words before, something like that, I think there was a song ----.

 
Yes, and hoses are relatively inexpensive which makes it easy to experiment to find what works best. I'm going to try the 5' primary donate one day.
Careful, a 5-ft hose is the gateway drug to the 7-ft. You'll start hanging out with cave/tech divers, and before you know it .... :wink:
 
As far as I can tell, 7ft configuration is the only one that allows for different height of a diver. You are a higher person? Tuck less hose. Short and chubby? Tuck more hose.
 
I'm absolutely loving the discussion and the response to this thread. I'm struggling to keep up but I'm reading through every comment an taking notes, it's been a huge help to me, hopefully it's helped others too.

For a brief summary of what I've learned so far (for primary donate configuration)..

84" (7ft) seems to be the most versatile and as @admikar pointed out, might be one of the better ones for different heights and shapes of people as the excess length can be tucked into a belt. It's also the the most cumbersome and for purely OW, seems potentially a bit overkill so I don't think that one's for me.

40" - 48" sounds like the bare minimum and seems to be the most compact option. You route it under your right arm and up to your mouth with a 110° swivel adapter. Also sounds like this needs to be clipped to a D-ring when its not in your mouth or else it will hang down and drag on the floor.

60" (5ft) seems like a good middle ground, it sounds like it works for some people but not others. It allows for more space between divers and it often routed under the right arm, across the chest, over the left collarbone, around the back of the head and to the mouth.

I think I'm going to have to try out a few different lengths to see what works best for me but thanks to the responses here I have a great idea of where to start and how to route the house :D

Thanks all!
 
Careful, a 5-ft hose is the gateway drug to the 7-ft. You'll start hanging out with cave/tech divers, and before you know it .... :wink:
Haha! I don’t like caves above ground, so I think I’m allergic to that drug.
ETA: I did, however, “drink the Kool-aid” and purchased a Hogarthian BP/W last year along with a fully DIR reg set with a 7’ primary donate hose which I love. The 5’ hose would actually be a step back from the ledge.
 
60" (5ft) [...] routed under the right arm, across the chest, under the left arm, around the back of the head and to the mouth.
Not quite. It goes over the left collarbone (same as the 7 ft).
 

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