Thoughts on breathable inflators?

[kelemvor]

Regarding the BC exhaust, if I remember correctly, if you depress the deflator and breathe in at the same time, you will get air from the BCD, so you might want to keep it clean.

I believe the air2's have a seperate exhaust port, like any reg. Although I guess it might be possible to suck some of the bcd exhaust back in while inhaling with the dump open. If you lack a pull dump, you're probably going to have to take it out of your mouth for that moment when you press the button anyway.

If you use a pull dump, this is a non-issue. Exhaust from the bcd vents at the shoulder rather than traveling down the corrugated hose.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Alright. Octo-inflator is off the list. I will probably be getting a necklace and replacing my octo with something that isn't the literal worst (thought I guess it isn't broken at least). Now I just need to decide long hose or short hose.

 

[Soloist]

For what it’s worth, I have been VERY happy since switching to a long hose primary and a necklace.

 

[decompression]

Alright. Octo-inflator is off the list. I will probably be getting a necklace and replacing my octo with something that isn't the literal worst (thought I guess it isn't broken at least). Now I just need to decide long hose or short hose.

I think that’s a wise decision......now......consider the pros and cons of a long hose....

If you start with a 5’ hose you get simple primary donate, develop muscle memory that will serve you for the rest of your diving career no matter where you end up, a streamlined set up and common parts anywhere in the world (opposed to Air2).
Thousands of DIR and tech divers can't ve wrong.

 

[broncobowsher]

Necklaced octo.

A power inflator that is long enough to have good head movement will be too long to find when you need it.
A power inflator that is always on your shoulder and easy to find will be too short and restrict range of motion.

Try this, how restricted is the range of motion of your head while manually inflating? Can you look to your right?

 

[decompression]

Alright. Octo-inflator is off the list. I will probably be getting a necklace and replacing my octo with something that isn't the literal worst (thought I guess it isn't broken at least). Now I just need to decide long hose or short hose.

I think that’s a wise decision......now......consider the pros and cons of a long hose....

If you start with a 5’ hose you get simple primary donate, develop muscle memory that will serve you for the rest of your diving career no matter where you end up, a streamlined set up and common parts anywhere in the world (opposed to Air2).
Thousands of DIR and tech divers can't ve wrong.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

I think that’s a wise decision......now......consider the pros and cons of a long hose....

If you start with a 5’ hose you get simple primary donate, develop muscle memory that will serve you for the rest of your diving career no matter where you end up, a streamlined set up and common parts anywhere in the world (opposed to Air2).
Thousands of DIR and tech divers can't ve wrong.

What is the functional difference between a 5' and a 7'? Is there a good reason to choose one over the other?
I'm in the Air Force, so I've seen thousands of people be wrong over and over again . That said, I really am willing to explore this option.
I've now been told that my concerns about being noosed by my reg hose around my neck are unfounded, but why? Why is it not possible to be choked by a reg hose? I have seen people go twice around their neck with the thing, and their only defense is that they can easily slip it over their heads. The underthe arm and around the back method looks better, but I still need more than "this is how pros do it". That logic is dangerous in my world.

 

[doctormike]

I think that’s a wise decision......now......consider the pros and cons of a long hose....

If you start with a 5’ hose you get simple primary donate, develop muscle memory that will serve you for the rest of your diving career no matter where you end up, a streamlined set up and common parts anywhere in the world (opposed to Air2).
Thousands of DIR and tech divers can't ve wrong.

That's a good point - if you have a problem with your Air2 at some resort, you might end up having to just rent one of their regulators and now you aren't diving the way you had trained. With a standard backup, you can pretty much fix anything by swapping hoses or second stages.

 

[grf88]

Do not noose it around your neck whatever the length. I prefer a 7ft. hose that goes beneath either a canister on my belt on the right side and then across my chest and around the back of my neck. When I am not using a canister light then I will have something else on my belt at that point or I tuck it into my waist-strap. I do not like braided hoses for the long hose. I tried a five foot but didn't like it although that may be because I am a long way around.

 

[kelemvor]

What is the functional difference between a 5' and a 7'? Is there a good reason to choose one over the other?
I'm in the Air Force, so I've seen thousands of people be wrong over and over again . That said, I really am willing to explore this option.
I've now been told that my concerns about being noosed by my reg hose around my neck are unfounded, but why? Why is it not possible to be choked by a reg hose? I have seen people go twice around their neck with the thing, and their only defense is that they can easily slip it over their heads. The underthe arm and around the back method looks better, but I still need more than "this is how pros do it". That logic is dangerous in my world.

Anything's possible. It's a standard configuration and thousands do it that way every day. Why not try it both ways and see what you prefer? When I used the bungeed octo, I went with one shorter than that. It was long enough to route under my armpit and up to my mouth with the help of a 45 degree angle adapter. No more.

I use a 7' long hose for cave diving. It needs to be long enough to go from your tank to the guy behind you traveling in single file. I don't use the long hose setup (or doubles for that matter) to do open water NDL dives. That's a pretty specific scenario that you probably don't need to worry about just yet and "what do do with the long hose" is a complication. When I use the long hose config, it goes around my neck. It's a convenient place to put the hose and didn't seem to be an issue for me or anyone else I saw doing it that way (pretty much anyone going into a cave without a rebreather).