Inflator hose securing

[torrey]

Not really a DIY yet, but something I've been wanting to do.

I never really liked the way the inflator hose tends to dangle a little in front when you are in a horizontal position. I know you need easy access to it, so it's not like you can tie it off onto your BC, but I've been trying to come up with a way that would hold it securely up against the BC but still be able to easily use it when needed. I tried using regular velcro - a piece on the hose and a piece on the BC, but that hasn't proven to be strong enough to hold. I've considered coming up with some kind of open clip that the hose could slide in and out of, and I also have a magnetic clip that I never use that I've considered but haven't played with it yet to see if it will work.

Has anybody ever tried to do anything like this, or can offer suggestions?

[awap]

My inflator LP hose loops thru a piece of bungee that limits its free travel but stretches enough to exhaust air from the BC.

[gtjason2000]

you could try a retractor

[paintsnow]

what kind of Velcro did you have?

because most jacket bcs rely on just velcro and nothing else to hold the waist portion shut.

and the hose shouldnt be exerting that much force being that its underwater.

[Bill22]

Maybe a loop of velcro holding it to your shoulder harness? Mine BCJ is designed that way, but it has a pull dump. I just give it a tug to dump air, don't have to hold the hose over my head.

[jo8243]

Does your BC not have a velcro tab to hold it down about 1/2-way up the hose? I wouldn't think you'd want anything on the end because you need to be able to lift the exhaust end up as high as possible to vent air.

[danielh03]

Originally Posted by torrey

Not really a DIY yet, but something I've been wanting to do.

I never really liked the way the inflator hose tends to dangle a little in front when you are in a horizontal position. I know you need easy access to it, so it's not like you can tie it off onto your BC, but I've been trying to come up with a way that would hold it securely up against the BC but still be able to easily use it when needed. I tried using regular velcro - a piece on the hose and a piece on the BC, but that hasn't proven to be strong enough to hold. I've considered coming up with some kind of open clip that the hose could slide in and out of, and I also have a magnetic clip that I never use that I've considered but haven't played with it yet to see if it will work.

Has anybody ever tried to do anything like this, or can offer suggestions?

There is a high strength velcro you can get, but I dont know if I want to put that much pressure on my bc hose. I have it on my duty belt and it really sticks!

[scubatexastony]

Like AWAP, my inflator is bungeed to my shoulder harness, addtionally the LP hose is routed through bands of innertube on the inflator hose to keep it all in place, and easy to locate.

I use the inflator for just that.... inflating the b/c. Think about it, while moving in the water you are horizontal, and the air in the bladder will be at or near the rear deflator valve. Also, should you have a run-away accent, you can be better served kicking down while deflating at the rear/bottom dump. (while disconnecting the LP hose, if the valve is stuck open) Your fins are your friends.

Still, should for some reason I did want to elevate the inflator hose the bungee will stretch and roll up the harness to allow for rinsing the bladder and such.

~tony

[torrey]

Originally Posted by jo8243

Does your BC not have a velcro tab to hold it down about 1/2-way up the hose? I wouldn't think you'd want anything on the end because you need to be able to lift the exhaust end up as high as possible to vent air.

That's why I'm looking for something that will unlatch easily just by pulling. I have the velcro tab that holds down the hose 1/2 way down, but don't want to do that on the end because that's not something you want to deal with in an emergency.

What I've tried previously is velcro around the hose and a piece across the shoulder harness, but being that the hose is round and the harness is flat, there isn't enough contact to keep it held. One option would be to have a clip on the hose which lies flat against the harness. Another option I've been considering is magnets. I've got a couple of magnets out of a little desk toy that I'm going to try securing with fabric. I'll let you know how it goes.

[ScaredSilly]

The easy thing to do is to tie it off to your shoulder strap so that it is free to dangle a bit but not too much when horizontal. If you take some old bicycle tubes and cut then in to 3/4" sections you can rubber band the LP hose tightly to the inflator hose. Three will do the trick in most cases. Then the stiffness of the LP hose combined with the inflator will keep it for dangling too much.