I won't touch on the batteries.
As far as the hose, you want to get yourself a decent hose that can provide a sealed connection. Even if not required, the cost is well worth the mitigation of issues that an open/unconnected hose can bring. Believe me, you do not want that kind of issue. Also, the cheap hose that comes with your kit will deteriorate. And it will eventually fail when you are using it/dumping. Ask me how I know. Get yourself a decent hose. It's just not something you want to mess around with.