Expandable Water Hose

There are several considerations when choosing a water hose.
First: Is it rated for Potable water? Now I know that many people have drank from a standard garden hose, myself included, with no harm, but The hose lies out in the sun, the water inside gets hot, AND CONTAMINATED with chemicals that leach out of the hose.. You turn on the faucet, and wait till the water runs cold THEN you drink fresh water,, the contaminated water having been expelled.

With RV's. you might just not wait that long.. So it's important to use a potable water hose (no harmful chemicals)

Next.. There are 3 kinds of hoses.. "Regular" "Flat" And "Pocket" (Expanding)

Flat hoses work just fine.. No problems. I have one and have used it many times.

Pocket hoses though... Here you might have a problem.

Imagine your pocket hose is 25' long, it's 20 foot to the faucet, So you hook up the hose to the faucet, shut off the quarter turn on the outlet end, pressurize, then hook to your RV and open the quarter turn, ALL is GOOD.

Then the park looses water pressure.. The hose "Contracts" AND... pulls the "ring" (the part you screw into) right off the RVs water inlet... OUCH. Not expensive parts wise, but a pain in the painful spot non the less.

I'd suggest to have 2 - 50' hoses. That should cover any RV use. I also have a 25' potable water hose. The best small hoses are made of rubber, easy to roll and the most durable. If there is sticker-shock on the rubber hoses, just buy a no-kink hose from Swan, Apex, etc.

Most folks are clueless when it comes to rolling up a hose, hence, there are problems with longer hoses. Number one tip is to stretch out your hose before coiling and coil loosely from one end.

The gadget hoses are just that, a gadget for folks that can't roll up a hose.

GoPackGo wrote:
I carry several water hoses too. Nice to have a shorty when you are right next to a spigot - just a little tidier. And actually I just might have a 50 and also a 25. I have had to go further then 50 feet a few times.

I started out with a 25' hose and then we were camping where I was too far from the water hookup so I went out and bought a 50' hose....Then I was camping where the water hookup was right there so, I bought a 10' foot hose so so much hose did not lay around... And since I don't know what to expect from camping spot to camping spot I take them all with me..

I've had a roll up one on a reel for several years. I only use it to fill my tank then I roll it back up and put it away.

I've cussed those darn hoses for years, especially when they get stiff in cold weather. We have gone to one of those small diameter 50 ft. self coiling plastic hoses. It's not rated drinking safe but we already use a 2 gal. container for that. I wouldn't use one of those self coiling "pocket hoses" as they spring leaks easily.

downtheroad wrote:

1L243 wrote:
I have 10', 25' and a 50' hard water hose and was thinking a "flex or expandable" water hose would take up a lot less room. good.

Just wondering why you need to haul around 85 feet of water hose? You care camping in a 23 foot TT. Maybe try to downsize some of the stuff that you really don't need. Honestly, how often have you had to use the 50 footer?

To answer your question...like many others, we have had no luck with the expandable water hoses either.

I camp mostly in state parks without water hook up, electric only, and I carry 3 50ft handi hoses,1 standard 10 ft,1 standard 25ft. I use all quite frequently.The handi hoses last quite well, all are more than 3 years ols.

here is why I think some people like the green hoses and others don't. I loved the idea and bought one when they first came out. It blew up within a week. Back to Home Depot for a replacement. Same problem, it blew up also. So, I gave up. Then about a year ago, I noticed the color of the green hose was a considerable darker green. I asked the folks at HD what experience they had with the darker green hose and was told he was not aware of any returns. I now have replaced all the hoses at my house and have a 25' hose I use as a black tank flush. I have not had any problems with them sense. You might want to try the newer hose.

I carry several water hoses too. Nice to have a shorty when you are right next to a spigot - just a little tidier. And actually I just might have a 50 and also a 25. I have had to go further then 50 feet a few times.

1L243 wrote:
I have 10', 25' and a 50' hard water hose and was thinking a "flex or expandable" water hose would take up a lot less room. good.

Just wondering why you need to haul around 85 feet of water hose? You care camping in a 23 foot TT. Maybe try to downsize some of the stuff that you really don't need. Honestly, how often have you had to use the 50 footer?

To answer your question...like many others, we have had no luck with the expandable water hoses either.

We have them and love them.

I wouldn't use them for a city water hookup as the sun can damage them if left out long term.

We have one on the boat and one in the RV. They are 3yrs old with no problems.

We do use them for filling the fresh water tank but we also drank from green hoses as kids.

Really nice that they weigh like 2lbs and shrink up enough to just toss in a bucket for storage.