The Zero-G Hose by Teknor Apex is the new, innovative hose design that everybody in the gardening world is talking about.
This hose is designed to eliminate the most common problems gardeners encounter when using traditional hoses, from kinks and leaks to chemical damage.
However, this hose isn’t just suited for gardening jobs - it’s also an incredibly useful addition to the serious camper’s tool kit.
A hose can be an essential tool for providing clean drinking water while camping. And the Zero-G is also a practical, space-saving hose that lets take up very little of your precious RV storage space.
Whether you’re a camper looking for a safe and practical hose to fill up your water tank, or a gardener hoping to make your watering tasks that much easier, the Zero-G hose could be the answer.
This review will cover the main features of the Zero-G hose, as well as the most important additional features, so you can make an informed decision as to whether this is the right hose for you.
Zero G Hose Review Buying Guide
Main Features
Lightweight Design
One of the biggest selling points of the Zero-G hose is its extra-lightweight design.
The Zero-G hose is designed to be 50% lighter compared to commercial vinyl hoses.
The mid-length 50 ft hose, for example, weighs just 4.33 lbs.
This means that the Zero-G hose is easy to maneuver and transport, making it the perfect portable hose for camping.
Range of Lengths
The Zero-G hose is available for purchase in a range of different lengths, so you can choose the one that best suits your camping needs.
Teknor Apex has covered all the standard hose lengths in their Zero-G hose range, starting at a standard 25 ft and including 50 ft, 75 ft, and 100 ft options.
This means that regardless of the size of your camper, or the distance between your fixture and water tank, you’ll be able to find a Zero-G hose to suit your camping needs.
The most commonly used hose lengths for RV camping are 25 ft and 50 ft, as these lengths cover enough distance for unrestricted use whilst also remaining manageable enough to pack and store easily.
However, thanks to the Zero-G hose’s easy-coil features (see below), the 75 ft and 100 ft options will still be easily portable and storable, giving you a lot of flexibility in terms of which length you choose.
Tru-Flex Inner Core
Teknor Apex’s patented Tru-Flex inner core is part of what makes the Zero-G hose so light and easy to handle.
The core is highly pliable, which makes it resistant to the annoying kinking that both gardeners and campers contend with on a regular basis with traditional vinyl hoses.
The superior pliability of the core also makes it easy to maneuver and coil, making for easy handling and storage.
Easy storage is crucial for any equipment you take on a camping trip, and your hose is no exception.
The Zero-G hose’s pliability ensures you can coil it into a storage-friendly size without difficulty, making packing easier and ensuring it won’t take up too much of your limited space on your camping trip.
This hose’s core is non-expandable, which some might see as a drawback due to the fact that an expandable hose is able to adapt to water pressure and self-drain.
However, the non-expanding and non-contracting nature of the Zero-G hose actually makes it great for camping. This is because non-expanding/contracting construction enables consistent, uninterrupted water flow.
When camping, you really have to be able to rely on the consistency of your water supply, so this contested feature of the Zero-G hose makes it perfect for this purpose.
Additionally, the core remains flexible and functional at low temperatures all the way down to 35℉.
It should be noted, however, that this core is not designed for hot water use - although, if you have a water heating system, kettle, stove, or another heating device in your camper, this should not be an issue.
G-Force Jacket
The G-Force jacket used to cover the core of the Zero-G hose is what gives this hose its superior strength and durability.
The jacket is made of highly durable woven polyester fibers, ensuring that this hose is tough and resistant to all kinds of wear and tear.
The polyester fibers are resistant to punctures, abrasions, and leaks. It won’t snag on anything when dragged across the ground (especially important for longer lengths) and has a durability rating equal to commercial-grade hoses.
The G-Force jacket contributes significantly to the Zero-G hose’s 600+ PSI burst rating and its 58 LBF puncture resistance.
These durable features make the Zero-G hose a reliable piece of equipment which, as we’ve already mentioned, is of the utmost importance when camping.
Crush-Proof Couplings
The Zero-G hose also features durable aluminum couplings.
These couplings are crush-proof, meaning you won’t need to worry about them getting damaged when packed away amongst the rest of your camping gear.
They are also leak-proof, ensuring that no water is wasted due to poor hose connection.
Additionally, the couplings are ergonomically designed for ease-of-use, with both male and female knurling patterns for the easiest possible grip.
Moreover, the Zero-G hose’s couplings feature a brass insert to prevent corrosion at the faucet.
This is a crucial feature for outdoor hoses that will be exposed to the elements, but especially important for camping hoses, from which the water will be drunk.
While ingesting a small amount of rust will not typically cause harm, significant rust consumption can lead to unpleasant digestive issues, which are the very last thing you want on a camping trip.
Therefore, the corrosion-resistant Zero-G hose couplings make this hose an ideal choice for camping.
Additional Features
Lead-Free
Unfortunately, many traditional garden hoses incorporate brass components (usually couplings), which may contain a certain percentage of lead.
Lead is an extremely dangerous chemical with potentially neurotoxic effects which are particularly dangerous to children.
Shockingly, the use of lead in garden hoses has not been banned, meaning that gardeners could unwittingly be watering their homegrown fruits and vegetables with lead-contaminated water.
This is an even greater risk in the case of hoses used for camping, as these hoses will often be responsible for filling water tanks and directly providing drinking water.
Luckily, Teknor Apex’s Zero-G hose, despite its use of an anti-corrosive brass insert, is completely lead-free, making it safe not only to water your garden but safe enough to drink from directly.
This makes the Zero-G hose ideal as a camping hose because you can be sure that the water flowing through it is not contaminated.
Chemical-Resistant
Not only does the Zero-G hose not transmit any harmful chemicals through its water flow but its materials are also chemical-resistant.
This means that the materials used in the manufacture of this hose will not be damaged by harsh chemicals.
This is a great feature in a gardening hose since these hoses often come into contact with fertilizer, but it’s especially useful in a camping context, where the hose may be exposed to even more powerful chemicals such as gasoline.