When selecting a garden hose, heavy and bulky options can be frustrating to handle and store. Compact garden hoses provide an innovative solution. These hoses are designed to expand and contract or are simply lightweight and streamlined, making them ideal for gardeners, homeowners, and professionals who value ease of use, portability, and convenient storage. Compact garden hoses are also a great choice for balconies, decks, porches, and small spaces, where their smaller size makes them easier to store out of sight.
Let’s explore three types of compact garden hoses: those that expand in diameter, those that expand in length, and non-expanding compact garden hoses. We’ll also look at the benefits of each and Swan’s range of compact garden hose options.
Types of Compact Garden Hoses
Compact garden hoses are designed with a variety of innovative features to make them easier to use and store. Let’s explore the different types and see how each one offers unique advantages for gardeners and homeowners.
Expanding In Diameter
This type of compact garden hose expands in diameter when water is turned on, ensuring efficient water flow, and flattens when the water is turned off for easy coiling, transport, and storage.
How They Work
Compact garden hoses that expand in diameter typically have an inner core surrounded by an outer protective layer. The inner core is often made from a blend of polymers, such as rubber and plastic, to ensure both flexibility and durability. When the water is turned on, the pressure causes the inner tube to expand in diameter, allowing for smooth water flow. Once the water is turned off and the pressure is released, the inner core flattens back to its original diameter.
Swan's XFlex PRO Hose flattens when the water is off, making it easy to handle, space-saving, and convenient to put away.
Building on this design, Swan’s XFlex® hose line for gardeners, professionals, and RV/marine enthusiasts expands in diameter when the water is turned on and flattens when turned off, making them easy to handle, space-saving, and convenient to put away. They also feature advanced kink-resistant technology—ensuring uninterrupted water flow even when bent or folded—weigh less than four pounds, and stay flexible in freezing temperatures, providing a reliable, high-performance option for a wide range of watering tasks.
Swan's XFlex Hose weighs less than four pounds and features advanced kink-resistant technology.
Expanding In Length
Another type of compact garden hose is one that expands in length when water pressure is applied. These hoses can be designed to stretch up to more than twice their original shorter length under water pressure and contract back to their original length once the water is turned off. This makes them incredibly portable and easy to store.
How They Work
Compact garden hoses that expand in length are also typically made with two layers: a durable, flexible hybrid-polymer inner tube and an outer protective layer. As water fills the inner tube, the hose stretches in length. When the water is turned off, the hose contracts, draining any remaining water and shrinking back to its original shorter length.
Compact Non-Expanding Hoses
In addition to hoses that expand in diameter or length, there are also compact garden hoses that maintain a consistent size but are designed to be inherently lightweight and easy to store. These hoses do not expand when water is turned on; instead, they are manufactured to be compact from the start, using lighter and more flexible materials than traditional hoses.
Swan's UltraLITE garden hose has a half-inch diameter that makes it more compact for tighter coiling and efficient storage.
How They Work
Compact garden hoses that don’t expand are typically made from materials such as polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or thin, flexible rubber. These hoses are designed to be naturally lightweight and thin, making them easier to handle and store compared to traditional garden hoses. Although they do not expand in diameter or length when the water is turned on, they still deliver a consistent and reliable water flow.
Swan's UltraLITE garden hose is made of a proprietary compound that’s extremely lightweight for ease of use.
Swan’s UltraLITE® Hose is an example of a compact garden hose that doesn’t expand. Instead, it’s made of a proprietary compound that’s extremely lightweight for ease of use, while its half-inch diameter makes it more compact for tighter coiling and efficient storage. It also features our exclusive Lay-Flat Technology™, which ensures the hose uncoils and lays flat from the first use, while its Snap Back Into Shape!™ feature helps prevent kinks as it’s dragged across the lawn.
Benefits of Compact Garden Hoses
Compact garden hoses provide a range of practical benefits that make them a smart choice for gardeners, homeowners, and professionals alike. Here’s a breakdown of their key advantages:
- Lightweight: Compact garden hoses are designed to be easy to handle and maneuver, making watering tasks more efficient and less tiring.
- Powerful Water Flow: Despite their compact size, these hoses deliver a strong, effective water flow, ensuring optimal performance for various gardening and cleaning tasks.
- Durable Construction: Built with durable and flexible materials, compact garden hoses are resistant to punctures, wear, and environmental damage, offering long-lasting use.
- Kink-Resistant: Their flexible design prevents frustrating kinks and tangles, allowing for smooth operation and uninterrupted water flow.
- Space-Saving Storage: These hoses shrink down when not in use, making them easy to coil and store, even in small spaces, without taking up unnecessary room.
- Easy to Clean: The materials used in compact garden hoses resist dirt and debris, making them simple to clean and maintain over time, ensuring they stay in good condition.
Compact garden hoses, whether expanding in diameter or length or remaining compact by design, are fantastic alternatives to traditional bulky hoses. They offer hassle-free handling, portability, and space-saving storage, making them perfect for any gardening, landscaping, home cleaning, and RV/marine maintenance task. By understanding the benefits of each type, you can choose the best hose for all of your watering needs.
