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Fresh Commentary
Kathy Barre on Where to buy tubing.

Gwhen on Where to buy tubing.

Carey Coffin on Where to buy tubing.

Succatash T. Jones on Where to buy tubing.

Sharlot on Where to buy tubing.

Victoria on Where to buy tubing.


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video of the day


Luisa Gherdaoui proves you don't need a lot of tricks to deliver a dazzling hoop dance. She lives in Belgium.



trick of the week


It's time to learn the "Booty Bump" - or revisit it this week if you haven't done it in awhile.

track of the week

Armin van Buuren: Imagine

This week's hoop track is from Armin van Buuren's newly release "Imagine" - in fact it's the title track itself and Sonja says she just can't stop hooping to it. We've added the song to our Hoop Sounds listening station up top. You can also check it out as well as the rest of "Imagine" - and download it for yourself on iTunes by clicking:

Armin van Buuren - Imagine - Imagine

Where to buy tubing

In the quest to make their own hoops, hoopers often find that the elusive material is tubing. Unfortunately, many hoop merchants are proprietary about their material sources, making it even more difficult to find the tubing. It's cheap! … if you can find it.

If you're lucky, you'll find the 160 psi ¾-inch flexible polyethylene pipe at a big box hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot. Those in the Bay Area should check this thread for information about local stores.

You can also try calling around to irrigation supply shops. Remember that you'll need to be clear about the psi (you'll probably want 160) and diameter (probably ¾-inch) when calling to ask around.

If you're really stumped, you can buy the tubing online, although shipping will be expensive. Try United State Plastic Corp. or McMaster-Carr (search for "Flexible Polyethylene"). (Thanks to Reagan for her excellent sleuthing on these online sources!)

[another post on tubing]

Comments

i've chased down a few cutties in irrigation and landscaping trucks to ask if i can have thier scrap. sometimes i have to dive in dumpsters... other places keep thier scrap for me.. pieces range anywhere from 2 ft to 16 ft. makes me think i'm dong my best for the earth too...

blis

thank you, Ariel for this post. It's true! It's hard to find and many people don't like to share their info. I know they live for this but ...
I shouldn't express my feelings about this anyway.

Lowe's in Burbank, CA has it. But you have to orderit online first and then go in to pick it up in order to find it. :)

If you have a local hardware store affiliated w/ True Value they may be able to specail order it for you. The stores usually place orders w/ True Value once or twice a wk. - and there's no shipping charge involved. It's probably a little more expensive than Lowe's though . (The problem for me was that no Lowe's in NYC carries the tubing.)

Good luck!

I live in Madison WI, and in the midwest, we have Menard's Stores. They are a lot like Home Depot, or Lowe's, and I found what I needed for the hoops there, I got 3/4 in 160 psi tubing in 100ft roll, and 8 connectors for $16.81. Sweet deal! They also have 1 inch, and other length choices as well, like 400 ft for $48? Thought that might help any other midwesterners on their quest for hoops!

Thanks, Cara,
I live in Madison too and have just gotten the hooping bug, I will definitely try Menard's first!! I am planning a big bash for my 40th birthday party and want to get as many people there hooping as possible. Want to come and help teach?
Rebecca

P.S. Re: supplies in the Berkeley, CA/ Bay area -- I was out there on vacation and tried everywhere to find tubing, finally found it at Irrigation Equipment Co. on 8th St., 510-841-9651 (they know about this alternative use for it!)

in the UK you can blue mdup water pipe from good diy stors although its expensive, you can try local builders merchants though.

how do you make a weighted hoop for exercise purpose?

Thanks so much for all the helpful info.

My sister had a cheap Wal-mart hoop the other day and I was saying I could never hula hoop. She said that she'd read somewhere that the size of the hoop made a difference.... and after a short google search I stumbled on to your page and learned that it was the weight more than the size. I'm anxious to make my own and some for the kids. I'd wanted some aerobic exercise and this appeals to me so much more than lifting weights.

I live in the boonies (Michigan's U.P.) and the local Ace Hdwe wanted to sell me tubing at $1 a foot - or $52 a roll. Yikes!

I couldn't find any polyethylene tubing over 100psi tubing from US Plastics (one of your links).

McMaster-Carr was $44 for 100 feet before shipping (that was your other link, frames navigation, can't link to page)

Also found it at Grainger for $45 before shipping( http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/6MP20 )

Home Improvement Superstore has it currently (I don't know how long) on sale for $31 with $27 shipping.

Best price I found was at drillspot.com for $19 plus $13 shipping ( http://www.drillspot.com/products/287397/3_4x100_160_PSI_Pipe ) Strangely enough they don't seem to carry the right size couplings ( http://www.drillspot.com/category/8120/Insert_Fittings_Nylon_and_Poly ) but that's OK, I can get those locally!

So that's $32 for a roll shipped (tax added in CO) ...from what you all are saying, that sounds like about $4 per hoop not counting connectors (.50 ea) or decoration - and probably shipping would be cheaper on multiples. I can handle that.

drillspot.com DOES also 400' rolls but the shipping (on $74) is something like $100 because it exceeds weight limits, so it would be cheaper to buy a few $100 foot rolls.

But first I might chase down some of our local contractors and see if I can beg or buy their scrap! That's a great idea.

I might do it for a craft for the family camps at the camp my husband works at... tons more fun and more useful than making yet another trinket box! If we do it, I'll send hooping.org photos!

So excited to try it out. Thanks so much for all the pictures, links, advice and general enthusiasm!!!

--Kelly Harman

Home Depot has it! $16 for 100ft!

Hi Kelly
I live in Lansing, Mi but will be traveling to Marquette for a few days to visit the in-laws.(July 6-10) Need anything from Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, ACE, Meijer, etc.
I can pick up something. Free delivery to fellow "Yooper Hoopers." :)

So I just bought some of the tubing from the Irrigation Equipment Company in Berkeley and I looked online at the companies website (aquarius) and found out that it is only 59 psi. =( I guess I will have to keep searching.

okay, I am very new to this but how important is it to buy the 3/4 or the one inch tubing? What will occur if its 1/4 inch? Very hard to find this tubing is!

I would like to say thank you very much for the knowledge that size makes a difference! A friend and I were trying all night to hula hoop with a target kid-sized one. Very funny! Should like to make an adult sized one now!

I live in bay area, but my stores aren't carrying it!

I found my "hoop" material at ace hardware in the back yard. The yardman helped me find it and cut it to length for me so I didn't have to buy the pipe cutter tool.

I just bought tubing today at Home Depot, however, it was white. It said exactly what I had copied from the site so I am going to try it. Any one else found or used the white tubing? Did I mess up?

For anyone having trouble finding this material and you are searching for it under the names Polyethylene or Poly tubing, try searching for it under the names "Funny Pipe" or "Swing Pipe" it can be purchased at the Home Depot as well as Amazon. Lawn care workers use it a lot for sprinkler repairs.

i used the white tubing from home depot and i never will again. it is brittle and inflexible, and does not get bendy when heated. i am currently looking for another supplier up here in canada >.

Very excited- but what if I want to buy one from someone who makes them- How much should I expect to pay?

Hi I am in sales for John Deere Landscapes. We are the largest distributor/supplier
to the irrigation&landscape industry. We sell all the poly & flex pipe you are looking. I know exactly what u need. Call me.
located in NJ. but we have
nearly 700 loacations nationwide.

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