"And being on a ship for 5.5 years, I can attest that the firehoses are insanely durable. We dragged those things across non-skid (which is exteremly rough, think 1/2 pieces of sand on 2 grit sand paper), around 'knife-edges' (sharp edges that waterproof doors seal against) and everything else you can imagine doing on a ship, and they last a long long time before even showing wear, let alone actually taking any damage. And, they're waterproof... Water inside stays in, and nothing outside can contaminate the inside, because we use them for potable (drinking) water as well, with no risk of contamination..."