Oooh yeah, good point on the metal hose clamps being hard on the hands. I did see one person forego the hose clamp and use a trimmed plastic zip-tie, which would still be a little pointy but maybe not as bad (if you can get it tight enough!)

I think our hoses are 5/8", but a lot of the garden hose supplies online aren't listed with sizes. -.- I think 5/8" is the standard for home & garden hoses, but I'm probably going to have to return at least a few things to the store before I'm done.