Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 32

Thread: Inflatable life vest

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default Inflatable life vest

    Who makes a good one? Can't trust Cabelas quality anymore...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Charleston
    Posts
    2,618

    Default

    Mustang
    DILLIGAF

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    Preesh...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Horry, SC
    Posts
    5,516

    Default

    None. My dad went in with the most expensive mustang you can buy and it didn’t go off. One of my buddies went in last month and one side inflated and another was ejected from a boat last week and his didn’t go off. I’ll never wear another inflatable.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Charleston
    Posts
    2,618

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Coastal Woodie View Post
    None. My dad went in with the most expensive mustang you can buy and it didn’t go off. One of my buddies went in last month and one side inflated and another was ejected from a boat last week and his didn’t go off. I’ll never wear another inflatable.
    You better get to a root doctor before you get in a boat. Sounds like your crowd is cursed.
    DILLIGAF

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    Well that sounds like I better get an orange kapok and be done with it...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Horry, SC
    Posts
    5,516

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hogg View Post
    You better get to a root doctor before you get in a boat. Sounds like your crowd is cursed.
    They’re a bunch of clumsy old men who really shouldn’t be fishing in 30 degree weather. But regardless, their vests should have went off.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    1,111

    Default

    I’ve got one from First Watch that’s fairly comfortable. Haven’t had to test it out yet.
    "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian" - Henry Ford

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Columbia / Fuquay NC
    Posts
    3,211

    Default Inflatable life vest

    Had a buddy ejected/ fall out the boat couple weeks ago, inflatable never opened up. Pulled the string and it still didn’t open up. Not so sure there was some user error in there some how. Believe it was a Onyx.
    Last edited by scmoose; 12-03-2022 at 06:35 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    49,817

    Default

    I had two Mustangs and those things would go off if the humidity got too high, lol. I have whatever Academy sells now.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Hopkins
    Posts
    857

    Default

    We have a couple of the west marine brand for my kids to wear when they are alone in the boat. After reading this thread, I think I’m going to go ahead and buy a couple more of the re-arm kits and test them.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    'Down in the Holler', SC
    Posts
    14,554

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirk View Post
    I think I’m going to go ahead and buy a couple more of the re-arm kits and test them.
    I’ve got a Cabelas manual belt pack and a Mustang auto vest, but I haven’t tested either one so it would be smart to do do. I’d never heard of any that didn’t inflate, but the stats in this thread say they’re not a sure thing. Darn…
    .
    Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
    .
    "Keep your powder dry, Boys!"
    ~ George Washington

    "If I understood everything I said I'd be a genius." ~ 'Unknown'

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    4,304

    Default

    I am convinced (even more so given the above testaments) that trusting an inflatable life vest to save your life is like relying on an airbag to save you from going through the windshield without wearing a seat belt. There are so many comfortable vests and float coats that I know for a fact WILL float you if you go overboard.

    I wear a bright orange vest with reflective tape and add a whistle to each vest for distress calling.
    Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.

    "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Sir Winston Churchill

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    'Down in the Holler', SC
    Posts
    14,554

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by cajunwannabe View Post
    I am convinced (even more so given the above testaments) that trusting an inflatable life vest to save your life is like relying on an airbag to save you from going through the windshield without wearing a seat belt. There are so many comfortable vests and float coats that I know for a fact WILL float you if you go overboard.

    I wear a bright orange vest with reflective tape and add a whistle to each vest for distress calling.
    I agree with you. I have two float coats... one came and the other a Mustang orange with silver reflective strips. Only the float coats get worn when under way in anything but warm fishing weather. The inflatables are more for wading or fly fishing, and sitting at the decoys, etc, never while underway in a boat.
    .
    Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
    .
    "Keep your powder dry, Boys!"
    ~ George Washington

    "If I understood everything I said I'd be a genius." ~ 'Unknown'

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    FROG LEVEL
    Posts
    23,785

    Default

    Float coat if you still can find the Stearns/ I had one and saved my ass more than once. Not from getting drowned but for being warm and dry/Just saying
    Gettin old is for pussies! AND MY NEW TRUE people say like Capt. Tom >>>>>>>>>/
    "Wow, often imitated but never duplicated. No one can do it like the master. My hat is off to you DRDUCK!"

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    I just need something to wear while fishing out of the kayak. Float coat ain't going to get it. The inflatables are already out thanks to the stories above. I am glad I asked...

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Displaced Sandlapper
    Posts
    5,678

    Default

    Inflatables require maintenance and work if you take care of them. My mustang has activated both times I’ve gone overboard.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    "The real reason fish jump - they don't have a middle finger!"

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Pawleys Island
    Posts
    35,933

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by boondoggle View Post
    Inflatables require maintenance and work if you take care of them. My mustang has activated both times I’ve gone overboard.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

    Yep, change the charge and canister once a year.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    49,817

    Default

    The worst thing about an inflatable is the misconceptions a lot of LEOs have about what qualifies them as a PFD that counts. Federal Law places them in the same definition as a throwable device. They don’t have to be worn, only reasonably accessible.

    I wear mine most of the time anyway because the USACOE guys will give you Chik-Fil-A coupons if they catch you wearing a PFD.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    FROG LEVEL
    Posts
    23,785

    Default

    The float coats are bulky but did not know the what the application was.
    Gettin old is for pussies! AND MY NEW TRUE people say like Capt. Tom >>>>>>>>>/
    "Wow, often imitated but never duplicated. No one can do it like the master. My hat is off to you DRDUCK!"

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •