03-09-2018, 04:03 PM
[#0000FF]I have been wearing a Cabelas inflatable vest for several years. Much better than the bulky "regular" models I had in years past. I can wear them comfortably all day and hardly know they are there. But good to know that they are there if I need them.
More and more boaters are wearing them full time too. There have been too many drowning cases where the boater had jackets "on board"...but not within easy reach when they were thrown or fell out of the boat...or had an accident. And once you are in the water it is tough to put on a vest...almost impossible in very cold water.
There are both manually activated and water activated models. Manual are slightly less costly but might be of a lot lower value if you were knocked unconscious while falling into the water.
I fish from a float tube which is inherently safe...as a floatation device. But on one occasion I slipped out of the faulty deflated seat on a new float tube and had difficulty getting back up into the tube. Even then, it took a few seconds for the water activated valve to inflate the vest. When it did, it scared the heck out of me. But it reminded me why I was wearing it. I have not heard of anyone suffering "premature inflation" from accidental splashing.
Most inflatables have visible indicators as to whether or not your unit is fully functional. The soluble activator tabs do degrade over time. So it is a good idea to replace the valve setup every few years. Mine cost just over 30 dollars to replace after it went off. Easy to justify.
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More and more boaters are wearing them full time too. There have been too many drowning cases where the boater had jackets "on board"...but not within easy reach when they were thrown or fell out of the boat...or had an accident. And once you are in the water it is tough to put on a vest...almost impossible in very cold water.
There are both manually activated and water activated models. Manual are slightly less costly but might be of a lot lower value if you were knocked unconscious while falling into the water.
I fish from a float tube which is inherently safe...as a floatation device. But on one occasion I slipped out of the faulty deflated seat on a new float tube and had difficulty getting back up into the tube. Even then, it took a few seconds for the water activated valve to inflate the vest. When it did, it scared the heck out of me. But it reminded me why I was wearing it. I have not heard of anyone suffering "premature inflation" from accidental splashing.
Most inflatables have visible indicators as to whether or not your unit is fully functional. The soluble activator tabs do degrade over time. So it is a good idea to replace the valve setup every few years. Mine cost just over 30 dollars to replace after it went off. Easy to justify.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]