Has anyone tried one of these?

The AeroVest?

Looks like it could be useful, given the size and the price is certainly right ~$13.00 ...

Reviews by the ultra-lighters have been good so far.

From the weblink



More marketing silliness for the uninitiated.

and



For some reason the NASA tag always seems to make it into the marketing for this type of product giving the product some sort of apparent amazing high technology discovery in fabric materials technology.

The 'Aerovest' (again even the name seems like aerospace high tech) looks like a vest version of the products produced by Blizzard Survival.

http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/product.php/101/blizzard_survival_jacket

I suspect it will have the same advantages and disadvantages as the blizzard bag recently tested on the forum.

At $13.00 it is priced competitively and could be useful in an emergency, but why not just get a down vest or jacket instead. A down vest/jacket will be more comfortable, warmer and have a long life and will pack down further than this product after it has been initially deployed.

I guess the downy a**e feathers from a eider duck just don’t have that ‘NASA’ high tech image.

At least the Aerovest is Orange so you don't look like a foil rapped turkey ready for the oven whilst wearing one.


From the Website instructions



(visions of taking off as the product name suggests)

Hmmm.

Given that fleece is cheap, light, insulates and can be made wind-proof..and down is light, packs well and has great insulation properties --the aero-vest would have to beat either of these materials.

So...

Some light, non-disposable alternatives linked below*

a 9 oz fleece vest at a great price

6 and 7 oz down vests

another light vest -- spendy!

a 14 oz fleece vest for under $20

* nope. Not affiliated with any of these co.'s

I duuno, I handled one of these at SHOT. While I haven't had the chance to test one, I was cautiously impressed with them. They pack down small enough and is light enough to be a useful alternative when weight is an issue. I have plans to include one in my mountain biking and trail running kit (along with my wind shirt). It isn't a replacement for good clothing choices to begin with, but may have it's place.

Very interesting, That inflatable thing looks pretty fragile though. If you went through brush or even laid down on pine needles I doubt it would hold up.

I just found another product with that same name but with a different function. This product is a variation on the ALICE idea with search and rescue in mind.

True North Gear Aero Vest

Also, in general these True North folks make great gear. I own two of their packs (One is my EDC and the other is my BOB). I enjoy the way the design saves your back and eliminates hot spots. The usual caveat: I have no affiliation with this company besides owning their products.

Cheers,
Logan.

You know, it's an interesting idea, and if it was $5, I'd probably get one or two. I might even try one at $13 since I'm a sucker.

I'm fairly convinced that if it's like most of the emergency blanket materials, it will shred quickly, annoy me with crunchy sounds and the air pocket welds will likely start leaking after a while. If it's durable enough to handle me moving around, then I would be more impressed.

I like the concept of inflating it. If they made this with the new stretchy AMK Heatsheet material and had both blankets and emergency sacks that you could fill up (still useful if they deflate and holes can be repaired with DT) I think this would be an impressive item. That way the emergency sack/blanket could potentially get you off the ground and help remove conductive heat loss. Those welds would have to be tough if you laid on them though. As it is, a vest just seems like a niche product.

I have used a TrueNorth Firefly for my IA pack for a few years and it is a well build back (just didn't suit my needs).

A lot of companies have been coming out with designs similar to the TN AeroVest in the past year for USAR work, but the TrueNorth design is by far the most affordible. (Yes, that means I have one on order )

How about one of these instead?

http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=71&p_id=2301287

Heavier (about 2oz)
Less compressable a bit - I got one of these down to a sandwich size. Easily small enough to drop in a fanny pack with room left over for your EDC junk.
More expensive - but quality usually is.

But a real live insulated jacket that will last a long time and really actually keep you warm.

And as far as Montbell goes, they are a high-customer service, cutting edge company. I own a few of their items and love them.

Here is a slightly heavier option that I also frequently carry in my daypack:

http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/product.asp?s_id=0&dept_id=10165&pf_id=10023724

Stuffs down to the size of a 12-inch softball.

I carry both in fully waterproof silnylon stuffsacks.

Another thought on this: wearing an air inflated vest would not have the same insulation values while weaing a pack or lying down -- the air chambers woud be crushed.

But could you afford to stuff a few of them in your survival kit, or BOB, and leave them there, unused, just-in-case???