Welcome Newguy!!!

well lets toss in my opinion

-nothing screams $800 to me.....sorry, nice vest from aeromedix, but i'd never depend my life on something "inflatable", my luck it would be that one time it failed.

-agreed with the USCG rating........only the best.


-i own 2 myself
-a Astral rescue vest........nice for whitewater use, very comfortable, but its not made for unconscious wearer scenario, the other is standard type 1 ocean vest

here are some generic links for visualization
http://www.sar-shop.com/products/product.asp?pID=331&cID=318

and my typical wear one
http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/products/men/greenJacket/index.html

or make one yourself..a fishermans PFD with the pockets
loaded with survival gear.




this is the contents of the shelter side pocket..search ditch vest--maybe overboard vest for
my full post of this--

Depends on the lake and when you will be fishing. A lot depends on context.

Most people fish lakes that are pretty much surrounded by houses and are well traveled. Also most people fish during relatively warm weather. Under those conditions a full life jacket is ridiculous. Wear one and your going to sweat, chafe and it will get in your way until you take it off. It will end up on the bottom of the boat and be forgotten and neglected. Unworn it won't do you any good if you fall in. No matter how much it costs, USCG approvals, and the buttload of survival equipment it may contain. After some time, even if you later put it on, odds are it won't help you after being kicked around and neglected.

Assuming any or all of that is applicable odds are your going to far better off with an easy to wear automatic compact inflatable model (Type V PFD) that will remain reasonably comfortable under a summer sun and over a light jacket. What it lacks in protection it more than makes up for by being worn.

This article covers the major points but it is from 2002 and the general standards, reliability and functionality have improved since that time.

http://safetycenter.navy.mil/MEDIA/ashore/issues/winter01/automatic.htm

These life jackets are popular with offshore sailors who will wear a PFD for thousands of hours and who often have no prospect of swimming to shore.

Of course if the lake you fish is fifty miles from the nearest habitation, is seldom traveled, if your lake is near freezing because of the season or because it is fed by a glacier, if you like to fish during storms or shoot rapids to get to your favorite spots, then a more comprehensively protective vest and, perhaps, a certain amount of survival gear makes a lot of sense.

In extensive discussion of the inflatable versus non-inflatable PFD, the positions and arguments are relatively clear. I think the most telling thing I read was again from the Cosst Guard Rescue Swimmer: for himself he had to wear an inflatable as did his helicopter crew - but only because he needed to be able to dive under water and the helicopter cabin was too tight to allow the crew any other type of pfd.

What did he put on his children when they were near the water? Nothing that depended on mechanical or chemical mechanism to inflate, nothing that could be punctured before or after deployment, nor anything that depended on the victim being able to pull a toggle or blow into an inflation tube as backup.

One key to dealing with hot weather is to insulate yourself. You know like long sleeves and pant legs - or a nice thick pfd. I live where it is routinely over the 100 degree mark in summer, sometimes with plenty of humidity and no cooling breezes. Stay hydrated, protect your skin and eyes and wear your pfd.

You are either going to wear a properly fitted and outfitted pfd or you are not. Hot weather or cold, you either wear the appropriate gear, or you do not. Supposed comfort over safety - your choice.

Me, I'm a BIG buy, so there aren't that may choices - I believe Mustang does make stuff for us oversized guys

RE which PFD. While I personally like a nice vest type (vs one of those univeral life jackets), I'll say floation devices are a LOT like flastlights and knives in the best is the one you'll wear. Is inflaitible as good as a nice SOLAS rated jacket/vest/drysuit. No, of course not. On the other hand, if you're willing to wear and inflaitible all the time, every time, it's a heck of a lot better than the best sitting in the bottom of the boat

In another thread, I mentioned that my daughter (now 11) has been invited to do some sailing next summer. I WILL go buy her the best vest I can. Well worth the $$$

Disclaimer - I'm one who worries a bit around H20. I'm on the Shelter Island Ferry, and feel nervious because I'm not wearing a vest, or have one at immediate hand. First time I ever go on, I checked where they store their PFDs

Put on the pfd of your choice and jump into the water feet first with your arms over your head. Not only is this something that might be done by a person abandoning a vessel but it is a compressed-time test of what can happen after many hours of floating around in your pfd.

Many pfds ride up: choking the user, eventually covering the mouth and face while impairing sight, hearing, and the ability to breath; and eventually slipping off or causing the user to "escape" the pfd to feel safe.

Does your pfd have crotch straps? Do you use them whenever you put on your pfd?

After jumping in, go limp for at least 30 seconds. An unconscious person, a sleeping person, an inured person, a hypothermic person, a person disabled by heart-attack or stroke, or a just-plain-tired person will not be able to swim or scull to offset the natural buoyancy position of the pfd. Does your pfd keep your face out of water so you can breath? Many do not.

Have your loved ones do this with their pfds. Have your loved ones do this about once a year because their size and weight may change significantly. Each time send the pfds back to the manufacturer with a nice check so they can be tested and repacked - and keep everyone away from the water while you wait to get them back.

Are you a person who religiously maintains all your gear? never misses an oil or filter change? changes the smoke alarm batteries every year without fail? never forgets a loved ones' birthday and anniversary? Good for you, you will probably do the annual maintenance and buy the annual actuater replacement required by manufacturers of inflatable pfds.

You don't trust lives to chemical or mechanical devices when lives are on the line? Good for you, and you can save money, too, get the pfd's you only inflate with a breath tube. All you have to trust is the one-way valve - and that whoever is using the pfd in time of need will be conscious, won't panic, and will be in good enough condition to stay above water long enough to remember how to inflate the pfd. Just keep drilling your loved ones over and over : don't fall overboard if you faint, have a heart-attack or stroke, or are knocked unconscious, don't panic, etc. [Because inflatable pfds all have the "manual" infalte tubes as a backup this applies to them in case the auto-inflate device fails.]

Yep, inflatables have an initial comfort advantage for some, they are getting better and more reliable all the time, and if they are fitted and deploy properly, do not leak and are not punctured, they usually have more buoyancy than floatation filled pfds. I would definitely take one - over nothing.

--

Mr. Ritter's aviators jacket is a highly specialized bit of kit for use in an environment where space is a challenge. Like the military aviator usage, you gotta do what you can do. My general comments are directed to recreational pfd use.

I am somewhat annoyed by this bulky personal floating device i've been using for more than 15 years now (Buoy-o-Boy orange PFD). It has big foam panels on the front and back. That said, i've been wearing it every single time I went fishing (usually in a small jon boat) and it's the only thing that I feel keeps me safe.

Considering the risks such as falling overboard knocking your head on a rock or the side of the boat, inflatable jackets just don't cut it for me. Even though they keep you cooler and weigh less, I can live with the disadvantages of my bulky PFD.

Since the original post was about fishing in a lake, I will stand by my suspender type PFD. Casting with a big bulky non-inflatable PFD on is a pain...

Never bothered me in a decades of club level tournament bass fishng and recreational "pre-fishing." It is important to get an active sport -type pfd, like one for kayaking, and have it fitted to you. PFDs are not one size fits all.

Wearing something is way better than nothing.

And going fishing is too important to let something like a pfd choice get in your way. Good catching, OBG!