SAFETY WARNING-- inflatable belt pack PFD at high altitude?

My original thought was to contact the manufacturer and get their opinion before posting this here, but I feel the safety issue is so critical that it can't wait. It's life threatening. I'll post any info from Stearns right here as I receive it.

I purchased a Stearns inflatable belt pack PFD 2 years ago, and have worn it religiously while float tubing and wading deep. I tested one in the store before purchase, to make sure it fit, but of course It was already inflated. The store was at approximately 5000 ft elevation. It fit over my head just fine.

Last monday while I was hosting chat, Max gave me a short checklist of things to consider before trying my new pontoon boat on the water. One of them was to actually test my PFD with the CO2 cartridge (the original one that came with the belt pack PFD). I bought a spare cartridge, and did that test with the original cartridge this AM. It inflated fine, but to an incredibly high pressure-- SO HIGH THAT IT WOULD NOT FIT OVER MY HEAD. Tight as a drum. 3 friends came over today to visit, NONE of them could fit it over their heads! It's marked "Adult Universal."

I'm at 8,200 feet elevation, and I rarely fish anywhere below that. That altitude difference is all I can figure that caused the problem, though I'll let you know here what Stearns says....i very much doubt such a large and respected manufacturer would ship a defective PFD. It's got to be the altitude. But where's the warning about altitude? None on the PFD, none in the owners manual. The donning procedure now turns into --- pull cord. Remove rubber cap from oral inflation tube. Bleed off gas by pressing tiny inside valve button on tube, then sqeezing bladder....then don the PFD. Not acceptable, by this time MY bladder would be squeezing!

For rivers, I always wear a normal water skiing PFD, I used the belt pack only for calm stillwaters. No more -- frankly, this morning's test scared the crap out of me. I've been wearing a PFD that doesn't work at my elevation for 2 years. I feel like a complete dumb***. I'll be on the phone with Stormy Seas for a new PFD vest first thing tomorrow morning.

DANBOB

I have always figured the inflatable ones were for when you fell in and really needed to float, at which point it would already be on, you would yank the cord to inflate it, and when you got to shore and needed to get out of it, could do so with some small amount of violence, if necessary. Maybe I am wrong. Let me know if, when you do use it, it strangles you before you can reach shore, and I will not buy one.

Wonder how many float tubes and toons died on the way over the passes here in Colorado?

I have an inflatable vest and use it above 5000ft a lot. I wonder if armed with the proper information that you have provided could one yank the cord and then immediately bleed excess air as it blows in from the cartridge? Perhaps a bit of practice? I hate the thought of buying a bunch of practice cartridges just to waste them getting it down right. Scarey stuff Danbob thanks for bringing it to our attention. I will be eagerly awaiting the reply from Stormy seas. I have a Mustang inflatible vest which is a good brand name and depending on the info from Stormy seas may have to send them a query also.
Thanks for the Heads up.

I suppose the auto feature on some vests could, in this situation, be dangerous if they inflated too tight while the person was unconcious. Sort of like a sleeper hold cutting off blood to the brain. Mine is self activated not fully auto.

Also I wonder if at high altitude would the extra pressure on the bladders perhaps burst them and make the vest unusable in and emergency.

danbob;
Thanks for the info. Just got into fishing from a pontoon and looking into less bulky PFD's.

Anyone [company] making an inflatable just has to take into consideration what causes gases to expand...what's going on here....hard to believe they would set themselves up so negligently.

The S.S. product does not fully load or inflate the air bladder but allows room for more air to be added by mouth if desired giving protection from over inflation. The inflation amount is however most adequate for its purpose. The 21 page instruction booklet explains several of the advantages. We each have a full length jacket and the fly-fishing vests.

JC, that's EXACTLY why I'm going to get a Stormy Seas now instead of this Stearns-- SS have a whole page about partial and full inflation, etc. on their Website. It appears to me (I'll let you know what they say) that at high altitude I would want to use their *small* CO2 cartirdge and leave no air in the vest when fishing. DANBOB

Right Danbob,,, the one that comes with the vest is the one we use. No problem. It helps me because I know the owner and trust his product also. I have tried for years to get them as a sponsor but it just doesn't come together. I recommend them just because I think they are the only ones that really do what I want.