life jacket/vest......?

[lee s]

Saw several posted somewhere awhile back but cannot remember where. NOW we are interested. We are going to do a river trip with the canoe and would like to carry less "stuff" more effeciently.
Do you have a favorite? And why?
Thanks.....
.....lee s.

[Uncle Jesse]

I don't canoe but float tube and pontoon fish. I have a Sospenders manual inflatable I like because I wear it whenever on the water. The model I have has pocket on each side to make it more functional. It's comfortable when its 90 deg. and the humidity is 60%. I like the manual because a friend had an automatic and the GA humidity caused it to activate in his garage. If I were to do it again, I would consider the belt version.

[sagefisher]

I agree with Jesse, get an inflatable PFD. Stearns / Sosuspenders / Mustang, etc.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/inflatablepfds.html
http://www.nextag.com/inflatable-life-vest/stores-html

Her are a couple links to inflatables. I also use the manual release, it seems sometimes, not often, but sometimes I like to sit down in the stream 'to cool off', inother words I sort of fall down on my rear, and I would not want the vest to inflate when I am in shallow water. I also suggest buying at least one spare air cartridge, just in the event there is an accidental inflation, you can then release the air and screw in a new cartridge.

Just make sure the vest you get is a US Coast Guard approved vest. By the way, up in Canada, for an approved vest it must be a brand that has the Canadian Coast Guard approval on it or it does not qualify as a PFD in a vessel. Same vests as down in the US but they cost more for the Canadian approved ones.

Wear the vest, it weights nothing, you won't even know you have it on once you get used to it AND in the event that the canoe should tip over, like do canoes ever tip over? then you will have it on and ready for instant use. I can almost guarantee that if you have a standard type PFD vest you will not be wearing it since it is bulky and hot and when the canoe tips over, you will have nothing at all to protect you.

Buy the inflatable PFD's and wear them. The life you same may be your own, your loved one and maybe your best fishing buddy. If he won't wear the vest then ask him if you can have his fishing stuff when he fails to surface. Just joking.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[jimsnarocks]

Mustang inflatable. Always wear it, never had to use it. Jim

[djo]

It is probably self evident but the disadvantage of manual inflate vests is that if you are unconscious (think whack on the head, cold shock falling into icy water, or a heart attack) you cannot inflate the vest and you drown. This may be a fairly rare event but probably no more rare than an autoinflate vest firing at the wrong time. There are some mesh back standard vests designed for fishing (lots of pockets) that might not be too hot in the summer. No matter what you decision – wear it all the time. Every year we seem to pull more folks out who drown with the vest either left in the car or sitting in the front of the canoe.
David

[Martin McFly]

West Marine inflatable pfd.

[Max]

I use a Coast Guard Approved CO2 Cartridge or Manual Inflatable on a Belt made by Stearns. I always use it when pontooning and am so used to it that I do not even know it is on.

[Uncle Jesse]

If money is an issue or you wanted a vest type. Bass Pro has a sale on a mesh fly vest pfd at the moment for about $30.pfd mesh fly vest.JPG