Looks like my winter plans include buying a float tube, my fishin’ buddy’s plans also. Can’t wait! Looking at some lightweight U-shaped tubes for backpacking into mountain lakes here in colorado. I’ve never float tube fished before.
My question – what’s the most compact and lightweight inflatable PFD that folks here have tried for float tubing, that will still save my life? Any comfort factors to keep in mind? What type interferes the least with access to your fly vest? Are the waist belt kind any good?
I have a set of sospenders great things and I am no light wieght. love them they even have a flyvest that inflates.Try Cabela’s item # IF-940656 that is the vest they have many to chose from and They WORK.
If there were a trout stream nearby I would just soak my head as hot as its been
I second the SOSpenders. I worked on
seagoing tugs for some years and the last
couple of years we had replaced our work
vests with SOSpenders. First off, they
were cool wearing almost as if you were
wear not wearing a pfd. That was a biggie
on the Carribian and SA runs. Secondly,
and most important, they provided very good
floatation when required. Even under very
severe conditions. I’m sold on them.
Warm regards, Jim
While I don’t own the SOS suspenders I do own the SOS waist belt because it is totally unobtrusive and I didn?t want to be wearing any more on my upper body than necessary. I love my waist belt and I use it instead of a wader belt when float tubing. I don?t know if the suspenders would interfere with a vest but I?m sure people who own them could tell you for sure. I personally found it somewhat annoying in addition to the suspenders already on my waders.
I fortunately can say I don?t know if it would save my life because I?ve never had to use it but it can be inflated by mouth so you could test it without wasting, (if it could be considered a waste), a CO2 cartridge.
I will advise you that IF you need to use it; after it inflates with the CO2 you need to flip it over your head from its position on your waist. So I guess if you totally panic you might have an issue. The SOS suspenders are right where you want them when inflated so you don?t need to do anything except get to dry land.
But considering that I can?t swim I still trust my waist belt SOS PFD.
Cool, thanks for the advice! Though after reading the Stormy Seas website my concerns about fly vest access seem a bit silly considering the stories from the crab boat
;~)
However one big consideration was that I don’t want to transfer and reorganize all my vest gear when switching from hippers to waders and float tube. I’m a strong swimmer and I don’t panic easily (EXCEPTION – charging moose. happened before, on land…)
After reading the replies here, I will probably go for the belt pack PFD for my float tube. I’d have to be smacked in the head by an irate seagull dropping rocks to not be able to pull the cord on an inflatable and pull it over my head. I’m fishing tiny 1-10 acre lakes in the colorado mountains, not the Bering sea, Spinney Mtn, or Lake John. (the last 2 are our local ‘big water’)
BUT, thanks Mr J Castwell, if I can ever afford a little pontoon boat, I believe I’ll follow your recommendations from your article! Oh, and, just got permission to use my Dad’s old Grumman aluminum canoe next year. The prices on those stormy water vests are pretty darn reasonable. I grew up in Michigan on the Manistee, and not wearing a life vest was about the only thing kids in my family ever got swatted on the butt for.
