The wife and I both finally decided it was time to order some kayaks. We’ve been talking about it for almost a year. 

 

I ordered a 3 Waters Big Fish 105, and she got a Perception Pescador Pro 10. We don’t have a whole lotta storage space, and haven’t quite figured out the transporting the kayaks thing figured out, yet, hence the 10 footers. 

 

I will I’ll probably end up buying some sort of trailer for them eventually, but for now we’ll car top them. 

 

First things first, though. I’m not a big fan of wearing anything bulky while fishing, so I’ve been eyeing the inflatable PFD’s. They don’t seem much more expensive than most of the other types. What are the pros and cons of them?

 

 

Pro: Not as bulky as a traditional vest. 

Con: More maintenance than traditional vest.  I think they recommend replacing the Co2 cylinder and sealing rings yearly.

While its rare I have read of a few instances where they fail to inflate.  

I've been checking out inflatable PFDs as well. They passed a law in PA a few years ago stating that from the beginning of Nov. thru to the end of April all boaters must wear PFDs when in a boat on the water. The "horse collar" variety I have now don't lend themselves to fishing so I must buy an inflatable. I'm looking to pay under $100. If anybody has any recommendations I'd like to hear them. 

My preference - 

A-Jay

You want to get an auto inflate with hydrostatic activation.  They aren't cheap, but they're reliable, and won't go off accidentally in the rain.  I have a Mustang HIT.

@J Francho, I like the idea of not going off in rain, but I'm a little bit skeptical.  I fish through downpours routinely and that's one thing that's put me off from inflatables.

Another is that I imagine many scenarios where I'll really need my PFD could involve getting knocked out -- rocks in rivers, rogue jet skiers, etc.  So, auto inflate would be a necessity, but I'm leery of accidental inflation...not to mention, I'm a bit sloppy with preventative maintenance at times.

I'd guess that if you do have an accidental inflation during an outing, you'd have to leave it inflated all day  ?

    My Stholquist is a little bulky, but I rarely notice it much....considering I wear it 100% of the time when in kayaks.

16 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

@J Francho, I like the idea of not going off in rain, but I'm a little bit skeptical.  I fish through downpours routinely and that's one thing that's put me off from inflatables.

Another is that I imagine many scenarios where I'll really need my PFD could involve getting knocked out -- rocks in rivers, rogue jet skiers, etc.  So, auto inflate would be a necessity, but I'm leery of accidental inflation...not to mention, I'm a bit sloppy with preventative maintenance at times.

I'd guess that if you do have an accidental inflation during an outing, you'd have to leave it inflated all day  ?

    My Stholquist is a little bulky, but I rarely notice it much....considering I wear it 100% of the time when in kayaks.

The inflatables mentioned are two different animals.  One inflates when the "pill" gets damp enough and disintegrates, allowing the CO2 to flow and inflates the pfd.   The hydrostatic version inflates when the pressure of the water is sufficient to trigger the inflating device.  

 

It only takes the pressure of being submerged a few inches to set it off.  Just checked, it's four inches.

2 minutes ago, Fishing Rhino said:

It only takes the pressure of being submerged a few inches to set it off.  Just checked, it's four inches.

Thanks!  Hadn't really looked into HIT's, yet.  The hydrostatic release we had on Navy life ratfts needed to go down a couple/few feet, so I mentally may have discounted HIT's without doing the research.  Sounds pretty appealing.

My HIT has never gone off without being submerged.  I test it each time I change the arming kit, which is usually once per year.  My other two, both the pill style, have gone off if I just dropped them in the water.  I bring them in each time, so they don't sit in a damp locker.  None have gone off if worn in the rain.

6 hours ago, J Francho said:

You want to get an auto inflate with hydrostatic activation.  They aren't cheap, but they're reliable, and won't go off accidentally in the rain.  I have a Mustang HIT.

This is pretty much all the info I needed, thanks. 

I know of 6 cases of inflatables that did not activate when their owners went overboard.  Standard PFDs never fail to inflate when they hit the water. 

For those that don’t use an inflatable, can you suggest one that’s slim and not bulky? 

 

I’m leaning towards an HIT inflatable, but I’m not opposed to a slim standard model. 

1 hour ago, BoatSquirrel said:

I know of 6 cases of inflatables that did not activate when their owners went overboard.  Standard PFDs never fail to inflate when they hit the water. 

no different than knowing of 6 cases where people still drowned while wearing a traditional PFD.  

Me personally i'll take my chances with an inflatable over a standard PFD except in Winter where i like the added insulation and if i am on an extended river trip where i may use my PFD for fun as well as safety.

”When I came to, I was curled up on the bottom of the lake in 10 feet of water.  Neither of our PFDs inflated.”  Thats FLW pro John Cox describing his Smith Lake boat accident from 2015.  The point of my last post is to always remember to prioritize function over comfort.

I put on my PFD before "leaving the dock".  It stays on until the bow of the boat is "on the beach".   There is one exception.  I will remove my PFD in order to remove a layer of clothing beneath it.  Then it goes right back on.

 

I don't find it uncomfortable, or restrictive in any way.

 

And yes, I will wear it even in hot weather.  If I get uncomfortably hot, I'll dip my hat to fill it with water, then flip it over on top my head.  Repeat as needed.