I saw this and it was sobering.  imagine being out on a lake and coming across an unmanned kayak with all the gear?  life jacket on the kayak?  I googled it to follow up and it appears they found the missing person.

 

RIP fellow fisher person.  RIP.  

 

 

 

Yeah I think divers found the body. It was a member of the local kayak bass fishing club here (Queen City Kayaks) that found the boat. They had a tourney on the lake that day. He called authorities and posted it on Facebook in case it had gotten away from someone. Terrible terrible outcome. 

All due respect to him and his family - a real tragedy. But wearing a PFD while in a kayak at all times is a non-negotiable. 

It sounds like it was a local guy (local guy to that lake) that wasn’t fishing the kayak tourney. 
https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/coroner-identifies-missing-lake-marion-kayaker-as-summerville-man/amp/

15 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

All due respect to him and his family - a real tragedy. But wearing a PFD while in a kayak at all times is a non-negotiable. 

Absolutely.

 

I can’t imagine being on the water without wearing mine.

 

That being said, I know from experience that those foam vest life jackets can get both hot and uncomfortable when you’re out there all day.

 

That’s why I invested in a self inflating vest. Most of the time I don’t even realize that I’m wearing it.

On 3/22/2025 at 1:01 PM, Koz said:

Absolutely.

 

I can’t imagine being on the water without wearing mine.

 

That being said, I know from experience that those foam vest life jackets can get both hot and uncomfortable when you’re out there all day.

 

That’s why I invested in a self inflating vest. Most of the time I don’t even realize that I’m wearing it.

Koz - I’m think of going to an autoinflate as well. What did you get and would you change, do differently, etc?

1 hour ago, Smirak said:

Koz - I’m think of going to an autoinflate as well. What did you get and would you change, do differently, etc?

I have an Onyx AM/24. It costs about $100. I haven’t gone overboard and put it to use, but I did accidentally touch it to the water and it inflated.

 

Resetting it and replacing the CO2 cartridge was easy. There are probably much better ones out there, but this one suits my needs.

 

It wasn’t expensive and it’s comfortable. I think it also came with a whistle that I lost, so I did replace that.

59 minutes ago, Koz said:

I have an Onyx AM/24. It costs about $100. I haven’t gone overboard and put it to use, but I did accidentally touch it to the water and it inflated.

Exact same one I have - it goes on when I launch, doesn't come off until I land...even in Bass Trek.

1 hour ago, Koz said:

I have an Onyx AM/24. It costs about $100. I haven’t gone overboard and put it to use, but I did accidentally touch it to the water and it inflated.

 

Resetting it and replacing the CO2 cartridge was easy. There are probably much better ones out there, but this one suits my needs.

 

It wasn’t expensive and it’s comfortable. I think it also came with a whistle that I lost, so I did replace that.

I have the same vest - change out to cartridge every 18-24 months whether it needs it or not…. 

I have an auto inflate for something to wear when I fish off a boat.  I don’t like doing the pre-wear inspection.   
 

for my kayak I wear a regular one.  I like the pockets, I like lack the of inspection.  It just works no matter what. 

One of the upstate kayak guys had talked to him before. Said he lived on the water at one of the boat ramps.

Something to think about, for the guys talking about auto inflate lifejackets. If you go in, you are going to find it harder to get back in the kayak with an inflated lifejacket, If you do get back on the yak do you then deflate it? then you don't have any lifejacket and if the reason you went in is because of the conditions, you could be falling in again. I don't think auto inflates are a good idea for situations, like a kayak, where there is a reasonable chance you could be falling in. Maybe OK for a boat where the chances are lower, but they are a one and done deal, so once it's been deployed and deflated you don't have much protection. Whitewater kayakers wear foam because the chance of going in is high, and repeated dunkings are likely. Fishing kayaks are pretty good, but the chances of a dunking is higher than in a boat. 

 

Wear one you can swim a long distance in. I swim all the time so I know which ones I like and it’s not an auto inflate choking me 

17 minutes ago, Tim Kelly said:

Something to think about, for the guys talking about auto inflate lifejackets. If you go in, you are going to find it harder to get back in the kayak with an inflated lifejacket, If you do get back on the yak do you then deflate it? then you don't have any lifejacket and if the reason you went in is because of the conditions, you could be falling in again. I don't think auto inflates are a good idea for situations, like a kayak, where there is a reasonable chance you could be falling in. Maybe OK for a boat where the chances are lower, but they are a one and done deal, so once it's been deployed and deflated you don't have much protection. Whitewater kayakers wear foam because the chance of going in is high, and repeated dunkings are likely. Fishing kayaks are pretty good, but the chances of a dunking is higher than in a boat. 

 

this is so well put.  matches my mindset 100%.    i should just cut/paste this into my vague-arse response above.  

This is packed with a lot of useful information that hasn't been mentioned yet...

 

 

Also keep in mind that if you are in a powerboat, an inflatable does not satisfy USCG requirements.  In addition to a throwable, you have to be carrying a standard vest. I’m sure Ajay can fill in the gaps.  I gave up on the inflatables when I heard some accounts of being tossed and them not inflating.  

3 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Also keep in mind that if you are in a powerboat, an inflatable does not satisfy USCG requirements.  In addition to a throwable, you have to be carrying a standard vest. I’m sure Ajay can fill in the gaps.  I gave up on the inflatables when I heard some accounts of being tossed and them not inflating.  

I'm pretty sure that's only the rule for PWCs (jet skis). At least in Virginia, an inflatable is completely fine by VA DWR Regs. 

this is a kayak situation.   boats are a whole other conversation, i suppose.  

Inflatable life jackets do not count unless then are being WORN.  Otherwise it's like they are not on board. Servicable USCG Approved Non- Inflatable Life jackets count - requirements are one for each human on board. Worn or not.  This applies to Federal Waters.  State Regulations may vary.

Stay Safe.

A-Jay

 

 

15 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Inflatable life jackets do not count unless then are being WORN.  Otherwise it's like they are not on board. Servicable USCG Approved Non- Inflatable Life jackets count - requirements are one for each human on board. Worn or not.  This applies to Federal Waters.  State Regulations may vary.

Stay Safe.

A-Jay

 

 

Would you mind DM'ing or emailing a link to where you're finding this? I can't find anything online the clearly confirms that. 

21 hours ago, Tim Kelly said:

Something to think about, for the guys talking about auto inflate lifejackets. If you go in, you are going to find it harder to get back in the kayak with an inflated lifejacket, If you do get back on the yak do you then deflate it? then you don't have any lifejacket and if the reason you went in is because of the conditions, you could be falling in again. I don't think auto inflates are a good idea for situations, like a kayak, where there is a reasonable chance you could be falling in. Maybe OK for a boat where the chances are lower, but they are a one and done deal, so once it's been deployed and deflated you don't have much protection. Whitewater kayakers wear foam because the chance of going in is high, and repeated dunkings are likely. Fishing kayaks are pretty good, but the chances of a dunking is higher than in a boat. 

 

Auto inflates are not a one and done deal. While I agree that an actual vest is more ideal for a kayak auto-inflators have a manual option you can blow up. I use a Bass Pro A/M24 auto inflator on the boat that stays attached to the kill switch and I just throw it one when the big motor gets started. On my kayak I have an NRS Chinook. 

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

Would you mind DM'ing or emailing a link to where you're finding this? I can't find anything online the clearly confirms that. 

A simple google search will give you this result.  Are they approved….yes but they must be worn at all times and cannot be stored. 

Yes, inflatable PFDs, to be considered a USCG-approved life jacket, must be worn to meet carriage requirements and provide protection. They are not simply a device to be kept on board. 

 

 

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

A simple google search will give you this result.  Are they approved….yes but they must be worn at all times and cannot be stored. 

Yes, inflatable PFDs, to be considered a USCG-approved life jacket, must be worn to meet carriage requirements and provide protection. They are not simply a device to be kept on board. 

I did plenty of googling before posting. Even in the link you provided the only thing that remotely aligns with what you're saying is, "Often approved only when worn." Nowhere can I find any wording that the must be worn at all times.

 

 

https://dwr.virginia.gov/equipment-regulations/#:~:text=The operator%2C each rider%2C and,Except non-motorized vessels.

Seeing as USCG seems to give the final say to the states, I looked at my state, Virginia. Nowhere does it state that an inflatable must be worn. In fact, they have a section about inflatables: 

 

A Special Note about Inflatable Life Jackets

Inflatable life jackets are lightweight, comfortable to wear and take up about one-tenth the storage room of conventional foam-filled life jackets. Most are USCG approved only for persons 16 years of age and older who are not engaged in whitewater or skiing activities or riding on PWC. They are a great choice for adults on the water!

 

 

 

Only approved when worn has always been the rule with inflatables, I’ve seen some people get tickets for this. It’s the only logical way to apply a law to an inflatable 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Only approved when worn has always been the rule with inflatables, I’ve seen some people get tickets for this. It’s the only logical way to apply a law to an inflatable 

I had the opposite experience a couple years ago. Was fishing from the kayak and had my inflatable stowed in the front hatch. Got stopped by DWR who asked if I had a PFD. I opened the hatch and showed them my inflatable and they were good with that. Made no mention of needing it to be on.