4 hours ago, MickD said:

How many times have you read about a rescuer drowning along with the person he was trying to rescue?  Happens all the time.  The Red Cross life guard/saving course I took a long time ago instructed us to approach the person under water, grab them by the legs while still under water, and "climb" their body to the shoulder, turn them so you are behind them and quickly control them with an arm across their body .  Being very scared of drowning they instinctively grab the rescuer if they can.  And that is how two people drown instead of one.  

 

I too will not fish with someone who won't use a PFD.  I've never had anyone refuse or try to refuse.  I have an inflatable for my guests.

Sensible advice.

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

The image of placing several lifeless bodies of every age and gender into body bags, has a way of burning into one's mind what happens when falling overboard and not wearing a Life Jacket.

I wore Mustang Professionally and see no reason to change for recreational purposes. 

Stay Safe

A-Jay

A-Jay's advice should be heeded; there is little doubt that none of of us have had his experiences.

Mustang HIT. Doesn't go off in the rain. Professional quality stuff.  It's light enough that I don't even notice it in the summer. The newest one has a comical (in a good way) amount of bouyancy. 

 

Reminds me it's about time to get a re-arm kit and swap it out. 

 

My biggest risk is that I mostly fish alone, and if I get knocked out it doesn't matter how good I can swim.

 

Wear your A/M in auto mode and don’t store it in a boat locker. As has been mentioned, manual mode doesn’t help if you are too incapacitated to activate it, which is a very likely scenario. I’ve got 4 Onyx A/M jackets that have never accidentally inflated, but I don’t store them in damp boat lockers.

Auto, manual, HIT, foam…doesn’t matter IF YOU DON’T WEAR IT. 

21 hours ago, Smirak said:

Auto, manual, HIT, foam…doesn’t matter IF YOU DON’T WEAR IT. 

Thats the whole point. I won't wear a bulky, uncomfortable PFD. I would wear a more comfortable "inflatable" if I had confidence that the dang thing would, in fact, inflate. That was the reason for my query.

Thanks for the info about them not working if you don't wear them. Imagine that.

14 minutes ago, Nitro 882 said:

Thanks for the info about them not working if you don't wear them. Imagine that.

Well, it certainly wasn’t said because I didn’t think you knew that. 

3 hours ago, Nitro 882 said:

Thats the whole point. I won't wear a bulky, uncomfortable PFD. I would wear a more comfortable "inflatable" if I had confidence that the dang thing would, in fact, inflate. That was the reason for my query.

 

Since 1967 Mustang Survival have been saving Lives. 

For 55 years Mustang Survival has been engineering high-performance marine gear for military,

coast guard, rescue personnel and law enforcement.

With a focus on applied research and field testing, they are committed to the protection and enhancement of those who push themselves to extremes.

IMO They build gear that saves lives and enhances performance.

Nothing is infallible but I trust it with my life. 

I wear the Elite 28 Hydrostatic Inflatable PFDs. 

I take care of it and service them as required. 

Good Luck with you decision and Stay Safe.

A-Jay

 

1 hour ago, Nitro 882 said:

Thats the whole point. I won't wear a bulky, uncomfortable PFD. I would wear a more comfortable "inflatable" if I had confidence that the dang thing would, in fact, inflate. That was the reason for my query.

Even if the non-inflate rate is 20% - that's still an 80% better chance of you surviving than not wearing one.

 

And that 20% is probably from people not taking proper care of the inflatable....not checking for leaks, not replacing the CO2 cylinders when needed. Take care of it and wear it and it's infinitely better than not wearing it at all.