I have been using inflatable PFDs for many years and never had any issues until now. About a year ago I purchased a pair from Bass Pro. It was a package deal two for about $150. I never used them but today I put them in the boat. About 30 minutes into the trip one of the PFDs went off by itself while laying on the floor of the boat. No one was near it. 

 

Has anyone ever had this happen? 

 

I have not contacted Bass Pro but I will.  

 

Never had BPS PFD's, but I have had a couple Onyx go off in the boat storage.  I have only bought/used Mustang since.

My Mustang has gone off by itself twice from humidity in the locker on the boat. 
 

Finally got smart and keep a couple rearm kits on hand.

Once under the console; it was tough to get it out from under there.

I had one go off in my Suburban. 

I called Bass Pro today. The PFDs I purchased were both manual and auto-inflate. I never purchased auto-inflate before and had no experience with them.  

 

They mentioned that there was an occasional issue with the auto-inflate system when left in a humid, hot environments like my garage, where I keep this particular boat.

 

They said the "pill" that is supposed to dissolve and inflate the vest when exposed to water can sometimes start to dissolve when it is left in humid conditions and then the vest can inflate on its own when the "pill" finally dissolves. 

 

I ordered a few recharge kits and now I am trying to find a way to store the PFDs in a dry cool environment. 

 

. BTW Thanks for all the responses!

1 hour ago, Dogface said:

I called Bass Pro today. The PFDs I purchased were both manual and auto-inflate. I never purchased auto-inflate before and had no experience with them.  

 

They mentioned that there was an occasional issue with the auto-inflate system when left in a humid, hot environments like my garage, where I keep this particular boat.

 

They said the "pill" that is supposed to dissolve and inflate the vest when exposed to water can sometimes start to dissolve when it is left in humid conditions and then the vest can inflate on its own when the "pill" finally dissolves. 

 

I ordered a few recharge kits and now I am trying to find a way to store the PFDs in a dry cool environment. 

 

. BTW Thanks for all the responses!

I have been told to get a sock full of that crystal cat litter, and keep it in a plastic bag with the PFD….I’ve never actually done it, but it’s what the guy at West Marine recommended.

Yes, the lower priced auto-inflating PFDs use a water soluble bobbin.  I had both of ours go off when stored under the seat storage in a Bass Tracker (very humid/wet storage) so lesson learned.  Hung them in the garage and had one go off again in humid weather… twice.  Now I store them inside and still had one go off spontaneously one morning when sitting on the seat in the boat - not sure if it was humidity or a splash of water.  Now we’re fishing Lake Ontario more often and have had some runs in a bit rougher water so we’re getting splashed and it’s just a matter of time before another vest goes off from that.  At $30 for each recharge plus the annoyance, I’m planning to pickup a couple Mustang HIT vests which user a hydrostatic pressure sensor to inflate so can get splashed or be in humid weather and not go off.  They’re a lot more money (about 3x the price of the soluble bobbin style) but at the current rate of having to buy recharge kits, I’d eventually make my money back.

Buy one of those moisture absorbing tubs(amazon has them) and keep it in whatever container you keep your pfds in. (Closet, trunk, whatever) Never keep your auto inflate PFDS in your boat as eventually they will always go off due to boat compartments being mostly water tight. Liquid will seep in over the channels that the doors sit on. I keep mine in an old wardrobe I bought at the flea market for 10 bucks and put it in my man cave and run a dehumidifier 24/7 in there which does the exact same job as the moisture tub.

My Onyx went off once while in storage during our humid summers. I bought a rearming kit and had something backwards,  it wasn’t going together right so I forced it which was a bad idea because it went off in my hands. I had to order a new rearming kit and change my skibbies! 😃

Just an FYI: I can convert the automated/manual vest to manual only by using a manual "bobbin". Onyx said one that came with the vest.  This should alleviate the humidity issues that caused the vest to inflate. 

@Dogface I personally won’t use a manual inflatable PFD. If you fall out of the boat there’s chances you could hit your head on the boat or other objects in the water that could cause you to loose consciousness or disorientation. Your life is more valuable than the cost of a Mustang hydrostatic PFD. 

 

 

 

^ I would never disable the auto-inflate function. I've got an Onyx 24 A/M and it's yet to self-activate. I check the bobbin frequently and have replaced the kit once due to it getting old (color change on bobbin). I store it in the basement, away from the heat/humidity outside, and wear it all the time I'm in the boat...not that that's happened this year...not just when the main motor is running.

Fished with my cousin on his boat last week and both of his vests were blown up when we opened the deck storage.

 

His boat is covered outside and we've been extremely hot and humid here.

That may well be the culprit......heat and humidity.

My boat is stored in the garage and never experienced this with Onyx.