Opinions of PFD's

Here is what I was told by the rangers and green jeans at Enid. The regular one is ok as long as you have it on with no other jacket in the boat. The belt and removal of the standard inflatable requires that you have a equal number of regular life jackets in the boat to meet the Corp requirements on big 4.
Have read where they have made improvements in the wafer for the self inflator. Says now they have to be fully submerged for so many seconds to cause inflation. Read a test where they checked them with mosture like in storage compartments and rain and they did not inflate. That was a major problem with the older jackets.
I have a Manual for that reason and trying to talk myself into automatic because I have figured out the manual is useless if I have a coat on over it. Falling out in winter with it on could be a disaster waiting to happen. When it gets real cold now I go back to regular jacket if by myself.

The laws are a bunch of BS... None of em are Gonna do you any good if you don't have them on... Buddy almost got a ticket for this very argument..

GW on Nader told me that NO inflatable counts if you don't have it on, he's the one that writes the ticket rite or wrong.

If its warm outside, wear the inflatable belt and have a normal jacket for when you feel like removing. When its cold just wear the normal jacket. When your on the Ms river wear the normal jacket at all times.

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Originally Posted by clfarms1

I looked in the state laws for Ms and I cant find where it says that.

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Fed regulation

I have owned an inflatable vest for two years and have had no problems with it. It is a Mustang brand vest that I purchased at BPS. I have been caught in some very heavy rain and it has never self inflated. I did however fall out of the boat at Sardis last year and it auto inflated when I hit the water. The instructions say it doesn't self inflate until it is submerged in at least 3 inches of water. It is very easy to rearm. The rearm kit cost around thirty dollars. I fish by myself a lot so I am accustomed to wearing it at all times and never know I have it on.

I use the belt type of PFD and the thing is so comfortable I never consider taking it off. Often I wear to the truck when I go and get the trailer at the end of the day. I have been checked numerous times by the GW's on the lake and they never question it. They seem more concerned about my fishing license and having a throwable device in a handy location (not stored under the deck or out of sight).

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Originally Posted by spindle

I have owned an inflatable vest for two years and have had no problems with it. It is a Mustang brand vest that I purchased at BPS. I have been caught in some very heavy rain and it has never self inflated. I did however fall out of the boat at Sardis last year and it auto inflated when I hit the water. The instructions say it doesn't self inflate until it is submerged in at least 3 inches of water. It is very easy to rearm. The rearm kit cost around thirty dollars. I fish by myself a lot so I am accustomed to wearing it at all times and never know I have it on.

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You have the hydrostatic one that takes water pressure to inflate it. I do not have the hydrostatic and it contains a disk that dissolves when exposed to water and causes the jacket to inflate and these are the ones moisture with get to and cause to self inflate.

I had one in a compartment inflate once. I keep it in my truck now.

I was trying to pull Scott's out of a storage compartment and pulled the wrong thing.