Just wondering what everyone thinks about inflatable PFD's. I like the idea about less bulk on your body but I just can't get pass the idea of relying on a mechanical feature to save my life.

We had an incident this weekend on Lake Gaston here in Va. during a tournament where two men were ejected from their boat when they speared a wave in very rough conditions. There are reports that the driver was wearing an inflatable that came off of his body at impact with the water and still can not be found. The other guy was resuscitated and life flighted out.

There are no reports if the inflatable did or did not inflate and I realize if not attached properly that any PFD can be stripped off with impact. Also no reports at what speed they were traveling.

This is the question I ask myself "would you rather be wearing a standard PFD or an inflatable if you were ejected from the boat at 60 / 70 or 80 mph?"

I choose standard.

http://www.rrdailyherald.com/news/breaki...dbbcaee347.html

Standard PFD that can withstand impacts up to 100mph. Have a friend who nose hooked and was ejected at 70+ mph. He was wearing a full PFD. His passenger was wearing an inflatable. My buddy was banged up pretty good but never went under water. His passenger went under water and his inflatable brought him back to the surface. But he was a large man and the inflatable wasn't doing a very good job of keeping his head above the water. Luckily, he remained conscious throughout the ordeal. But what if he hadn't?

I don't. I would rather have the standard jacket protecting my ribs from the impact of hitting whatever I fly into.

I like the comfort of inflatables and use them most often, but when things get bad I keep a couple of standard jackets on board and switch. I have a lot of living left to do and try to minimize the risk whenever I can.

Standard. I went to the Mustang 100MPH vest last year. I still wear the inflatable when it is warm and the wind is not bad. The Mustang vest is a very tight fit.

I find any type of life jackets to be dangerous wearing and I just don't like to wear them

I don't wear a seat belt in my car either..........

Darwin will catch up to you eventually, RR.

I don't know about the safety issues of an inflatable, but I was wearing my Onyx jacket the other morning fishing and it self inflated suddenly for no apparent reason, yes I not only had to get another life jacket out but I required a change of cloths also.

I wear an inflatable most of the time but it doesn't make me feel "safe." The traditional jackets I have are crummy and cheap, just haven't gotten around to getting a nice pair yet.

I feel safer with an inflatable than I do without, but I do not try to fool myself into thinking it is as safe as a good quality traditional vest

I like a standard life jacket, I guess the inflatable would be ok to wear while you are fishing if you cannot swim.

I also like the standard jacket-been wearing it so long it doesn't feel right when I'm on the boat and not wearing it.

I can't swim and I wear a standard PFD 100% of the time I'm on the water. I don't want to have to rely on a mechanical device functioning properly to save my life.

I assume you mean when running not fishing. I wear a standard PFD when running it does not matter how fast or when. I have a Mustang Hydrostatic that I wear when fishing and the water temps get around 50-55 degrees. Just don't trust the auto inflate to stay on when running. Right now I don't trust my hydrostatic as the recharge kit expires this year. I have to get it replace before next winter.

Got thrown out at 70...no kill switch, no jacket on...lucky to be here. Some of you guys know this story.

It's not if, but when gang. Don't tempt it....you really feel like a moron when your boat is cruising away from you and you have no choice but to yell for help.

I would suggest a full jacket.

My saying, clip it an click it.