What brand and type should I buy? Work is slow so I'm doing a lot more fishing during the week this fall (alone). I keep reading about drownings, so I'm starting to think I should wear a PFD while fishing. Also heard about the guy at Fork this year that had one on and it didn't work for him. That really is scary. So one question is, was that a fluke? How often do those Co2 cartrige's fail? Which kind should I buy, an automatic, or manual inflate? And lastly, money's tight this year but I want to be safe, are the Academy brand one's safe, or do I have to buy a Mustang brand? Any advice is appreciated.

If $ is tight and safety is your #1 concern you may consider one of the old fashioned life vests. They seem safer and are cheaper. No moving parts to not work in an emergency. Just a thought. I am a fisherman on a budget too and have no experience with the inflatables.

I have an inflatable and I love it. The negatives:
In order for it to count as a life vest in the boat by TPWD, it must be worn. If it's in the storage area, it doesn't count. You should test and re-arm the fully automatics every 2 years at about $30 a pop.

Paul is right. The old fashion lifejackets work everytime. I have one that I wear all the time, especially when I am alone. Buy one with pockets that you can store useful things in...hooks, sinkers small camera, etc. I also have an inflatable kind, it's one of the better brands, but it is not fail safe. I just don't trust it.
Roger

A few months ago I was determined to buy a self-inflating life vest but after doing my home work I have decided to wear a regular vest. The automatic vest are not 100 % . I have read articles about a few and I meen a very few of them not activating when it should have. I don't know if it was because they were not defective or the people did not take care of them. I found a life vest several moths ago on Lake Livingston that I really like but have not found were I can purchase one of these. If the owner of this vest reads this post I still have your life vest and will return it to you but I don't remember your name. I think you live in Conroe and maybe you can tell me where you purchased it.
No matter what type you must wear it.

Matt

I don't mind wearing the old fashioned type, maybe I need to get one more comfortable than the one I've got. The one I have currently is an old ski vest that doesn't fit that great. Any suggestions for an old fashioned one with pockets, like stated previously, that I would feel comfortable in all day?

Go look in the Kayak Area of BPS, Gander, or REI. Look at the Extrasport Vests.. Comfortable, and most of them have the Baja Back, which is a stepped down thickness on the lower half of your back. This allows you to sit normal against your seat back in the driver seat or in the kayak.

Get the Blaze Orange one. It is easily spotted from a distance, unlike the old Green which CAN fade into the background. If I'm in the water, I want to be seen...

I have two Mustangs.

Big Red, Did you get the Auto inflates?

Have you set one off yet?

Mustang recommends that you inflate them once a year. I had my auto-inflate in one of my deck compartments and washed my boat... things went POOF quickly.

For those considering getting the manual style.. Think about this... If you are bounced out of a boat on plane, the water is not a soft surface. You may lose your breath due to impact, or you might be knocked unconscience.. Get the Autoinflate.. if nothing else, at least you'll float.

I'll check it out, thanks Harv.

I have the Mustang autoinflate and hope I never have to see how well it works.

I use my old Stearns zip ups with pockets but I'm older now and can't swim to shore as I use to be able to. I use an old trick I used in Viet Nam to keep my wallet dry by using a ziplock plastic bag but now I put my cell in it. Should I wind up in the water and in doubt, I whip it out.

I use the vest type from BPS with the mesh on the front. They are reasonably priced and not uncomfortable to wear. They are blue andd black.

I have two auto's but I also keep two of the Stearns zip-up type on the back of the fishing seats. I guess I wasted my money on the autos because I just can't make myself trust them 100%.

I bought one of the inflatables to wear all the time, but then I heard about the Lake Fork drowning and that was the second time I heard about the failure to inflate and to hear the same problem twice I decided to stay with the most comfortable and reliable vest I could find. Evidently the cartridges are kinda like coke cans, sometimes you get an empty one in a case, so I figure periodically a cartridge doesn't get filled and If you're depending on that cartridge to save your life you're in over your head so to speak. Manufactures need to come up with a way that we can be sure the cartridge is fully charged before deployment.