I'm wondering just how good they are as far as floatation goes. Needless to say, I love the fact they are small and light but I don't wanna sacrifice any major safety benefit.

Have you ever fallen in with one on?

I've seen a few guys vests blow up when in rough water or taking a wave over the bow.. It did what it was supposed to, but not sure about floatations... It's one of those things I hope I never have to test.

they come in 2 flotation levels, get the 35# or don't get one imo..

the 24# (or whatever it is) is not enough to hold a big guy up in rough water, better than nothing but get all the flotation one will give ya.

I have a cabelas 35# and it is far better than my regular bass life jackets, will float me better if I ever do need it.

They work great ! Unfortunately I had to witness my brother fall out of the back of my boat, face first, I'm not sure if his hair even got wet !!! Vest worked as advertised ! His only complaint was how tight it was around his neck and he wanted it off as soon as he got back in the boat !

This was the kind of story I was looking for...wanted to know how long it took to inflate, how well it floated him, etc.

Thanks.

Hmmmmmmmmm............good to know. Wanted to buy two...and like the person who started this thread...wanted to know more about them.....kinda expensive but, can' put a price on saving a life - mine or my guest!

My brother probably weighs around 225, has a heart condition that causes him to get a little lightheaded sometimes. He just bent over to pickup a rod off the deck & in he went !!
I also manually inflate mine once a year & let them sit overnight before I repack it.
By the way, he went out & bought his own the next week !!!!!

Saw a friend deploy on him unexpectantly at Lake Welsh one day while he was beaching his boat and I was waiting in line to use the ramp. I almost drove my truck into the lake going down the hill I was laughing so hard. He was cussing and fighting that thing like it was an anaconda wrapped around his neck, lol!!!! He finally managed to get it to deflate and get it off but not before about 10-12 bystanders got their laugh for the day.. Think I'll just stick to the old life jackets.

I was a bit skeptical when I first bought one a few years back also. I bought a few extra recharge kits and decided to test it out. So the next time I was at the lake, I convinced my buddy to jump in with the PFD on and I will say I was not expecting the results we got. When my friend jumped in the PFD inflated faster then I would have ever imagined, literally it reminds me of an airbag going off, and it held him up really well (200 pound male). He didnt stay in the water very long because he said it was uncomfortable so I don't know how long it stays inflated like that, but it sure made me a believer. I won't get on my boat now without having on and hooked up to the kill switch, no matter what lake I'm fishing.

If you're really focused on safety over comfort, you're better off with a high quality regular vest. If you've ever seen an accident at speed on a boat you'll notice how quickly people get thrown around inside the boat -- like a rag doll. Having that padding around your upper body might save you some serious (maybe fatal) rib and chest injuries.

In the Sebastian Inlet in Indian River Co. Florida when I was in High School. A buddy flipped his 17' Boston Whaler trying to get between the jetty and the inlet. The inlet won and the PFD saved the day for about 3 minutes until another boat picked us up.

Yes and I was over 300lbs at the time. Worked great. They don't pop when they inflate. Its a slow fill. Word of advice to wear them somewhat snug though.

Worth every penny.

Agreed!! Worth it!

When the inflate they get really tight and work well. I will not fish with anything else in the warm weather.