I quit wearing an inflatable for tournament situations. Just too much that can go wrong as far as having to replace the trigger mechanism and everything. I like the good old regular life vest.

I use my Mustang inflatable at night but when the big motor is cranked I always have a foam vest on. I think it gives a lot more protection and would certainly be less likely to come off if I get tossed out of the boat.

The re-arm kits for the HIT model are pricey, which is annoying since you only have a "every five years" idea of when it needs replacing. And I don't know that if I ordered a kit it would be recent manufacture, it might be a year old or more already.

The reason it is not recommended for non-swimmers is that it takes 2-3 seconds for the auto inflate to activate which means you will go under water before it pops you back up to the surface. But once it is inflated it will keep your head up and in the correct position. There are several you tube videos that show how they work. Since they dont provide any buoyancy until they are inflated they must be worn to be considered a pfd...cant throw them to someone, as you could a foam type pfd. And of course any pfd if not worn wont work...thats why I use these...I am never tempted to remove it..once I put it on I forget it is there..it is comfortable and doesnt restrict any activities.

The Mustang HIT technology auto PFDs activate instantly....they rely on a pressure trigger soon as they become submerged. It is quite fast.

The auto inflates that are not HIT all have to wait for a trigger hold, a bit of solid absorbant material which becomes wet and when it dissolves, the PFD then releases its gas and only then can it inflate.