CAUTION!! Inflatable life vests

[@b.vonschnauser207]

When I bought my inflatable PFD, I spent 30 minutes reading the instructions before using it. You made a rookie mistake, but I give you a lot of credit for posting the video. I'm sure there has to be others out there who didn't prep the PFD before using it.

[@JujuPig-vz5mq]

Even if you prepare 100% I would not take a chance with a CO2 inflatable vest because even if it's only 1% there could still be a failure.

[@chrislinsley143]

Is that the only way to fill it, the ones I’ve seen have an oral inflation tube as well.

[@jonathan53356]

I have a Mustang vest with a Hammar inflator. They are more expensive, but Hammar inflators don't go off by moisture. They go off due to pressure. This means you need to be in at least 4 inches of water for it to go off. There is also an indicator, right on the inflator. Green, you're good, red, you need to replace it. They are a sealed inflator, meaning the cylinder is attached permanently. My vest was around 300 bucks, and the inflators are 80 bucks every 3 years. Yea, that may be expensive, but this is a life-saving device. If your life jacket saves your life, I guarantee you won't care how much it costs.

[@JujuPig-vz5mq]

What happens if that inflatable fails? You're a goner. I had one, sold it on eBay & decided to go the old fashioned route with foam inserts, with going back to old school pfds I don't have to worry about that technology failing,, even if it's at a 1% rate there is still a chance.

[@Iced-D143]

I admire that you have the confidence to admit this mistake to warn others. My Bluestorm came with large warnings that they are shipped unarmed and that you must install the CO2 cartridge to arm it.

[@ericwright3382]

I have two, and they both had big warning messages. They even talked about how manual (pull cord only) vests should NOT be used for skiing, tubing, or any other activity where you may not be able to respond and pull the cord. The way I am wired, I read instructions, not just the ones on something that will save your life.

[@davidsmith4363]

West Marine brands don’t say anything. I assume mine was faulty because no green indicator. The instructions manual doesn’t say they are unarmed when bought new. I’ll check the packaging tomorrow.

[@monstermashed6266]

Not only that but some life vests are made to deploy automatically once they hit the water therefore if you get knocked out and end up in the water the vest will self deploy, the vest you are describing it sounds like to me that you need to pull on a cord to activate the co2 cartridge, so both are good so long as no one loses consciousness

[@swampland]

Good lesson mr david. I know everyone runs fast in them big boats. Be safe man!

[@Justacook74]

An Onyx vest saved my life on Lake Bourne in LA a couple years ago. Seemed like an eternity looking up at the surface and being unable to swim up until it started to inflate. It was in the winter in a fishing tournament, the extra snivel gear when wet was like an anchor, , I’m a strong swimmer but there was nothing I could do. WEAR A VEST AT ALL TIMES ON THE WATER.

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

There's nothing quite as impactful as personal testimony. Thanks for that!!

[@JujuPig-vz5mq]

Luckily for you your inflatable did not fail. I imagine the failure rate is extremely low but still the possibility is there and with a full foam vest I don't have to worry about that ever happening.

[@adampadgett8742]

Did you fly out at high speed?

[@pcolapaddler]

I've had several of these inflatable PFDs. I bought my first around 2002. My wife and I both use them. Ours have always come with the cartridge installed and ready to use. That said, it is always a good idea to check your equipment on a regular basis. I tested ours once several years ago and they both inflated, but the seams had deteriorated and they split open upon inflation. They would have been useless in an emergency.

[@JujuPig-vz5mq]

Some people think advancing technology is end all be all but that is not the case with everything and in fact a lot of things in life, my opinion is that these inflatable pfds are not worth the risk if obviously they fail and look yours failed by the seams splitting apart(luckily that didn't happen if you were actually in need of it) with old-school PFD foam inserts you don't have to worry about technology failure.

[@mikenagy938]

You forgot the second, maybe first important part of the system, the pill. What makes the cylinder go off when you hit the water? There is a pill or tablet about the size of an aspirin that dissolves very quickly. This pill holds the firing pin at bay when you are dry and when it gets wet it slams against the cylinder and fills the jacket. This pill should be changed every season.

[@jordangouveia1863]

Two weeks ago I dumped my yak. I was wearing a self- inflating PFD. The PFD inflated kept me afloat and I got my yak to a sandbar where I was able to pump out the water and get underway again. The downside is after that accident I had no PFD for the rest of the day. It is not comfortable to wear after it is inflated. The recharge kit was about $20.00. The cartridge lasts a long time. The element that causes the inflation should be changed every 3 years. I've had cartridges that were over 10 years that worked fine during a test I did on old cartridges. The element is the weak link, if anything is going to fail it'll be the self inflation element.

[@garynokes729]

Thanks for posting.

[@DigginTexas]

I’ve got one ordered, I’m happy to say. I am glad I saw this video, cause I definitely assumed they came preloaded. Thank you for posting.

[@jamesglavich1426]

I bought two inflatable vest, Instructions, and two attached tags explained that they were not armed. I reconfigured mine so they were manual with the cord. You can look at it different ways, one if set as automatic, if you slip and fall in the water while loading the boat and or gear, it's going to cost $25.00 and if you don't have a spare CO-2 cylinder, you need a different vest. I guess you blow it up manually, but a temp regular vest would be better. Read the Instructions. Thanks for bringing this to a lot of peoples attention, and some buy these things at yard sales and second hand stores without instructions. Inside there is instructions that stay with the vest. Check for the CO-2 cylinder and green marker for operation, if its red find out why.

[@leonardmilcin7798]

Inflatable life jackets are for people who know what they are doing. Just yesterday I inspected and inflated mine before the season and I replaced the piece that reacts with water to inflate it. If you can't be bothered to be serious about it, do yourself a favour and skip an inflatable life vest and instead get one made out of foam so that it is guaranteed to always work for you when you need it. There is a lot of things that can go wrong with an inflatable life jacket. It can get worn out or pierced as you go about your day. It can get old and fail. The CO2 cartridge can get unscrewed. The cartridge can get rusted and leak out the CO2 (there is only very thin piece of metal foil that prevents it from leaking out). The manual activator can get tangled or pushed inside and be unavailable when you need it. The only way is to regularly inspect your life jacket. Open it up, inflate it. Inspect your cartridge, inspect the activator, the lever, the pin, the cords, etc. Inspect the pressure compartment itself if there are any signs of wear that could cause it to fail when you need it the most.

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

Very well said. And you should floss your teeth every day, but not many people do that either. Sage advice, nonetheless and thanks for your input.

[@allanmason3201]

Sensible maintenance of an important piece of safety equipment. I'd suggest that if someone is going to replace CO2 cartridge and trigger anyway, it would be a good idea to do a live test of the vest by jumping into water at least once, just to find out how the thing works. I recently came across a YT video where a guy did that, and the velcro holding down the cover around his neck didn't come free, so he ended up feeling strangled by an over-inflated bladder on only one side.

[@luisadriandelgado5343]

wow!!! very serious lifesaving advice!!!!

[@fantomphoenix6170]

Most of them you can switch them into a manual deploy only as well, good for the kayak fisherman out there that may get water to hit ya.

[@charleywalker2982]

I’ve been debating on buying one , thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@bobwilliamson2828]

That’s why you are supposed to check them for green showing before every use. Also, be sure to read the instructions and replace the bobbins when they are out of date.

[@montyspearo]

Great video. Off to check my new vest.

[@Snappergrabber]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@riceracerman]

I recently saw one for sale extremely cheap (~$30) at a major retailer that rhymes with “haul cart”. It says in the description that the co2 cartridge is not included and must be bought separately. This borders on negligence and will most definitely end up with someone dead because they didn’t read the instructions

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

@@riceracerman couldn’t agree more! That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Foolish on their part to sell it that way even if lawsuits were not a concern.

[@heathcolwell9190]

@@davidellisoutdoors3247 If they included the CO2 cartridge people would be returning/exchanging them for new cartridges after they used the vest. Think, McFly.

[@gregdeeth5701]

All the vests I've ever purchased never come with the c02 cartridge installed. Always had to install to activate the vest. Same thing like a smoke detector, pull the yellow tab.

[@zapman2100]

when you fail to read the maintenance instruction that come with your life jacket.

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

Bring it big boy. If it helps one person not drown I’ll take all the smart aleck comments you can give. Water rollin’ off brother.

[@heathcolwell9190]

If somebody puts themselves into a situation where they need these vests to save their lives and they didn't even look at the vest itself, or the directions... I mean...

[@davidsmith4363]

I just bought two inflatable pfds and reading the instructions. No where does it say the CO2 cartilage has not been installed. Only warning labels is that a new cartilage must be installed after it’s been used even once. Main reason I’m reading this and watching KZbin videos is because I’m not seeing a green indicator saying it’s ready. I was thinking of taking it back to West Marine. To be honest I have no experience with CO2 cartilages and would assume they came installed. Thanks for the video.

[@JujuPig-vz5mq]

​@@davidellisoutdoors3247Sorry to hear about your colleague/friend but with something as important as a life jacket which may end up saving someone's life, you Definitely need to Read the instructions, maybe twice even.

[@dirkswart8950]

All in all thank you for sharing whether the comments be negative or positive it's still good that you took the time to share. Not everybody is smart as everybody else that's for sure I sure don't want to kick somebody just because they learned a lesson that wasn't as evident as the ones others seem to figure out quickly just saying life ain't perfect neither are we

[@jeffreytaylor4211]

Thanks for sharing, I'm getting ready to buy two of them.

[@Badbunnyhug5]

Thank you because you saved my life.

[@jkline999]

I have 3 vests, from diff manufacturers-- CO2 came installed. All manual, not auto inflate, which is my preference. What everybody needs to do is test their vest to make sure all seems are solid, and that when it inflates it doesn't choke you. To death. It happened to a guy off buoy 10 at Astoria. Big dude. The vest killed him. I have a waist inflatable, and I can hardly get that thing around my head unless I let out some air.

[@williamoneill5498]

I use a life jacket that is a also strong flotation jacket/inflatable all rolled into one, mind you, it wasn't easy to find either, just one manufacture in Norway making them for Europe, but there must be North American manufacturers out there too.

[@vinniecamberlango6026]

Very good advice I have 3 of them and I am going to to check mine out

[@lisasaint2164]

Thank you so much for sharing, this is great information, your video will probably save some lives..

[@robertbunnell5045]

one of mine deployed in my storage in boat !! boat never rained on ,vest maybe worn 6 times!! THE ONLY MOISTURE IN BOAT IS WHEN REAL HUMID(I'M IN SOUTH LOUISIANA IS CONDENSATE ON STORAGE LIDS. LESSON LEARNED REMOVE THEM FROM BOAT ,OR GO BACK TO STD. PERSONAL PFD'S!!! THINK i WILL GO BACK TO TRIED & PROVEN LOW MAINT. DEVICE

[@formulasaltythunder4806]

Same thing happened to my wife at night at the dock. She doesn't know how to swim. Thank God my buddy heard her go in. Grabbed her hand before she went under.

[@miketrentham6632]

I have a Mustang life vest and the cartridge was already installed. The cylinder needs to be replaced every three years and checked annually

[@slimslamma3679]

Thank you sir! I owe you 1

[@TheFiremarshal33]

Did the same thing bud. I read the instructions and thought it was telling me how to install the cylinder as if inwere replacing it. SMH..

[@Pete-from-Tn]

Had these from the time they came out. As with anything service it every year.

[@MAB1907]

Never buy a manual pull, because if you get knocked out in the water you will be at the bottom on the lake, buy a regular life jacket or spend the extra money and get the automatic life jacket, yes it cost a lot more but just how much is your life worth ?

[@jkline999]

an auto is useless for me. rain, surfing, paddleboarding, swimming, you name it. manual only vests and trucks, thx.

[@MAB1907]

@@jkline999 hey I understand, I’ve got life jackets for that too !!! Be safe…

[@JimbobZ17]

@@jkline999mustang inflatable will not inflate unless submerged in 4 inches of water. They are the best and only brand I have in my boat. If you are not in a boat they are useless for you 🤙🏻

[@kurtgreen1040]

Was considering buying one but I think I’ll stick with my old one

[@huckfin1100]

Have you ever priced a replacement you would know they aint throwing that thing in for free, just saying !

[@robertbunnell5045]

JUST VEIWED VIDEOS WITH SAME DEPLOYMENT IN STORAGE IN BOAT ,BOATS NEVER ACTUALLY RAINED ON OR STORE OUT IN WEATHER !!,THEY DEPLOYED FDROM HEAT & HUMIDITY .SO i WILL FORGO THE COMFORT & RESORT BACK TO CONVENTIONAL PFD. THEIRS A GUY TESTING DIFF PFDS GOOD WATCH YOU BE SUPRISED AS WHAT WORKS BEST AS FAR AS HOW YOU FLOAT IN THE WATER

[@allanmason3201]

There are few things that can go wrong with a foam floatation device (the main one being not actually wearing the fricking thing!), but something people should check is if their flotation vest will actually support them and roll them from prone to face-up if they should fall into the water due to becoming unconscious for some reason.

[@KurtOnoIR]

Dang man you didn't read the directions. Well good message. Many of us don't read directions but for something like this you should obviously skim it over at least. I did just to try and figure out how it works exactly.

[@michaelhuff9536]

Thanks for sharing

[@artist7998]

Great so you had the vest for 5 years and never inspected it to make sure it was in working order? They also need to be inspected for tears and also that the deployment tabs are fresh at least yearly.

[@Jake-ky9ed]

We use inflatables on swimmers in surf rescue, I don’t like em. They will however float you upright? A lot won’t, some cool vids done lately proving this and have floated in them several times myself. Just when I am in my yak or in my skiff I wear a regular PFD? If for some reason by some miracle I’m knocked unconscious and am not uprighted by my pfd then it’s just my time, least body recovery will be easier for the fire crew.

[@clintperry799]

Thank you , great information ! 👍

[@gordondalrymple7644]

Good to know

[@richardmcquade8669]

Ty

[@CalumMacNeil-qb6wp]

Yes good comments. A man I worked for bought 2 second hand good quality inflateable life vests for his boating trips. After returning from one of his trips. I had to put all his gear away as he just beached the boat and walked away. I took it upon myself to inspect the life vests. And guess What?the co2 cylinders were both spent. He didn't have a clue all those times he was in danger. I told him to renew and replace the cylinders with all the correct information. Well he shrugged it all off and didn't bother his arse.👎👎

[@joegrillo6188]

Exactly it’s detrimental to read the manual prior to using the product

[@BumpNrun69]

How would it be "detrimental to read the manual"? It would be detrimental NOT to read the manual.

[@joegrillo6188]

I apologize to you sincerely my comment was a typo it should have read that it is in fact detrimental TO FULLY read and understand the manufacturer’s instructional manual. Again sorry for the typo

[@Huntnfish74916]

20$ and you can replace it every year.

[@dondearman4803]

Co2 cartridges only good for 3 years so yours is no good

[@jonnietherotten5471]

Wow. I would be embarrassed to admit this. You have to be pretty dense to go around for five years not knowing that.

[@tenkarapondfishing4611]

This is a VERY misleading, and unnecessarily scary, title. Before watching, anyone would naturally think that the KZbinr has discovered some critical design flaw with these self-inflattable vests, when in fact what he is really reporting on is basic and tragic stupidity on the part of a small number of users. I am very sorry for your friend, but if you choose to wear a CO2-inflattable vest, but haven't checked to see if there's even a CO2 cartridge in place....then I'm sorry, but that is no fault of the vest or the manufacturer.

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

@@tenkarapondfishing4611 you are certainly entitled to your opinion. It’s a cautionary tale that might save someone’s life if they have an old inflatable vest and haven’t checked the CO2 cylinder in a while. There’s nothing in the title that suggests a critical design flaw but there might be other critical use flaws like mine. Trying to save someone else from the same mistake. But thanks for your input anyway.

[@shaynelhta]

Bruh, now I wonder if you should even be running a boat... if you were so oblivious to that, I'd be worried about your awareness in general. No offense meant.

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

None taken

[@howardbenson1173]

Dumb A

[@davidellisoutdoors3247]

There’s always one. Have a great day anyway!