Life jacket follow-up

The other day I was thinking about life jackets and how most of us take them off when were not running. I posted about my thoughts on a couple of different boards, so you may have read it and I dont want to bore you. The point of this post is that I took my own advise and went and ordered an inflatable jacket so I could wear it even when I wasnt running. I ordered a Mustang model 3183 with the hydrostatic inflater so I wouldnt have to worry about it inflating in the rain etc. That was very late on the 18th when I ordered it from Black Bear Sporting Goods out of Tampa, FL.. The UPS guy just delivered the jacket. Not even a full 3 days to get it to me! I am impressed! Whats even more impressive, was the price. Bass Pro wanted 289.99 + shipping. I paid 202.69 WITH shipping. Dont get me wrong, its still a lot of money for something I hope never to have to use, but If youre thinking of buying an inflatable vest like this, you may want to check out Black Bear Sporting Goods. www.blackbearsportinggoods.com.

This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 4 months ago by PumaTrac.

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January 22, 2009 at 2:38 am #378269

Bob La Londe
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The Mustang with hydrostatic is Type II and counts whether worn or not. If its your only PFD the cheap SOS is type V when not worn, and will get you a ticket for not having a PFD if you do not have another in the boat.–Bob La Londe Forums, Free Lures, Product Reviewswww.YumaBassMan.com CNC Molds N Stuffwww.CNCMOLDS.com

January 22, 2009 at 2:59 am #378272

PumaTrac
Participant

Smbass…… I dont think they are even close to the same. Looking at the Stearns site their best jacket doesnt have the floation that this Mustang has and none of them look like they are available with a hydrostatic release. They do have an automatic inflation system, but its not the same. I didnt post this to start a peeing contest, but only to provide information on a good supplier and price for those that would be interested.

January 22, 2009 at 4:08 am #378275

misr12
Participant

Do share. What is Hydrostatic release? Thanks! misr12

January 22, 2009 at 4:54 am #378277

Fisherman74
Participant

http://www.mustangsurvival.com/index.php Check out the above link and go to the video page and you will find some videos explaining how it works. Basically the hydrostatic release is designed so that the vest will not inflate from spray or splash. It actually has to submersed to allow the water to enter the valve to activate the vest. If I understand correctly and someone correct me if Im wrong, submersing it actually puts enough pressure on the valve to allow it to open and allow water to enter the valve and activate it. The older or more traditional style is not as well protected from the elements, so a good splash or real high humidity can occasionally disolve the little pill that is used in them to block the pin that activates the CO2. However from what I can find even with the traditional style Mustangs they seldom activate from just a splash as they are pretty well protected. I hope that helps. It took me a while to fiqure out what the difference was when I got mine, but that is the just of what I got from researching it. Another plus with the Hydro, it actually has a zipper closure rather than the velcro style. One more thing to note is that the inflatable Mustangs provide a lot more bouyancy than traditional vests. I hope that helps.

January 22, 2009 at 10:08 am #378280

Max
Participant

That is a good price! Im going to order one tomorrow. Thanks for the tip…… Max

January 22, 2009 at 10:15 pm #378283

PumaTrac
Participant

Just noticed that they have them in pink. Maybe Kevin is looking for a new one.
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