Auto-Inflate PFDs

[CastawayRK]

Who has experience with them? I have one that I always wear when fishing alone. How much water does it take to detonate it. Does anybody know if rain will set it off?
I have considered wasting the cost of a recharge kit and jumping in with it on. I think it might be good to see what the thing does so I'm not figuring it out during a real emergency.

Cheers
Randy

 

[Dixemon]

It doesn't take much water at all, and yes rain would definitely do it if the inflation assembly was soaked enough to get to the Bobbin. The Bobbin is nothing but compressed salt, it takes less than a second to activate when it is immersed in water. you can buy a three pack of bobbins and also the CO2 cartridges you can buy aftermarket. I always weigh them to make sure they are fully charged. I would inflate/Ops check the PFD yearly and check for leaks by submerging in water and looking for bubbles. A company I used to work for would leave them inflated for 24 hours and make sure they didn't Deflate as well. I think it is an awesome idea to test your gear frequently.

 

[CastawayRK]

So about this. Georgia humidity was enough to set mine off. I headed out solo last week for the first time in a couple months. Pulled self inflating jacket out of pod only to find it went off at some point. Still was pretty inflated so I don’t have to worry about leaks. Fished out a ski vest and wore it even though it was kinda warm.
Cheers
Randy

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Some of the self inflating PFD’s are both auto inflating via the bobbin or can be made to function only with the manual pull lanyard, and some are manual only.

If memory serves, I think the owners manual says something about inflating them manually and leaving them sit for 24 hours and they should remain inflated.

Also, the bobbins have an expiration date on them.

 

[Jerlane]

Unfortunately, a ranger just died in Voyageurs National Park during a rescue while wearing an inflatable PFD. There aren't many details, but this article states "Ramsay said that Grossheim was wearing a self-inflating life jacket, which was supposed to inflate upon contact with water." The fact that they say it was "supposed" to inflate upon contact with water implies that it did not. Sad news. It will be interesting to see if more details are released.

VNP ranger dies during lake rescue attempt - The Timberjay

VOYAGEURS NAT’L PARK- A longtime Voyageurs National Park ranger died Sunday while rescuing a stranded family on Namakan Lake amid high winds and rough waters in Voyageurs National Park. The …

www.timberjay.com

 

[sethman919]

Who has experience with them? I have one that I always wear when fishing alone. How much water does it take to detonate it. Does anybody know if rain will set it off?
I have considered wasting the cost of a recharge kit and jumping in with it on. I think it might be good to see what the thing does so I'm not figuring it out during a real emergency.

Cheers
Randy

Speaking of precipitation, it’s usually not a problem unless it is a downpour. I would suggest that you try it in some sort of controlled environment first so that you can best learn how to use it at a moment’s notice.

 

[crazy4life]

Mine inflated from getting rained on.

 

[Bluewater272]

I've also had one pop due to ambient humidity (have 2 of these, this occurred once in 7 years).