Thank you for the information. I wear an ergofit 290 hammar for a couple of reasons which may be worth considering I am a big guy so I want all the Newtons I can get. With 290 Newtons if I go in I shouldn't even get my hair wet. I want automatic so if I enter the water unconscious it will deploy regardless. I have fitted an automatic epirb that is triggered if the jacket inflates, once again even if I am unconscious help is on the way. Adds a couple of hundred pounds to the cost of your jacket but I would sooner have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I would stress the importance of ergofit. I found a lot of life jackets chafe the back of the neck as they ride high. The problem then becomes human nature in that if it is uncomfortable you won't wear it. So I think it is worth getting a life jacket that is a more comfortable fit as you are more likely to wear it. Crotch straps are important or the life jacket can ride up over your head as it deploys if you hit the water from even a low freeboard. Harness you covered. In my opinion the ability to clip on is really important imagine you are caught in a squall and need to leave the cockpit to reef the mainsail. You know it can get a bit lively so a harness is a must. Other considerations are spray hoods, automatic lights which activate on immersion, personal electronic flare, and of course hand held vhf's. At the end of the day it comes down to having a healthy respect for the sea. I always imagine how terrifying it would be to go overboard and see your yacht sailing away without you. Every bit of equipment I have is to allay as much of that fear as possible and I hope I never have to use it but I am reassured knowing it is there.

From what I am learning, if you are offshore (i.e., open seas where swell and wind threaten to kill you) the only thing you should trust is a TYPE 1, and currently there are no type 1 USCG approved inflatable PFDs. But these "foam vests" are very bulky, constricting, and no one want to wear one. So the next best thing is to downgrade your safety to a type ii or iii, preferably inherently buoyant, or even worse an inflatable that might not inflate or might just get poked by something sharp and deflate, since "The best life vest is the one you're willing to wear" and better than nothing at all.

Very helpful, thanks. I was going to get the Mustang MIT for the times when I fish inshore alone (not as young as I used to be). But I've been caught in some hellacious rainstorms and don't need premature deployment of the inflator, so I'm going to pop for the HIT version.

Very informative. hydrostatic for me, preferably 33 pounds. Thank you..

My 8.25m yacht's cockpit can get very wet at times. I had an automatic inflatable pfd that would sometimes inflate when I got hit with a large wave. I ended up getting rid of it and switching to a non-auto pdf.

Excellent presentation.

i use inner tubes... they are the best and not expensive!

Question the expert advice status when not using of referencing crotch strap...

Hi..its allow to bring co2 pfd into air plane?

I found that really helpful. Cheers.

just wondering why you are not wearing the crotch strap? Most PFD's require the use of crotch straps to work effectively.

I have the Eysenck slim and neckline water saving device and I was wondering do I have to change the co2 cartridge every year even though I never used it?

What the exact name of the red jacket

Automatic inflators are killers. If your boat capsizes, your vest automatically inflates and you'll never get out. You'll go down with the boat. Buy one where you can only manually activate the inflation system.