Sospenders Life Vests - Need Info From Users

[johnlow]

Considering Sospenders or similar life vets & wanted to see what real users thought about the & which is best, manual or auto?

[peppman]

I have a auto pair love them but don't store for long periods where it gets damp will go off. Have had a set go off but still pefer the auto.

[jeremys]

I have the manual camo model and love it! it's light weight,comfortable, and easy to wear all the time. Plus I got mine on sale form BPS for like $65 bucks.

[HoosierDon]

Just remember guys. If you are not wearing them they are not considered a PFD. If you don't have it on and a CO stops you it's just like you don't have a life preserver in the boat. Not like the older types. For it to be a legal PFD you have to be wearing it.........

[Grumpy]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-17-06 AT 06:18AM (EST)[/font][p]Hey, Hoosier Don, check my post above. People really need to check their own model, but the last I heard from Fish & Wildlife, the automatic models are Type IV or V and must be worn at all times to be legal unless you have a regular non-inflatable PFD on board. In other words, the automatic models are Type III WHEN WORN and it will say so on the vest. The manual models are Type III and can be taken off while fishing and still be legal. Again, to be safe, everyone should check their own vest.

[Danny]

I'm 6'3" and a BIG BOY!! I wear the auto type. I have had them for two years at least, and they have yet to go off. I do keep them on all the time, but I also carry another vest. If you do fall and you activate them, you will need some other vest to wear the rest of the day.


Mine don't go off because I store them in my house. I simply bring them in with me when I get home, along with my GPS unit.

Good luck,

Danny

[skee53]

I bought a SOS set last year. I hate the bulky type. I took it on my first trip of the year, to Guntersville in April, and wore it any time I was underway. They were lite and comfortable. I got the "off the neck" model that is automatic. I have not had an "auto-inflation" as of yet, and I leave mine in the boat all the time, all though it is garage kept. I would not have a manual unit, as the other responder said, it leaves to much to chance. The one thing I do want to say is this, wear it all the time. While at Guntersville I was out one morning early and it was cool, so I had a pair of heavy sweats on over my tee and shorts. I hooked a nice fish and as I bent down to lip him my expensive sun glasses sliped of my face (to much sun screen I guess)I reached down to grab them, before they sank, and before I knew it, I was "A" over apple cart, right into the lake. My SOS was laying in the drivers seat. I'm going on 60 but still in good health, but let me tell you, that cold water and the heavy sweats made it a struggle to get back up to the surface and work my way down the side of the boat, to my rear boarding ladder. I didn't hit my head, but easily could have. I did wrench my wrist as I tried vainly to hold on to my side rail as I went over. I have been fishing for 50 years, and I have never even been close to coming out of a boat. But one quick, wrong move put me in danger. You can bet I'll wear it all the time now, not just when I'm running. Oh and that rear boarding ladder was a blessing too. With those heavy wet sweats on it would have been a real struggle to get back over a gunnel. Lessons learned!

[kenny]

manual,I had the automatic till they went off in the storage comparment

[tournyfisherman20]

I have the auto version and I love it. It's alot better than the manual in my opinion. For example.... what if you slip and hit your head and then fall in the water, then are you going to have enough time to pull the cord??? NO.... Yes they will go off in storage but there is ways to prevent that. The only reason it went off is because the storage got moisture in it. To cure that just get some of the little dehumidafiers and put in there with it. They only cost like 4.99. I have them were I work. Mine has never went off on me.Except when i tested it and jumped in the water.Very comfortable and I highly recommend it.

Tightlines,
Greg Stacy

[Grumpy]

I have the SOSpenders manual model and love it, especially in the hot weather. There is something that you should be aware of though, the automatic models MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES or else you must have another PFD of Type III (regular non-inflable) in the boat if you want to take it off while fishing.