WEST MARINE
Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

We are a family of 3, during the summer, we are all in the water doing boating, canoeing, fishing etc. We got 3 of these pfd. Importantly, it fits well with the big kids too and they are very very comfortable with this vest even after adding safety tethers.
-- They are very quick and easy to wear.
-- Compact, good when you carry lot of stuff.
-- I even tried 'yoga' wearing these on the boat.

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

This self inflating life vest fits well, is non-obtrusive, looks ok. Easy enough to put on and not freak out the fellow passengers.
Guess until I fall in the water I can't really evaluate the true features of this vest.

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

This inflatable PFD with integrated sailing harness is clearly well-made and comfortable, and was not at all restrictive.

Service and delivery comments:

This model is a high-end inflatable PFD appropriate for offshore (blue water) sailing. The hydrostatic activation mechanism is expensive, but is designed not to inflate in response to water exposures short of immersion. Thus, it's more appropriate for crew on a boat that will encounter rain and spray on the deck of a sailboat going off-shore than for a coastal cruiser. It is probably the best choice among available PFDs for sailors that will encounter "heavy weather" and rough seas. For inshore and coastal waters, a less expensive activator should be just fine. The device is relatively light, and certainly comfortable and not restrictive. There was no problem wearing it over foul weather gear on a recent North Atlsntic passage in a modest storm.

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

All around nice jacket, high quality, and very sharp looking which is important for sailors. For persons of smaller size though the stiff and scratchy velcro tab on the left breast used to open the jacket manually rubbs on bare left arm which can be uncomfortable. Use of softer material for this location would be better when wearer has short sleeve shirt, or no shirt on.

Service and delivery comments:

Faster than expected.

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

Used for offshore sailing. non hydrostatic version has popped off in rain and heavy wave spray - Hydrostatic version has not gone off even while crawling along the foredeck in heavy weather. it's really worth the piece of mind to think that you can concentrate on the job at hand rather than having a surprise inflation.

Comments about West Marine Ocean Series Hydrostatic Inflatable Life Vests:

I have a medical condition that makes sudden loss of consciousness a real possibility. So wearing a PFD, even just alone at the dock, is an absolute must. So, I need something that I will not only wear all the time, but something that will also keep me face up. There are no Type I inflatable PFDs, and there aren't many Type II. And, if I had to wear a non-inflatable PFD, I wouldn't always have it on when I should.

This PFD is very easy to put on. Once it's adjusted, it's easier to put on than a lightweight knapsack. Just slip it on and snap the buckle.

Once it's on, I don't even notice it. It has almost no bulk, does not restrict movement in the least, and never gets caught on things. To me, the only drawback is that, since it's so unnoticeable, I don't notice when I'm not wearing it.

I bought the model with the integrated harness, which seems to be identical to the other model except for the addition of two D-rings. One nice feature (whether intended or not) is that there are little pockets next to these D-rings so they securely and neatly tuck away when not in use.

If I had to nitpick, there is a little observation window that you use to check the readiness of the activator. The activator is free to shift around so that it is not always visible through the window. Not a huge problem, as you can easily work it around to be visible, but it would be possible to not notice if the device was not ready for some reason.

The other drawback, and this one is kind of a big deal for me, is that the activators are expensive. So, you definitely don't want to use this in a situation where you will probably go into the water or when going in the water is not a problem. But, it also means that it is very expensive to just test your PFD to see how it works. I've wanted to try it out to see how effectively it turns me face-up, but that's a $75 test.