SALVS Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life Jacket for Adults | PFD for Kayak, Fishing, Sailing | Life Vest for Men & Women | Floatation Swim Vest

I spent a lot of time researching which automatic lifejacket to buy and was impressed by other customer's ratings for comfort and style and price. I bought it, it came at the expected speed and it is what was described. I tried it on over my waders and fishing vest. It will not encumber my flycasting and I will still be able to access the pockets of my vest, although the breast pockets will need to be less full and not contain sharp objects like sharpener and hemostats. Being a woman, my shape will determine placement of gear and will require changing some fishing gear habits. The belt of the life vest latches just under my breasts so now I don't have to have a waist fishing belt on my waders, the vest belt will serve that function. I can see that this vest will work and I intend to wear it. The cool black color with nice piping will open at the Velcro upon inflation and the vest will blow up bright yellow with high visibility reflective patches. The instructions how to test the vest are clear. I had a problem with accessing the website to register my vest to receive the additional CO2 cartridge. I wrote to SALVS and they were quick to respond with instructions. All their instructions and their website support is excellent. I'm pleased so far and feel smart about buying personal protection for an aging me when I go wading strong wild remote rivers. Thanks, SALVS.

One thing is sure - SALVS customer service is one of the best out there, which for me means a lot.Of course - to make the experience whole, you gotta have a good product in hand, and for all I've seen, this life jacket is awesome.I tested it and it worked as expected, fits great (I'm 6 foot, slim, but it looks like it can accommodate either larger or smaller shaped users) and it feels and looks like it is made from high level materials. The only down side as I see it is the price of the CO2 canisters (cost about 1/3 of the price of the product), but SALVS are kind enough to provide you with a canister that comes with your purchase and another FREE canister when you register your product online, which means that for this type of life jacket, this is where you'll get the most for your buck.

I was looking for a compact inflatable PFD for my boat, as the drivers seat is cramped even without a PFD. My initial internet search found inflatables well over $100, which was more than I wanted to spend. Many of the very inexpensive inflatables were manual only. This one stood out as reasonably priced, good reviews, can be used automatic or manual, has a zippered pocket, and has a nice collar that others didn't have. Now that I have tried it on, I am happy with the purchase. It does not look 'tiny' on me (5'10 180 lbs), and it seems to be well made.

As an experienced sailor on Lake Michigan I found the product highly usage to wear in all weather - Sun, Rain and Wind. Wore the PFD during the 35th Hook Race and noted that the PFD has a safety whistle that is affixed to the manual blow-tube; that when the PFD inflates, the User has access to the whistle. The PFD provides comfort; although the color black on a hot summer day on the water is interesting - my choice of color. The only concern is the O-Ring and whether a tether affixed to the deck of the boat would sustain the weight of an average man (i.e. 185-200ibs). When racing I wear a tether that is clipped into the O-Ring and this appears to be a point of failure of the PFD. However, this is a $70.00 PFD; versus a $400.00 Mustang; and overall, for the cost, I'm satisfied with the PFD.

OK, that was fast shipping. Had I know it was this comfortable I would've waited on that 7 mile kayak trip. Oh well, I'm doing it right and starting off with the leak test. For areas I have no intent on getting wet (calm lakes, slow rivers and inshore,) this is the solution; comfort and safety. One thing they don't show is that inflated, it is bright yellow with reflective material and even a whistle. I was a little concerned with it being black, but that's not when it's inflated. Having been incapacitated in the water, I can also see it is designed to keep your head out of the water, if the auto function works as designed. this will beat a vest hands down. Until you've been there floating, incapable of moving,,,,,,,,, you don't know. Some vests will even pitch you forward while floating helpless. The only downside I can possibly see are those times you anticipate getting wet, like surf launching; those Co2 cartridges can get expensive. It packs small enough to fit in a small dry bag, maybe switch out from a vest once in calmer water. I can't say enough about how comfortable this pfd is. My kayak seat is a high back and it likes to push vests up, with this pfd you are resting against the seat back. NICE!

Flipped over in my kayak today, got hit in the head by the kayak, went underwater, inhaled some water, then boom the life jacket inflated - and fast! My head was back on the surface gagging for air. Was a tight lock around the neck, but I could breath. But carry a back up PFD, like I did because once this is inflated, it is used until you deflate and get another cartridge. I had my back-up traditional life vest and wore that the rest of the trip. This product was designed and functioned as advertised. Highly recommend.

Customer service is staggeringly fast and helpful. The best is comfortable but it’s my first in this style so I don’t know if it could be better, or if this is as good as they get.I have used it one time so far, and didn’t require it to perform for its intended purpose, but on the plus side it didn’t inflate on its own and choke the life out of me. I’ll call it a win.One tiny insignificant gripe. Rearming kits, they kindly give you one when you fill out a little information on their site, a $20 value. That’s great, I figured to be on the safe side I’ll buy one as well because it’s primary use is on a sunfish and I’ve already been over once. Well I bought it and rather than tack on the freebie to my order i ended up having to pay for shipping on it which is $10.If I have problems with it in the near future I’ll update this to reflect those problems.