There’s plenty of evidence that shows how wearing a life jacket can improve safety. Inflatable life jackets can be comfortable, too.
Partly because I often sail alone, and I try to be safety conscious, I wear my life jacket a lot during the course of a season. Years ago I chose to wear a West Marine/Mustang inflatable life jacket with integral harness. It’s comfortable to wear for hours at a time, and the harness makes it easy to clip in to a tether and jackline system when alone or offshore (which I do). There are plenty of other great inflatables, too, like Kristin’s very nice Spinlock Deckvest.
However, inflatable life jackets are somewhat delicate, requiring care and regular maintenance. I’ve found a good time to check them is before the craziness of the summer sailing season begins.
Since each model is a little bit different, I strongly recommend reviewing (and saving) the instructions that are included with each life jacket. Many have maintenance and repacking instructions just inside the outer flap (or try Googling it).
Each spring I perform a thorough inspection as per the instructions. I check any expiration dates of components, such as a hydrostatic activator.
I carefully unzip or unfold it, and disconnect any lights that could be triggered from an inflation. I then activate the light’s test feature to make sure it works. After unscrewing the air cartridge, I manually inflate the life jacket with the blow tube (it doesn’t take much air at all). Manual inflation allows me to save the expensive air cartridge for use during the upcoming season. Removing the air cartridge first also protects the life jacket from over inflation if the lanyard is accidentally pulled during testing with the jacket already inflated.
To make sure our life jackets can hold air, I leave them inflated for 24 hours. Any that get soft by that time are thrown out since they can’t really be repaired. Some instructions call for testing the blow tube in water, though I’ve always been afraid of getting any water tablets or hydrostatic activators wet.
This point is also a good time to actually wear it inflated for practice, which Kristin and I have done with all of our inflatable life jackets.
Life jackets should probably not be left inflated for much more than this 24 hour test. To deflate, press down on the valve inside the manual inflation tube. During training at work I’ve had to wear an inflatable life jacket in a swimming pool and board a large life raft. A fully inflated life jacket is cumbersome to swim with, but I found that partially deflating it when swimming helps a lot while still preserving useful bouyancy. I recommend users practice how to partially deflate their own life jacket while wearing it… and be able to reinflate it manually later.
Before folding it up, I check if any water activated tablets need replacing. They usually only last one to three years. I log their replacement in ink on the inner tag of the life jacket.
Always follow the repacking instructions, frequently printed on the inner portion of the life jacket. It usually involves deflating as thoroughly as possible, folding a certain way, then velcroing or zipping it back together. Spinlock has several YouTube videos demonstrating how to repack various models of their Deckvest (it’s a little more intricate than other life jackets).
I’ve modified my inflatable life jackets slightly to make them more effective after dark. We do some nighttime sailing, so the small extra cost was justified. I bought SOLAS reflective tape and added some sections to improve nighttime visibility, especially in the upper, above water portion. I was careful not to stick anything on any of the folds of the jacket. I also added strobe lights to further improve visibility after dark.
I also added a SOSpenders crotch strap to my West Marine/Mustang inflatable. The strap is adjustable, and can be tightened once in the water if needed.
Testing life jackets is easy… I can inflate each one during a commercial break of a TV show while sitting on the couch.
When storing any inflatable life jacket for a while, I try not to crease, fold, or crush them under anything heavy that would increase the damage risk. I also try to store them out of UV light, since they are made of plastic.
Properly maintained, inflatable life jackets can last for many seasons, but still do have a limited life. Since the sailing season is only about 6 months long in Milwaukee, gear can last longer than in the tropics. I was comfortable with replacing my West Marine/Mustang’s hydrostatic activator when it expired at 5 years of age, but now that replacement is nearing the 5 year mark. After this season, the life jacket will be a well worn 10 years old. Instead of replacing the hydrostatic activator again, I’ll just retire the whole life jacket and buy a new one.
Now if the weather would warm up a bit, I might be able to get the boat in the water!