Page 21 - kayaksession54_flipbook

Inlatable belt pack PFD is sexier, no doubt! But is it safer ?
In most cases for most people, requiring life jackets on SUP boards is a little like asking everyday drivers to wear a full face crash helmet inside their car on their daily commute. Simply put, it’s overkill.
However, there are environments and situations in which being leashed to your board AND wearing a life vest is potentially a good idea. In those situations there are two options: A standard coast guard (or CE) approved lifejacket, or an inlatable one. Each have their place, and in the end, what it really comes down to is YOUR experience and your ability to make a safe judgment call given the environment into which you are about to enter.
If you’re a 75 yr old man, with high blood pressure and a history of family heart attacks, the safest thing you can do is to wear a standard life jacket. Even if you’re leashed to the board, if you’re immobilized, you can’t get back to it or back on. But if you’re that guy, you should also always be paddling in a group for safety.
Another place to consider a standard lifejacket is in whitewater, where continuous dumping into moving rapids is an ongoing part of the day. Without a doubt, having a lifejacket that is worn, and high in lotation, is the best way to go. The same could be argued for downwind paddling in rough seas.
The problem with your standard jacket however is chafing. Most jackets are designed for the low arm angle of the forward stroke used by kayakers.The high top hand stroke of the paddleboard inevitably pinches the shoulder straps against your neck, and eventually chafing occurs – especially in salt water. While jackets without shoulder straps exist, they are generally not coastguard or CE approved (their standards are set for sailing, not paddling – another government misnomer).
A smaller concern is of course the dreaded “life jacket tan”. One of the attractions of paddleboarding over kayaking is it’s sexier. For those of us in relatively good shape, standingonaboard,glidingalonglooksandfeelssexy.Thatis,untilyouslapalifejacket on. But good luck getting that entered as an argument at your next town council meeting!
Inlatable belt pack PFD by NRS
Therefore, if you’re basically young and healthy, an experienced waterman, and you’re going into an environment that is essentially mundane and safe, and the only reason you’re even wearing a jacket at all is to avoid getting a ticket, then the inlatable jacket is the way to go.
I still advise leashing yourself to the board, as this remains the quickest and safest way to selfrescue;butthejacket,neatlytuckedinto intoasmallunobtrusivebelt,willgetyouoff the hook if you get pulled over by the water police.The belt also serves as a neat place to put keys and phonein a small dry bag, and possibly even a slung water bottle “a la John Wayne.”
Single use inlatable jackets, for which a new canister has to be bought with each deployment, are generally more expensive than your run-of-the-mill “Costco specials,” and for some this might be a deciding factor. However, if you actually need a real life jacket, I wouldn’t recommend getting one on the cheap – if you’re going into an environment where your life depends on a functioning jacket, spend the money on the best you can ind. It’s still cheap insurance.
As an ex Olympic kayaker, I know when I go out for my daily latwater workout that I’m stepping into an environment that FOR ME is safer than a shower is for most people; and all I need is sun block, hydration, and my board, paddle and leash. I’m not going to fall in, and even if for some miraculous reason I do, I’ll just swim over casually and climb back on. It’s about as dramatic an event as making coffee.
But, skill levels range dramatically from someone like myself to a complete beginner, as does one’s natural comfort in water, one’s health, and so on. As such, there can be no rule of thumb that applies to everyone.You need to rely on common sense,experience, and the conditions of the day. If you are in any doubt, the de facto go-to should always be to leash yourself to your board,and wear a standard foam jacket.You simply cannot go wrong with this. Everything else is a step back that requires your good judgment to decide what’s right for you (and what’s going to make sure you don’t get a ticket).
95
Sup World Mag
©Mandy McMurdo