US Coast Guard Approved Type III PFD's

[Night Wing]

Now that I have my 11'1" x 30" One World in my garage, I've turned my attention to getting a PFD so I can "comfortably" paddle my sup when flat water paddling on area lakes, rivers, salt marshes and coastal cruising. My old Type III I used for kayaking is just too bulky for sup paddling.

In the state of Texas, sups are considered a vessel by the US Coast Guard and they come under the jurisdiction of the state of Texas through the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). Texas state water extends out to 9 miles offshore from the beach into the Gulf of Mexico. Which means I'm going to need a US Coast Guard approved Type III PFD.

I've come to two Type III choices (so far). One choice is similar to my old kayak PFD but isn't as bulky. The second choice is a manually inflatable PFD. I don't want  an automatic inflatable because when I fall off my board and get dunked in the water, it would inflate. Can't have that. BTW, I do know there are advantages and disadvantages to both kinds of PFD's.

The two US Coast Guard approved Type III PFD's are the Onyx MoveVent Dynamic Vest and the MTI Helios 2.0 (Manual) Inflatable PFD. You can see them at the links below.

https://www.onyxoutdoor.com/p/movevent-dynamic-vest?pp=24

https://www.mtiadventurewear.com/products/sup/web400200000-helios-20

Right now, I'm favoring the MTI Helios 2.0 (Manual) Inflatable Type III PFD because it won't get in the way of paddling, nothing to stick out and foul my paddle stroke and it will be relatively cool to wear in the extremely hot months of July and Ausgust when the heat index can reach 112-115 degrees F.

So if anyone has any comments on my present choices, please feel free to post your opinions.

[rbgar]

Mustang Belt-pack inflatable PFD. This is what I use when I do races etc that require one, I attach the leash to it then put it on.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/mustangmd3075.html

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/mustangmd3075.html

[addapost]

I'm wondering why you are not looking at the manually inflatable waist packs like the MTI Fluid 2 https://www.mtiadventurewear.com/products/sup/web400900000-fluid-20  This is a CG approved Type iii pfd. Once it's on you'll completely forget it's there. Almost all the paddlers I know wear this one. I love mine.

[Night Wing]

@ rbgar

I see when you provided the link to the Mustang Inflatable Belt Pack PFD, you ran into the Zone site not re-directing you directly to the Landfall Navigation site. A little detour along the way via Wayfair. This is why you edited your post and typed the link a second time. I ran into the same problem with a Mustang DLX Inflatable PFD and Wayfair when the link I was originally going to put up to the Landfall Navigation site. 

I am going to include the Type III Mustang Inflatable Belt Pack for consideration since it gives 35 lbs of buoyancy. I will say I am more use to a "over the shoulder harness" type of PFD.With the harness type of PFD there is a small amount of storage space where I can put my keys and driver's license in a small waterproof pouch.

When out on the water in the state of Texas, if our state law hasn't changed for 2018, we are required to have some kind of personal identification on who we are on our person. If we don't and a TPWD game warden checks us, he'll look for the US Coast Guard approved Type III PFD and personal identification. If we're not in compliance, we'll either get a written ticket or a written warning depending on the mood of the game warden at that moment.

BTW since you mentioned Mustang, below is a video of the Type III Mustang DLX (manual) Inflatable PFD which I am also looking at.



And the above DLX is easy to maintain too which is in the link below.



As you can see, I've been "busy" info wise this Sunday afternoon. 

[Night Wing]

@ addapost

Your suggestion for a Type III USCG approved waist pack, the MTI Fluid 2, is also a good choice. However, the Mustang Belt Pack has 35 lbs of buoyancy whereas the MTI Fluid 2 has 29 lbs of buoyancy. Not that much of a big deal since I only weigh 147 lbs as of this post (I weighed myself this morning). Just a small detail I noticed.

As for why I am not looking at a waist pack, to be honest, I never thought of them as being a USCG approved Type III device. My mistake. Also, because of my lower cranky back, I'm more partial to a harness type of PFD since I'm not fond of anything hanging off of my waist or lower back.

[Eagle]

We have for many years used 4 Mustang harness manual inflatables for sailing and my wife uses one for SUP.  We also have a Mustang waist inflatable for SUP.  The positive with the harness is that it is already over your head.  Have replace the CO2 cartridge which is simple.  High quality PFDs.  But not really designed for non-swimmers. 

[Night Wing]

Since I'm still doing some more PFD research today, I ran across another one. A USCG approved Type III  harness type PFD. It is the Hobie manual inflatable life jacket PFD. I found two, YouTube videos for it.

I have a feeling though, the Mustang will be more comfortable for my back if one looks at how the Hobie straps come together on the back. The Mustang looks better designed for the straps in conjunction where the straps come together on a person's back. But the Hobie looks like it has a bigger storage compartment than the Mustang. A trade off if back comfort is a concern and for me, it is.

Anyhow, here are the two Hobie PFD videos.

[hbsteve]

USGC rules state that type a type III can worn or carried.  California regulations follow USGC. So, I carry my type III on my board.  It is a mti waste pack.
Learn the laws in your state.  So, when you get stopped, you can have an intelligent
conversation with the officers.
When I used to wear a type V, I frequently got back in my truck still wearing it. 

[photofr]

Setting laws and regulations aside for a moment, keep in mind that your weight has little to do with how much buoyancy you will need. Some people naturally sink, others float rather well. Add a wetsuit for those super cold days and you will naturally float even more.

It's therefore a balancing act between:
Your body weight
Your fat
Your clothing (wet suit or other)
Your comfort level in calm and rough water
The conditions you paddle in
The water temperature

And then, I would recommend anyone to always do the following two things:
Test your PFD (inflated if need be) to see how it reacts with you wearing it IN CALM and then IN ROUGH WATER.
Finally, I would highly recommend you test your remounts with a huge vest / completely inflated vest. To the surprise of many, getting back onto your board may prove to be far more difficult than anticipated.




Your swimming ability

[Night Wing]

@ hbsteve

Texas law is the same as California. A Type III PFD can be carried or worn. Since I'm going to be doing flat water padding and coastal cruising on pubic waters with my new 11'1" board, I'll always be wearing a PFD. For the reason being, it is light in weight when worn and if something should accidentally happen, I don't have to worry about getting it from the board from where it is stowed, putting it on and then securing it properly on me if I'm just carrying the PFD on board.

As the old adage goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

BTW; for a sup in Texas, since a sup is classified as a vessel, one has to have a wearable type life jacket (Types I, II or III) for each person on board. Life jackets "must" be USCG approved.

www.tpwd.texas.gov/boatsafe

So a Type V only would be illegal in my state.

[Night Wing]

@ photofr

1) Right now, on my digital scale I weigh 147.2 lbs and I'm quite nimble at this weight.
2) With my 147 lbs, I have very little body fat.
3) Since I don't like cold water, I don't wear a wet/dry suit. All I wear is "usually" a hat, long sleeve shirt, long pants and tennis shoes.
4) Coming from the maritime industry, I'm comfortable in both calm and rough water. The key is not panicking when a situation arises.
5) I won't be in much trouble in wind and water conditions for flat water and/or coastal paddling since I do leisurely paddling.
6) As for water temperature, since I don't wear wet/dry suits, hypothermia shouldn't be a problem since my water temperature comfort zone, the minimum for me is 66 degrees F on my skin. Which harkens back to point #3.

How do I know what the water temperature is? I look it up "before" I head out to my paddling launch site.

http://www.sjra.net/lakeconroe/lake-levels/

https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/wgof.html

At 66 degrees F water temperature, I don't shiver if I get wet. At 65 degrees F water temperature, I start shivering. So I've got a built in thermosat for my body and my built in thermosat will tell me if I start to get into trouble hypothermia wise. I also understand if the wind is blowing, that 66 degrees will start to feel colder than 66 degrees. In that case, as long as the water is 66 degrees, I'll go back in the water while hanging on to my board. One just has to keep their wits about them to survive if things go south quickly.

Getting back on a long board should not be a problem for me. My method to re-mount my boards, either my 8'11' Hammer or my new (and so far untested since I just received it) 11'1" One World is to go around to the tail end of the board, push the tail end under the water which allows me to shimmy up to the middle of my boards where my sup handle is.

Of course, the above is predicated on the life jacket not being inflated. If it is inflated, I'll un-inflate it. This is why I want a manually operated life jacket and not an automatic or hydrostatic life jacket.

[2Rivers]

Texas law is the same as California. A Type III PFD can be carried or worn.

So a Type V only would be illegal in my state.

If your laws are the same as in California, then a Type V can be used in lieu of a Type I-III and is not illegal.
Most Type V lifejackets are required to be worn in order to meet both State and Federal carriage requirements. Also the Type V must be equivalent to a Type intended for the given activity. Usually it will say something like "Type V with Type III performance".
CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Section Code 175.17 under Title 33
CCR (CA Code of Regulations) Section Code 6565.6 under Title 14

This one may interest you if you want an inflatable that is wearable:
https://wingmanlifejacket.com

[Night Wing]

@ 2Rivers

I had already looked at the Hyde "Wingman". I even found a YouTube video of it yesterday, Sunday. I thought the Mustang would be a little cooler to wear in our brutal "hot as hell" months of July and August.



Anyway, I've seen many good reviews for the Mustang DLX 38 Manual Inflatable PFD. About 45 minutes ago, as they say in Texas, "I pulled the trigger on it" and bought one from Leisure Pro. And I got the very last one in the Red/Black color. It should arrive early next week.

When it arrives at my home, I'll be all set to take my new 11'1" board out for it's first paddle.

https://www.leisurepro.com/p-mst2981/mustang-deluxe-38-manual-activation-inflatable-pfd

[Night Wing]

A little update.

Early this morning, I received an email from Leisure Pro with a UPS tracking number. I went to the UPS tracking site, put in the tracking number and my Mustang life jacket is "scheduled" to be delivered on Monday, March 5th.

[Night Wing]

While I was home doing some computer security updates on my five linux Mint hard drives, I heard the UPS truck pull into my driveway. The driver got out and handed my package to me from Leisure Pro. In the package was my USCG approved Type III red/black colored Mustang DLX 38 Manual Inflatable PFD Life Jacket. 

It had the owner's manual with it and as a small bonus, it came with a nice folding hanger. After inspecting the jacket and finding the CO2 cartridge is armed, everything is in order. I then checked the water temperature at Lake Conroe and also at my subdivision's private small lake and the water temperature for both places is 61.5 degrees F. Our high temperature air days are now in the mid 70's to 80 degrees.

But we have a mild Pacific weather front coming in today which should arrive at my home around 3:30 pm my time.    I just hope the water temperature doesn't drop too much. When the water temperature rises to 66 degrees F at both places and holds there without any more temperature drops, I will do flat water paddling with my new One World 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 liters so I can test out my new life jacket since on Lake Conroe, I'll be legal.