Lifejackets and Harnesses
Our group of male testers, ages 5 to 12, weighed between 50 and 135 pounds. Body types ranged from husky to rail thin.
Kids’ Life Jackets for Active Sailors
Youth PFD test looks at buoyancy, fit, performance, and price.
For this test, we rounded up six high-performance, U.S. Coast Guard certified Type III personal flotation devices (PFDs) designed for children (50 to 90 pounds) participating in active sailing and other watersports. The test lineup comprised life jackets from five manufacturers: Astral Designs, Extrasport, Gill, MTI Adventurewear, and Stohlquist. Testers rated the PFDs on fit (in and out of the water), buoyancy, comfort, ease of donning and doffing, and safety features like crotch straps and whistles.
More Lifejackets and Harnesses
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Practical Tips for Survival at Sea
— In the course of writing five books about accidents and survival at sea, Michael Tougias interviewed many survivors... -
The Science of Safety
— We got some heartbreaking news just before this issue was on its way to the printer: On May 9, British Olympic... -
Mailport: April 2013
— I recently purchased the cord, and as packaged on the plastic spool, the shore end of the new 25-foot EEL cord has a... -
Practical Sailor PFD Research Looks at Capsizes
— After a series of tragic accidents involving sailors in organized sailing events and training programs in 2011 and... -
Safety at Sea Part III: Rambler 100 capsize
— In our final review of three 2011 sailboat tragedies investigated by US Sailing, we offer a clear look at how even... -
US Sailing Investigator’s Recommendations
— Ron Trossbach, the lead investigator for US Sailing in the Rambler 100 incident, recommended the following changes to... -
Lessons learned
— Ron Trossbach, head of the US Sailing investigation into the Rambler 100 accident, offered the following lessons that... -
Rambler 100 Recommendations
— The crew of Rambler 100 made the following recommendations/observations regarding safety equipment. The... -
PS Analysis: The 2011 WingNuts Capsize
Subscribers Only — This is the second article in a Practical Sailor series that takes a close look at US Sailing’s recent reports... -
ebook — MOB Prevention & Recovery
