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If you like to give loved ones a gift that shows them how much you care about them, consider giving them a life jacket that they will wear. It’s a great idea because some people tend to buy the cheapest styles of life jackets that nobody ever likes to wear. This blog explains the various styles of more comfortable life jackets for you to choose from, based on what type of water-based recreation your loved ones enjoy.
Inflatable life jackets and the CO2 cartridges that inflate them make great gifts. They come in suspender and belt styles and before they’re inflated you hardly know you have one on. However, they’re only recommended for those who know how to swim or tread water and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved for those who are age 16 and over. The Mustang Khimera Hybrid life jacket is nice because it has built-in minimal flotation and you can manually inflate it more when conditions require that. It’s important to know that inflatable life jackets require some regular maintenance. Information about that and more are in a 9-minute video called, “Inflatable Life Jackets: Everything You Need to Know.”
An inherently-buoyant life jacket has foam flotation material in it that does not have to be inflated. They’re very durable and they come in a variety of styles and sizes. Some are designed to float unconscious wearers in a face-up position and those are great in open, rough, cold, or remote waters where rescue may be delayed. The new life jacket labels have a circular curved arrow that indicates whether the life jacket will turn most wearers face up in the water. If there’s a slash through the curved arrow, it will not turn an unconscious wearer face up. It’s best for young children to wear life jackets that turn them face up in the water.
A style of inherently-buoyant life jacket that’s great for those who go hunting or fishing when the water is cold is a float coat/jacket. You’re probably going to be wearing a coat out on the water anyway in cold weather, so why not wear a coat that has flotation and increases your chances of survival if you fall into cold water?
A less cumbersome inherently-buoyant life jacket is the paddle vest style with narrow straps over the shoulders and large arm holes designed for ease of arm movement. These are best for those who enjoy paddling or any on-water activity (i.e. kayak fishing) where you need to be able to move your arms freely. Fishing-vest-style life jackets are nice because they usually have mesh material over the shoulders and large pockets in front for storing things.
For those who enjoy towed water sports (i.e. tubing, skiing, and wakeboarding) and operating or riding a personal watercraft, a neoprene life jacket is the best inherently-buoyant life jacket for that. These are capable of withstanding high-impact activities and they come in a variety of stylish colors, which makes them very popular with young people and those who enjoy those types of activities.
If you have a baby or you’re expecting one in your family, a life jacket that is much less likely to have babies screaming during the entire boat outing is the Salus Bijoux Baby life jacket. The front design ensures that baby turns face-up from a face-forward position in the water and the collar cradles the head while floating. After properly fitting the life jacket, familiarize your baby and yourself with the performance of the life jacket in the water. This life jacket is not officially USCG approved since there is no testing standard for children under 20 lbs.
The label on the inside of a life jacket identifies the user weight, chest size, and activities the life jacket is USCG approved for, so make sure your read and understand what you’re purchasing. The website WearItLifeJacket.com has more information to help you understand labels and styles of life jackets.
An alternative idea to buying a life jacket for someone is to purchase a gift card to their favorite outdoor retail store so they can pick out their own life jacket to go with whatever type of open-water activity they enjoy. Put a note with the gift card letting them know that you care about them and would like for them to use the gift card to buy a life jacket that they will wear.
Life jackets or gift cards to encourage your loved ones to buy one make great gifts. Be sure to ask them to please wear the life jacket because you want them to return home safely after enjoying their time on the water. You could be giving them a gift that saves their life someday and that will be worth whatever amount of money you paid for the life jacket.
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2022 15:45 |
| Story ID: | 413239 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, The Ultimate Gift to Show You Care, by Pamela Doty, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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