It's amazing how many stupid things I myself and I'm sure all of us have done and lived through it to be here and question others stupidity.
Prayers to the family.
And prayers to all of us. So that we may look back on our mistakes and wonder how we got through our bout of stupidity alive.

So heartbreaking. My heart goes out to the family. I can't even fathom the grief that they must be enduring.

I was listening to the report on the radio today and can't imagine what they went through or what the survivors must endure. Truly tragic.

Tragic simply due to the fact it was so preventable. Simply makes no sense. Prayers for the family that must endure this. .

Gotcha, I wasn't sure what kind I had until I got home from work. I have a Mustang inflatable PFD like duckbill posted up.

It's not an MD318X is it? There is a recall on those.

Prayers sent.

Check out this site Wal

http://www.coleman.com/stearns-recreational-fishhunt/

There was a video posted on here a couple weeks ago with a guy using the manual kind with waders on

Ditto.


For you guys using the auto inflate vests, I guess something is better than nothing. If I were you, I'd put all my hunting gear on when it's warm and jump in a pool with one. I wouldn't trust my life to it. Go find you a vest no matter how uncomfortable it is to wear that will float you with all your gear on.

I am with Guy and BarneyWho on this one....I don't trust those inflatable PFDs with hunting gear on and in the conditions we run. I would much rather have a vest that I KNOW will float me with gear on and not worry about if it will inflate when i hit the water.

Had a father/son in my boat last week that didn't put vests on, I had set them in their seats and they moved them. Before we got underway I asked them to put them on. At the end of the hunt when we came back to the ramp the father thanked me for making him and his son wear the vests. Just a good habit to get into, always wear your PFD and kill switch.

Any accident is horrible, but a preventable accident is just senseless.

A gofundme page has been set up to help the wife and their newborn.

+1, I used to fish small lakes and big winds are deadly

Agreed. Common sense doesn't seem to be very common these days

Sad deal.... when you hunt tawok, fork or any other lake that gets rough, better have your sh!t straight or things can turn bad really quick.

I thank you but I might be going back old school. I think I am just going to find a very comfortable vest with easy snaps int he front. I will mount the kill switch cord to it and hang it on the throttle handle. That way if I fail to put it on, its all my fault. The reason I am changing is my bud said the sensor that makes it go off is down by you waist. If I have a jacket and waders on, then that could take too long to go off if at all. I am just going to go old school.

Wow, sad sad deal. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those affected. You have my sinserest condolences!

Wal I think your making a wise choice!

To those talking about conventional life jackets being uncomfortable and using the inflatables. NO WAY I would trust one of those to work when my life or especially my child's life is at stake. They are mechanical and it is 100 percent proven that anything mechanical CAN and WILL fail when it is most needed.

I just did a quick google search and found multiple reasons why I would never trust one. I'll take mild discomfort anyday and know my pfd will be functional when I need it.

Here are 7 reasons here I'd never use one. # 3 in particular.

1) As opposed to conventional, inherently buoyant PFDs, these are high-tech devices. They will not provide buoyancy until they’re inflated. This imposes a higher level of responsibility on the user. They MUST be carefully inspected before each use to see that the inflator mechanism is armed and in good condition. The bladder must not leak, and the user must be familiar with its use and operation. This is a big difference from using a conventional PFD. That's also why they’re not approved for use with persons less than 16 years old.

2) They are not recommended for swift water sports (white water) or any activity where the user will probably get soaked (personal watercraft, sailboards).

3) Cold weather adversely affects the operation of these PFDs. While the CO2 cartridge will fully inflate the vest most of the year, in extremely cold temperatures the same amount of gas will not expand to the same volume, reducing the vest’s buoyancy.

4) While they are designed to auto-inflate only when immersed in water and not by rain or high humidity, the ‘pill/bobbin’ material can break down under these conditions and activate the inflator.

5) Inflatable PFDs provide no protection from hypothermia.

6) Since there is a slight delay from immersion to inflation, they are not recommended for non-swimmers.

7) An inflatable MUST be worn as the outermost layer. Never wear a coat or rain gear over these vests.

One option that most hunters don't think about are watersports competition vests. These come in CGA and non-CGA versions. The vests are designed for maximum flexibilty and comfort by the wearer. If you get your hands on some you will see they usually have a superior design and comfort compared to most of the fishing life jackets out there.



Wakeboarding Vests

I can certainly agree with you on this point. I've used neoprene jackets for years when I was younger for wakeboarding and slalom tournaments. They are superior in comfort and their cold water insulation value. They are designed to fit like a glove so they would need to be oversized for heavy clothing. But yes, very comfortable.

SM that's a really good post you made on inflatables. If you are the meticulous type person, you know clean your gun after every hunt type, that PDF might be more up your alley. But my vest gets thrown in the mud, kicked around, stepped on, left out side, etc... Not for me, I need a Benelli vest that can take abuse and keep on ticking.

This is a horrific story to see. I looking forward to my daughters first hunt ad. Annoy imagine how horrible that was for the father son and family. I was hunting that day too but was safe on land and sat the storm out in my truck.

I recommend the nooprene life vests. They are comfy, keep you warm and will float. I usually wear mine until I am ready to hunt then throw on my bulky camo jacket

Thank you sir! I am the meticulous type! My gun gets cleaned after every hunt. Sometimes 3 t 4 times a week and I still won't use an inflatable. I'll take my chances with a vest I know will work 100 percent of the time over one that may or may not work. There are already enough dangers in the things I do. No need to add to that just because a standard vest is mildly uncomfortable. Seat belts aren't exactly comfortable either but I'm gonna use it.

Prayers to the family.

Very sad and tragic. Should have never happened. Safety first always.

this was a very tragic story and i pray for his wife and child.

I have a Mustang auto inflate that I have had about 10 years. a couple of years ago i had left it in one of my storage boxes in my bass boat and had brought it back from Fork to do some work on it. it wasn't covered and i had mistakenly left the plug in my boat when we received one of the 10" rains a couple of years ago. needless to say when i returned home and realized my boat was full of water i turned on the bilge and pulled the plug. while looking through the boat to see if i had any damage i found my then 8 year old Mustang fully inflated. i noticed that when inflated it was extremely tight...full of air and much bigger than i would have imagined. my first thought was that this would hold an elephant afloat. interesting thing is that put it on top of a shelf in my garage with the intent on recharging it and reusing it. it is still on that shelf today in the exact inflated condition i found it. i trust them.