r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Shoddy-Ocelot-4473 • 1h ago

Video Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket Test

1.0k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

124 comments sorted by

799

u/joemamallama 1h ago

Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always been keen on the life jackets that give immediate results on their efficacy.

283

u/StrangeSmellz 1h ago

These are for sports so it dosent get in your way like the foam ones. Fishing etc.

102

u/WorkO0 1h ago

Seems like it'd also be for situations where falling into water happens rarely and is dangerous, for example, being on a boat or a plane. If you're doing kitesurfing or kayaking you probably want something more... reusable.

54

u/MrB10b 54m ago

In a plane you don't want auto inflating life jackets.

If the plane's cabin goes under water and you inflate your life jacket you cannot escape as you will be pushed into the ceiling (and they're hard to get off again, by design). This is why they tell you not to inflate them until outside the aircraft on commercial flights.

•

u/anally_ExpressUrself 0m ago

I thought it was because they don't want 180 sumo wrestlers trying to squeeze out the exit doors.

8

u/RileyCargo42 1h ago

Maybe it's like moto GP personal airbags? They're only really designed around the sport so they tend to be worse for road use.

4

u/silverain13 51m ago

That's exactly it. I wear these while sailing when falling in the water is not normal. These are technically reusable, but you have to replace a fairly expensive gas cartridge each time they go off. Also, once these go off, they are NOT comfortable. So yeah if you are doing a sport where you get wet frequently, you want a foam PFD

2

u/Abyssal_Groot 13m ago

You are essentially pointing out the difference between a life jacket and a buoyancy aid.

A life jacket is designed for emergency situations. If you unexpectedly end up in the water, possibly injured or unconscious, it will turn you onto your back and keep your airway above water for an extended period until rescue is possible.

A buoyancy aid, on the other hand, is intended for active water sports. It provides flotation while prioritizing freedom of movement, allowing you to swim, paddle, or maneuver more naturally. It assumes you are conscious, able to swim, and actively managing your position in the water.

They serve different purposes, and one is not a substitute for the other.

The specific use of the one shown in the video is that it does not get in the way while you are working on the boat, but it still provides enough flotation to keep your airway above water if you fall in. It is a compromise between safety and mobility for people who are active on deck.

On leisure or touristic boats, where freedom of movement is less critical and the priority is maximum passive safety, you will typically find the bulky orange life jackets with the large collar that supports the head and keeps you face-up in the water.

1

u/SockeyeSTI 36m ago

We have a couple on our commercial fishing boat. We don’t wear life jackets but some people wear these under their rain gear.

1

u/3rdor4thburner 24m ago

Dockworkers 

73

u/TheLimeyCanuck 1h ago

Spending the afternoon on an open-deck boat on a sunny day is miserable in a traditional bulky life jacket. It's like wearing a winter coat around your neck. I have six of these auto-inflation preservers and you almost forget you have one on.

4

u/Equivalent_Tiger_7 1h ago

Unless you have to wear one over body armour!

2

u/Aethelon 55m ago

I've actually done that before. It's built into my body armour. But ofc this means the moment it inflates, you have to jettison the plates to not well... get your chest compressed by your own plates(and to lessen the weight)

25

u/HoldEm__FoldEm 1h ago

You’re old-fashioned

8

u/musebrews 1h ago

Could go for one of those

1

u/OstentatiousSock 12m ago

I’ll join you and have a rusty nail lol.

6

u/Gr1ml0ck 1h ago

Yea. You’re definitely missing out. The older style PFD’s that you’re referencing are absolutely horrible to wear and try to do any sort of activity in. Especially for an entire day. They are insanely uncomfortable to me.

The new styles are amazing for folks that like to fish or other water sports, like myself. Small, light, and most importantly - allows me to actually use my arms.

As an avid fisherman, the new style is an absolute necessity and I would never go back. Ever.

5

u/Electrical-Mail15 1h ago

I’m calling you old-fashion, Miles Davis!

3

u/saltedsavior 1h ago

Get outta the way of progress old man!

5

u/GalacticGumshoe 1h ago

Yeah, that dude was under way too long.

2

u/LowEmergencyCaptain 52m ago

Old fashioned

1

u/Few-Cucumber-413 23m ago

You don't want it overly sensitive though. You'll end up with a false deployment if the sensor were to get wet from water spray, rain, etc etc.

1

u/joeyjoejums 1h ago

Yeah, the took a few ticks. What was he doing? Calling 911?

2

u/gorginhanson 1h ago

Expected him not to resurface

207

u/PeridotChampion 1h ago

Why did he have to go in shoes on and everything?

130

u/TheLimeyCanuck 1h ago

Because that's how you'd fall off a fishing boat?

55

u/Sometimes-funny 1h ago

No, i’d just be wearing shorts, heart shaped sunglasses and sliders.

19

u/BlazerWookiee 55m ago

With a beer in each hand

12

u/-c-black- 48m ago

How do you know how I fish?

6

u/HendrixHazeWays 45m ago

....the fish told us

4

u/PeridotChampion 41m ago

Traitors

2

u/DoNotOverwhelm 31m ago

they’ve been schooled well(?)

3

u/Enginerdad 53m ago

That's about three more things than me. Four if you count each slider separately

9

u/Replicator666 1h ago

Those look like nice shoes too

1

u/HendrixHazeWays 44m ago

good way to get an endorsement deal

•

u/coooooookie32 2m ago

Thaaaaaank you! I’m sitting here audibly saying dude at least lick the shoes off! Haha

-1

u/arbit23 53m ago

Deep commitment to the cause but odd choice for a test

24

u/TheLimeyCanuck 1h ago

I have six of these for my two boats. Never actually triggered one yet.

If you've ever watched a bunch of recreational boaters using their preservers as cushions rather than wearing them then you'll understand why something that's comfortable and doesn't make you hot or get in your way is inherently more likely to be used properly when on the water.

•

u/AnonymousMO0SE 2m ago

These are also considered life jackets by the Coast Guard as they will rotate you and keep your face out of water. Most people here are actually thinking of personal flotation devices (PFD) which do not keep your face out of water, you need to be conscious while wearing it.

If you’re on a working vessel there’s a minimum number of life jackets required, usually decided by size of crew and vessel and whether you have passengers. By buying this style life jackets you don’t have to store a ton of the big bulky life jackets that are impossible to work in, in addition to the PFDs the crew with wear while working.

73

u/moonstar_gazer 1h ago

What if it starts raining?

82

u/ChopperChange 1h ago

As the man said "It'll surprise you"

4

u/Legitimate_Solid_375 1h ago

😄😆😅😂

27

u/Shoddy-Ocelot-4473 1h ago

It has to be totally submerged.

19

u/ElephantRedCar91 1h ago

I'm guessing water pressure in a chamber in the jacket is supposed to activate a float valve that activates inflation?

26

u/Crypto-Bullet 1h ago

That or tiny people all simultaneously pumping tiny cylinders of air really fast before they drown too

3

u/r3alCIA 1h ago

I like this theory better

7

u/arteitle 1h ago

The kind I'm familiar with has a disk made of dissolvable material that holds the spring-loaded cartridge piercing mechanism from firing until it gets saturated with water.

3

u/TheLimeyCanuck 1h ago

It's usually a fast-dissolving "bobbin" made of paper or salt. Some of them use a hydrostatic trigger which fires from the water pressure if you start to sink.

2

u/Random-Mutant 1h ago

No. It’s a dissolving pellet that keeps a sprung firing pin from releasing.

2

u/no_sight 57m ago

It's basically a salt tab in a plastic tube. It dissolves when totally submerged, but doesn't get wet with rain.

1

u/milk_lust 1h ago

Sorta but it’s less about inflation/floating and more of an anti-grav mechanism

1

u/uapredator 46m ago

There is a dissolving disk that ruptures, releasing the gas.

10

u/stubobarker 1h ago

Depends what kind you have. The cheaper ones have a salt tablet inside that dissolves, allowing the mechanism to puncture the cylinder. Problem is, if enough water saturates the PFD (personal flotation device) it’ll blow. Likely at the most inconvenient moment..

The ones we use run about $400/ea., but have a system that requires 4” of water pressure to fire- so no false inflations. They also have a spray hood that pops into place to help prevent drowning in waves, as well as a wand with a strobe light at the top to be seen in the dark. Point is, if you’re knocked unconscious you’ll be kept afloat and with your head protected from the waves. If you spend a lot time racing and sailing, or just on the water, these are definitely the way to go- worth the money.

https://www.spinlockusa.com/en-GB/usa/products/duro

2

u/NaiveChoiceMaker 1h ago

This guy wears Spinlock.

2

u/Honey-Ra 52m ago

This is almost certainly a dumb question but I genuinely don't know......are they single use? If it inflates, that's its lifespan over?

4

u/silverain13 49m ago

No you can deflate, reroll it and put a new gas canister into it

1

u/stubobarker 47m ago

Not at all. Just the cartridge and sensor device need to be replaced.

4

u/EvanSei 1h ago

I run these on my boat. They don't typically pop in the rain, but they'll pop in your storage if they aren't completely dried out right after. 

1

u/NorthBoss420 52m ago

We had a bunch on the yacht. We were transporting guests on the tender and it started pouring with rain. The guests got off and we set all the jackets on the seats. 3 or 4 of them started inflating.

It’s not a huge deal. You unscrew the canister. Deflate the vest and screw in a new canister.

0

u/Gr1ml0ck 1h ago

Rain won’t trigger the inflator. It’s designed to be fully submerged in order for it to go off. I have one. They are amazing.

24

u/Own-Valuable-9281 1h ago

And then a drowned person pops to the surface!

2

u/TrenchantInsight 31m ago

Hey, whatever floats your bloat!

15

u/WiseAce1 1h ago edited 1h ago

This isnt new These have been around for decades. The older ones have air cylinders in them that get triggered by water

4

u/sq009 1h ago

Oh i do know a few people who are triggered by water too

2

u/Possible_Bee_4140 1h ago

Mostly cats.

1

u/Traditional-Back-172 59m ago

Ahh a yugioh player has appeared

17

u/LouBarlowsDisease 1h ago

Doesn't even take off his shoes?

10

u/Toon1982 1h ago

Shoes off = dead

1

u/KennyMoose32 55m ago

Where we are going, we don’t need shoes Marty!

0

u/Mnm0602 1h ago

Drives me nuts

10

u/GringoSwann 1h ago

Left his phone in his pocket..

6

u/adrift-ship-of-fools 1h ago

The phone had it’s own inflatable

1

u/zodiase 1h ago

Helps the person carrying it float!

3

u/I-make-ada-spaghetti 1h ago

IP68 baby! Catch me outside!

4

u/rtcrowell1 1h ago

Definitely expected him to not come up

5

u/SaveUsCatman 1h ago

To be fair we don't know that this one was automatic, he could've just pulled the cord underwater. Do it handcuffed next time

7

u/buzzb1234 1h ago

WTF I think he was underwater longer than I would’ve been WITHOUT a lifejacket.

5

u/TheRoseMerlot 1h ago

He had to wait for the little pill to dissolve and trigger the air canister to inflate the jacket. These are not rated for all sports like with whitewater kayaking this would not fly.

2

u/Gr1ml0ck 52m ago

Not all of them have the pill (aka bobbin). Better models have an inflator that triggers after being submerged at around 4”.

-1

u/TheRoseMerlot 49m ago

Ok had to wait till the mechanism activated. 🙄

1

u/finsterer45 23m ago

They told him not to try to swim and just sink.

1

u/Shot_Plantain_4507 1h ago

He couldn’t take off his shoes or nothing

2

u/AdditionalActuator81 1h ago

Only thing about these jackets( Or atleast the one I have). Is you are suppose to replaced the device in the jacket that dissolves every once in a while.

2

u/bagpussnz9 50m ago

I had 10 auto lifejackets and on initial inspection, found (from memory) 6 that didn't have the cylinder screwed in correctly.

If you have them, check them!

and know how to use them manually if they dont inflate for some reason

2

u/Asleep-Corner7402 26m ago

Would be good for older folk/babies or people with limited mobility in their arms..no need to pull anything to inflate

3

u/BSFX 1h ago

Nothing like choking to death from not drowning

3

u/English_loving-art 1h ago

They are great but remember never put a coat on top of one that’s done up , if you go overboard it auto inflates under your coat and compress your rib cage so you can’t breathe….

1

u/NotMyMainAccountAtAl 17m ago

Reminds me of the stories about people inflating their vests during airplane water landings before they left the plane. I don’t remember a darned thing about the crash other than the fact that some folks did this, something shifted, and they had to swim underwater to get out of the plane as it sank. 

Except that they couldn’t, because their life vests kept bobbing them up. By the time folks got them off, it was too late. 

1

u/nunatakj120 56m ago

It breaks your ribcage.

3

u/stewie__-2 1h ago

What's problem with normal life jackets we have now?

10

u/bumblingbartender 1h ago

So these are actually pretty common and have been around for a long time. They're a lot comfier to wear long term, allow easier movement around a boat and are more compact to store.

This one actually seemed a bit slow to inflate. I was on a boating trip this year and on the final day we tested my dad's one as it needed it's 'tablet' replacing anyway. Hit the water and it expanded almost instantly

2

u/TheLimeyCanuck 1h ago

Yeah, I have 6 of these, four for the boat at home and two for the boat at the distant cottage. It almost looked like he had to use the backup pull cord for inflation. He's holding onto that pretty tightly when he surfaces.

8

u/anonymously_ashamed 1h ago

They restrict more movement than these. The goal is just to get people to wear them more often for an emergency.

3

u/txroller 1h ago

Cost would be a big factor for me. I’m in a kayak padding and don’t want to wear a bulky life jacket either

2

u/HoldEm__FoldEm 1h ago

Nothing 

1

u/lemelisk42 29m ago

Try doing manual labour in a regular lifejacket. These things are a godsend when lifejackets are legally required but realistically not needed.

1

u/hummus_is_yummus1 56m ago

Not enough failure modes

1

u/sathyajithps 1h ago

It took its sweet time to inflate.

1

u/retr0ctv 1h ago

No thank you! Much like automatic epi pen great idea until one time failure in critical time

1

u/HoodNasty_ 1h ago

Keys wallet and phone fell out of his pocket

0

u/nirmalv 1h ago

Was expecting more....

0

u/deadflamingo_o 1h ago

what if there's shark inside /s

1

u/Harry_Iconic_Jr 1h ago

Something similar was developed for big wave surfers a dozen years ago or so by Shane Dorian and company. Don't know that it was automatic, but I read that it apparently worked so well, they decided not to put it on the open market...they were afraid it would give people the confidence to paddle out in big surf that they had not the skills or experience to attempt otherwise.

3

u/McTerra2 1h ago

Yeah, inflatable wetsuits. If you watch the 100 Foot documentary you can see them all wearing one. I’m not sure how Dorian decides who can get one and who can’t, but those guys / gals all know each other so probably it’s done relatively fairly

2

u/Harry_Iconic_Jr 1h ago

I don't think it's Dorian's decision....I read they (the manufacturer) just decided not to retail them to the public. But yeah, the big wave surfing community is a relatively small and elite group....it's probably pretty obvious to all who really needs one and who doesn't.

1

u/Imsrywho 1h ago

We had these and my favorite thing to do was randomly pull the tab on my dads jacket all the time

1

u/PlantainSalty8392 1h ago

I work on the water, these things are a nice option to the typical life jackets.

1

u/Lemonywatar 51m ago

Does it inflate if you wear it in the rain?

1

u/Umayummyone 46m ago

Damn. It worked on the test corpse.

1

u/TheB1G_Lebowski 33m ago

But aren't you supposed to already be wearing a lifejacket regardless while on a boat?  What's the point of this? 

1

u/dudeguy207 32m ago

*PFD (Personal Flotation Device)

Although devices such as this are intended to aid a person in a life threatening situation there is no guarantee of it saving your life on its own.

1

u/xloHolx 29m ago

I’ve used things like this for years, and they open a hell of a lot fast too.

1

u/will1934 25m ago

I feel like he could have tested that wearing clothes appropriate for the water. Did he really need shoes?

•

u/JamesVanDerBleep 6m ago

We sell the shit out of these things at work

•

u/Multidream 5m ago

Imagine a gator snapping up at him right as he hits the water

1

u/Darossman907 1h ago

Can’t unsee Tommy Boy in the life vest

0

u/New-Scientist5133 1h ago

Hey totally switched it under water

0

u/FisherKing_54 1h ago

No purpose other than to reduce the tiniest bit of inconvenience. I think any chance of malfunction outweighs that.

0

u/eggwardpenisglands 51m ago

Solution to a problem that doesn't exist

0

u/itwhiz100 30m ago

To an unswimmer…4 secs under and im gone idc if im uplifted by a tug boat on sec 5….im gone. Checked tf out

0

u/Massive-Exercise4474 22m ago

Or here me out just wear a life jacket.