Open Discussion on the use of Life Jackets (PFD)

[manplesvanuatu]

In my opinion you got to do what you think is right for you. Cool or uncool it comes down to making sure that you are taking care of yourself. Good thing to know that the kiting community is cool enough that in emergency situation the group will help out the person in distress (am I right on this:-). We all make choices in life. For example, I come from a road bicycling background and it is always safer to wear a helmet. It is cool NOT to wear them(Pros used not to wear them) but then again when you hit the tarmac and fracture a skull..you'd be glad you were wearing one. In short it's ok not to wear a PFD..if things happen, then "oh well... c'est la vie".

[davewsail]

You know, a 4/3 wetsuit provides lots of flotation. Unless you have type I CG approved life vest to guarantee your head will stay above water, I don't see the value of PFD over a nice floaty wetsuit (at least in flat water locations).

[Bulldog]

My vest/PFD saved my life this winter kiting in 2x overhead waves. Maybe if you surf as much as you kite, you would prefer to hold your breath at the bottom while the waves pass over you. But even though I'm a strong swimmer and I can hold my breath for a long time, I just barely made it to the surface to get a breath before the next wave hit. Never would have made it with out the added flotation.

At Sherman, I almost always kite at dusk. Twice I have had to swim in the dark (once from the 2nd island and once from the channel), with a blown up kite. I wouldn't have made it against the current without the vest. Just being able to stop and rest for a minute without sinking makes a huge difference.

If someone breaks their leg like happened yesterday, but further off the beach and noone was around, do you think they'd be able to tread water without a vest even long enough to get their kite to relaunch?

[windhorny]

In saltwater, maybe. but at sherman you will sink.

[reyrivera]

Maybe my claim about possible vanity in kiting is not far fetched after all, check out Armani's new line of apparel. Armani would probably quadruple the price of their stuff:

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php? ... 7&p=533650

Sonny said:

I don't buy the coolness factor for PFD. I never once looked at a kiter with PFD and thought that person would be totally cool without that PFD. But then again maybe I'm too old compare to most of you on this thread.

[perukite]

Wow, Rey, this is incredible and gave me a real chukle!! Armani...haha

Thanks for the comments so far on this topic. It seems so far that the conclusion is:

1) Nobody disagrees that wearing a PFD is a probably a good idea for kiters
2) We all kind of agree it is the herd mentality why it is not common practice.
3) Good point about the harness interfering. I also wore my PFD when I was using a seat harness, when I switched to waist was when I stopped doing so. Kind of like I stopped wearing a helmet when I stopped using a board leash.

I think this sport is developing so much right now that we will start to see more customized equipment in the flotation/protection realm becoming commonplace. As I gleam from the responses here - it is the beginners who wear PFDs because they are apprehensive when learning and also the kiters who are going out there near the Golden Gate or into heavy surf because they have reached a level of self confidence that they don't care about looking like a kook and prefer safety based on their culmative experience seeing rescues happen. It's the bulk of kiters in the middle who have passed the safety concious beginner stage but are not yet getting out very far from shore in heavy conditions away from the usual crowds that see this as a non-issue.

I think the sport is really into the "rodeo" freestlye stage right now which has a real "coolness" factor, eventually that will become so commonplace that people will start taking notice of those dudes (and dudettes) who lurk on the perifiary of the sport and are crossing the bay solo, doing long downwinders down the coast - the "silent sack" possesing riders. I think this crowd will be the ones who will make being safe "hip" eventually.

Time will tell.

[4winds]

anyone have some recommendations for gear that works well? PFD's they like? radio's that don't cost arm and leg?

this post is great and all but its kind of useless unless we get some detailed info about what people have tried and liked / didn't like. if there are some good options out there that have been tested give us the details.

[davewsail]

It's the bulk of kiters in the middle who have passed the safety concious beginner stage but are not yet getting out very far from shore in heavy conditions away from the usual crowds that see this as a non-issue.

You presume a style of kiting in this... Going further from the launch has nothing to do with the skill of the kiter. See the other thread posted by the SSC on recommendations for Sherman.

[perukite]

4winds-

There is a great post on this site about safety issues at Crissy Field where a lot of the locals chime in on VHF radios, etc. Do a search for "vhf Crissy" in the forum.

I purchased a radio for $97 (tax and shipping included) from jackrabbitmarine.com. But please read the post and take time to ponder it as you need to understand the delicate situation with the Coast Guard and the impact that greater frequency of rescuing kiters could imply. Like what happened with cell phones in the Alps, people were getting in way over their heads on climbs because they knew they could just call a SAR chopper - this is a bad strategy to use in life in general. You should be confident that you can rescue yourself and realize that the radio is only a last ditch effort when all self rescue fails. That is why I like the idea that some crissy locals have pointed out of carrying swim fins to aid their self rescue and not relying solely on their radio if push comes to shove.

As for PFDs, the company that is ahead of the pack in terms of development and style in the whitewater realm is called Astral Buoyancy who are based in the wonderful town of Asheville, NC. Low profile vests that in whitewater are called "swimvests" as some of these models are not really something that keeps you floating around out of the water like a huge life jacket. When you are swimming down class five rapids - you are swimming and not just floating (self rescue). Like I assume you would be doing if stuck out in channel at 3rd when the wind dies. They are meant to aid your flotation while you swim. But do a web search for whitewater outfitters as there are loads of companies and different styles of lifejackets, with optional accessories like hydration bladders, extra pockets, etc..

And apart from that, West Marine is probably the best place to look at what other ocean going people are using for safety equipment and you can ponder how relevant it is to your (our) situation.

Even like windhorny said - "I was thinking of using a beachball". That is a great idea, carrying something small with you that could be inflated in an emergency. Although a ball would be kind of hard to hold onto - some of those kiddie inflatable water wings would actually be more practical...but I couldn't see using them until they were redesigned by Armani of course....

I'm sure there are kiters with backgrounds from other outdoor sport realms that could bring interesting suggestions to this discussion....

[windhorny]

And I have to add to that comment that if Bryan was further out at sherman that day, he might have been in a lot more trouble. Not approving the idea of kiting inside, but close is sometimes good for extreme tricks.