floatation suits

[mwardncsu]

Just4Fun PM'ed me asking about floatation suits, and with winter approaching I thought I'd just reply here as a general post so that everyone could see the info and chime in as well... won't be long now before it is time to break it back out.

Hey, I was wondering about floatation suits. I fish alone at times at night and Was wondering if you could give me any advise on brands and where to purchase them. I see a few on line but without actually seeing them I'm not sure which route to go. thanks for any help you can give.

I have a "Arctic Armor" suit that I purchased a few winters ago that I purchased locally from Virginia Outdoorman when Mike was still open - not sure of anyone else that carries it locally, but I know you can order them on-line from several places.

www.idigear.com/arcticarmor1.php



This suit claims to float you, although I'll be honest that I've never tested that claim and it should not be relied upon as a replacement for a PFD. I will say that it is very warm, very wind proof and overall pretty light in weight. And I mean warm - if it is not freezing out or colder I will wear a pretty light layer on under it if I expect to keep the jacket on the whole time. Typically I'll just wear jeans and no long-johns with the bibs.

Plenty of pockets and D-rings for clipping on your iPilot remote, and the bibs have a nice feature - a two-way zipper so that when it comes time to answer Nature's call, you don't have to zip those bibs all the way down - you can just zip up just enough to take care of business ;D

Several other guys on here have these suits now. I know Bentrod got one last winter or winter before (don't think he fished any last winter : and had an issue with one of the elastic straps on the bibs pulling away from where it was sewn on. Mine are holding up well now after about three seasons, going into the 4th.

The one I have (the red one) is a nylon type material. They make them in camo with a "soft touch" material that is quieter when it rubs against itself - perhaps useful for the woods, but I figure the nylon is a little more water resistant - maybe not.... I like the red as I'm a NCSU fan, but also like the thought of the higher visibility should I end up in the water.

I ended up buying a mis-matched size set - can't remember now if I got XL bibs and a L coat or other way around, but found that fit me better than just XL or just L.


Heading up the lake about 35-40 mph - Bentrod huddled down as warm as a bug in a rug....


Good suits - plus you look really cool in them

[jon]

I picked up the 100mph bibs and a "float jacket" by onyx at basspro a couple weeks ago for this winter. The coat is a certified pfd. The down side was they only had it in camo as they were marketing them to duck hunters. Seems like it will be very warm.

jon

www.basspro.com/Onyx-Camo-Life-Jacket-for-Men/product/10219927/

[CorneliaGale]

I have one of the Mustang suits, they are warm and are a PFD also, If water temps are below 60 degrees we have to wear them on patrol, I know for the Christmas parade they are nice,
I also have three float coats one Mustang and two Stearns and I love them if its cold enough for a coat, they are nice and are a PFD so if you happen to fall in the water you float. Would recommend them both. You can't be too safe out there when the water is cold. one of the suits could save your life. will look and see if I can find the chart on how long you can last in cold water, I found it and put it on the old forum.

[mwardncsu]

Nov 12, 2012 19:42:17 GMT -5 CorneliaGale said:

will look and see if I can find the chart on how long you can last in cold water, I found it and put it on the old forum.

I found it from an article I did last winter.... will post the whole thing up as it is good info to review as we move into winter.... water temps are right around 60, if they haven't dipped into the 50's....

[CorneliaGale]

Usually by the Christmas parade they are in the low 50's I think Bass pro and all the outdoors shops sell the coveralls and cold water suits and the coats. i bought mine off Ebay a few years ago and then the orange one I Have is USCGAUX along with the coveralls, they will float you and you can add extra flotation by blowing up the extra bladder in them. I think the coveralls are a class 5 which means you have to wear them for it to count as a PFD. Coats are class III's and just have to be on the boat to count as a PFD.

[bigjon]

I have the Arctic Armor suit in green (so I won't be mistaken for Mward). Honestly I have only worn it on the water once and it did great (very cold winter day). I have wore it outside here at the house when it snowed so deep year before last, laid down in the snow for a good while and never felt even cool (jeans and a short sleeved t-shirt under it). Leo has used it once but made me take it back.

[mwardncsu]

Bigjon - no mistaking us - one is so much better looking than the other.

Funny, I did the same with mine the other year - kids buried me in the snow - was warm and it was quiet so I took a nap ;D

[bigjon]

Nov 12, 2012 21:01:47 GMT -5 mwardncsu said:

Bigjon - no mistaking us - one is so much better looking than the other.

I may not be tolerable but one out of two isn't bad! ;D

[just4fun]

Thanks for the info. It's hard to look at these suits on line and make a good decision. I wish there was somewhere close I could actually go and put my hands on them. But that doesn't seem to be an option. You've steered me in the right direction. Thanks guys.

[BentRod]

I like mine. I don't think I've worn it since the winter before last (didnt fish much last winter and it wasn't too cold), but the jetski girl did wear it once and I have a picture somewhere..I'll look for it. That may help in your decision! In all seriousness, they're hard to beat..warm and they provide safety in dangerous conditions. The sizes are a little strange but I got XL in both and it fits fine.

[CorneliaGale]

The Mustang suits seem to run a little small, and I would at least go up one size more than normal.
Plus you might want some heavy clothes under it ifs it really cold.

[leo24551]

Leo has used it once but made me take it back.

Just for the record, Leo made Bigjon take it back because I felt that I might become too fond of it. The suit was extremely warm, the ONLY fault I found with it was the price (which once in the water, you'll forget).

Note: until the water gets below 45, I don't wear a suit when getting in.

[yellowdog]

Tyler, I'm thinking of getting one these suits and was wondering about the sizes. Saw you got XL in the bibs and jacket. How tall/weight are you? I'm 6'1" and 175 lbs. Think XL would work?

[BentRod]

6'3 210. Yeah, I think XL would be fine. I got red thinking it would be most visible should I ever actually fall in, but they only had two or three color choices then. May have more now.