(Part 2) Best marine safety & flotation devices according to redditors

bell clapper? This brass one is somewhat similar...

https://www.amazon.com/BRASS-BLESSING-Marine-Brass-CLAPPER/dp/B00XYVTVJS

You can always pick this up. Looks great. Saves lives. Much pockets.

https://www.amazon.com/NRS-Chinook-Fishing-Lifejacket-Charcoal-L-XL/dp/B01K9DVUVA/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=fishing+vest+pfd&qid=1558746067&s=gateway&sr=8-4

We use a puddle jumper which are amazing in my opinion. My aunt did have trouble with a generic brand one that would just flip the child upside down but the name brand ones are awesome. They allow for plenty of movement, so it’s easier to teach them how to swim while wearing one. My aunt has used one for almost 4 years and her child swims probably every good summer day.

They now have these floaties called “Puddle Jumpers”. Basically a life vest with water wigs attached to the chest piece. Nothing to inflate/deflate and since it’s all one piece no risk of a water wing slipping off on its own: https://www.amazon.com/Stearns-Puddle-Jumper-Jacket-Orange/dp/B003648NYM

When we go Kayaking I carry my Hill People gear Kit bag no problem with our life jackets. super handy to have firearm and other gear like a knife and tackle all in front as well.

Edit : We have These types. With the right firearm a slim 43 or smaller you could also comfortably carry a standard AIWB imo with it.

First time we went, DD was 4 months old. It was memorial day weekend but unusually cold. Thankfully DH was super prepared. We had a giant 13'x13' tent with woodstove hookup 😂 it was kind of insane. He went up the day before us to get set up. We have a blow up couch and everything. It's a luxury 🙄

For babe, definitely pack n play for sleep and a convenient place to go when hands were all full. I won't be trusting my LO on an air mattress any time soon. Anything you use nightly - noise machine, night light, lullabies. We have a halo battery pack so I bring the baby monitor and everything but most of her nighttime stuff has the option of being battery operated.

I actually brought her bouncy chair at that age too bc I was afraid of dealing without it. We had also just started solids so I brought her highchair (fisher price space saver) to keep things consistent. She's 1yo now so I probably won't bring that along this year (although maybe, bc again it's nice to have a safe place to stick her when hands are full and things are busy)

bring alllll the diapers lol and a mini first aid kit (Tylenol/Motrin, diaper cream, snot sucker, nail clippers, anything you might randomly need) extra food in case they suddenly become super picky and extra formula/water/etc (I exclusively pumped so let me know if you need THAT whole list bc holy packing batman!)

Annnd way more clothes than you think you'll need. Better to go home with some clean stuff than to be leaving in the "least dirty" stuff. Extra warm clothes/hats/socks that can double as mittens, fleece is better than cotton. Even if the lowest predicted temp is 70° it's better to be prepared for the worst. Extra blankets too. Be a boy scout, "always be prepared" 😊

We went camping again around 7 months and it was much less worry but still that warm gear came in handy. Babe and I left a day earlier than everyone else bc there was rain the next day and I didn't want to be a part of the take down while standing in the rain with a baby. So take a separate "baby car" if at all possible. You may want it, you may not but it's definitely nice to have the option of going home early and not ruining everyone else's good time.

Have fun!!

Edit to add: you should be okay floating in a raft but if water is deeper than waist deep, or you may be going in a boat anytime with LO, it would be wise to get a baby life jacket. We got this one, knowing she could wear it for at least 2 seasons, maybe even 3, and then baby #2 could use it beyond that:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MZ4L5EE/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_in_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(And she loves it, never complained once about wearing it several times. Once even for 4th of July for several hours! Those are our pictures in the customer reviews 😁)

I don't think floatation would be enough for that imo, I'd want something like this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DMCC230/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ivdxCbRX0HD46

Also, I'd definitely have my garmin inreach on me, dying of dehydration and exposure would suck the whole time dying.

The arm ones are one of the worst, unless its something like a puddle jumper. which are USCG approved. Basicly, you want something that can't deflate, and if the kid is totally unconscious will float with their head out of the water. If you go unconscious with just the arm band things, at best your arms will float nicely while your head is still under the water.

I bought an Astral V-Eight pdf and am happy with it. It is ventilated, so it doesn't get as hot as other models. This is important because I live in south Louisiana and it gets really hot and humid down here in the summers. It has a couple of small pockets and a strobe attachment point.

You can check it out at the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Astral-Buoyancy-V-Eight-Jacket-Medium/dp/B002AJHTN0/ref=sr_1_13?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1397324201&sr=1-13&keywords=kayaking+life+jacket

Ski vests will float you just fine and they'll work in a pinch. The problem is, they aren't designed to be worn while sitting down. When you sit down in a kayak, they push up in your face. A paddling pfd won't do that because it sits lower on your torso and there's no padding on your lower back to ride up on the seat. They're also designed not rub on your arms as you paddle.

When it comes to things like pfds, the best one is the one you'll wear.

I have a bunch of these as loaners. They're not as durable as the ones from NRS or Stohlquist but they're just as comfortable and they're very light

Onyx Universal Paddle Life Vest, Red, Universal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KVRAO6Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8lXCDbPXWG7GZ

Official notes from their Amazon page:

We recommend wearing a life vest
Personal flotation devices like life vests that have been approved by official authorities like the US Coast Guards provide the best protection against drowning. Therefore, we also recommend wearing a life vest.

Kingii is not a personal flotation device and it cannot replace a life vest. Instead, Kingii is a recreational water device that may provide additional buoyancy to the water safety equipment that you already have.

Kingii cannot eliminate the risk of drowning
Kingii can provide additional buoyancy, but it cannot eliminate the risk of drowning. It is not a life-saving device. For example, Kingii requires the wearer to pull the lever, which may not be possible if the wearer loses consciousness or if the wearer panics. To reduce the risk of drowning, we recommend wearing a life vest.

Kingii should only be worn by experienced swimmers
Kingii is only recommended for experienced swimmers aged 16 years and older. Parental supervision is required.

Update:

The bottom is a hard line keel for both the Pungo and the Loon. The Loon has sloping sides, whereas the Pungo is hard-chined. I wouldn't think there would be much performance difference, but the stability of the Pungo could be a bit better. Don't have pics of that.

I have had the Loon out on the water like 5 times now. It handled the first time with a bit of chop pretty well. Then three of the times, in placid water, it was so sleek it was like a dream. The other time it was in moderate chop, it did feel stable, but I didn't venture too far from shore.

It tracks very well, turns on what to me feels like a dime. My friend had a LL Bean Manatee (10') and I easily went in circles around it in terms of speed and tracking.
Here are two other pics for reference on the water. I like the side view because it shows how low in the water it sits. I believe this is good for flat-water kayaking since it reduces the wind drag. It moderately protects against water coming over the bow, but I'm sure a touring or sea kayak would be better in that department: http://imgur.com/a/N617B

Finally, it is soooo comfortable, at least compared with numerous rental boats I've tried over the years. I could sit in it for hours. Width and length are great to stretch out, and the seat is awesome. I'd recommend getting a high back PFD. I literally tried 5 of them with the kayak, and the two best for me were: Astral http://amzn.to/29rVAMB and Onyx: http://amzn.to/2920ZrR (the one I bought)

I'm out of PHNL and do almost all inter-island flying. I bought this one. It's manual for the reason the others mentioned - don't want it to inflate prematurely.

It's reassuring to have it on during the flight in case I do need to ditch and don't make it in my life raft. I have it outfitted with a small pouch that has a signal mirror, paracord, electrical tape, gauze, and a
Gerber shorty in a sheath.

Honestly it's kind of pain to wear - it's uncomfortable with the seat belt on and constantly shifts right to my right. It doesn't rub on my neck or anything so that's a plus. The Velcro also recently ruined one of my favorite shirts. Ha. I would be interested in something else but it works for now and I don't think I can expect anything I wear constantly to be any different. 7/10.

https://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Automatic-Manual-Inflatable-Jacket/dp/B00TLFE5WE/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=auto+inflatable+pfd&qid=1562589408&s=gateway&sr=8-4

It's super light weight and comfortable, especially when its 90 degrees by 9. The con is that it doesn't have any pockets though. The link is for the auto inflatable one, which is the one 'I'm wearing in the photo. They have manual inflating types as well if you don't want to spend the extra $.

Swimming in open water is not for beginners, if you want to, swim parallel to the beach, at least until you can do the 3km that way, before trying any other way and near a lifeguard post if possible. If you really really really really want to do non parallel have someone watching you and buy some safety device in case of cramp etc, like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Swim-IT-triathlon-swimming-training/dp/B00UF6D6OG

Also idk Australia but you should worry about possible dangerous animals like sharks and jellyfishes, and ocean currents.

Still there are many things that could go wrong. So what you could do is search for an amateur open water competitions near you, in Brazil I used to do 3km and 5km ones, they will have safety boats and etc, which would be the safer you can get.

Would this work?

Surprisingly no. It's not that common for big wave surfers to drown, considering how frequently they put themselves in crazy situations that would probably kill an average person. They're usually in really good shape, experienced in the ocean, and surf with one or more partners who keep an eye on eachother. Nowadays they often use special equipment as well, such as flotation devices, small underwater breathing apparatus, and often times there are personal water craft in the water nearby.

....the life vests?

A lot of life vests have spots to hook stuff to.

like this one



and this one

When paddling at night, you're supposed to have bow and stern lights. Here's a set that I got off of amazon. If you look in the reviews, you'll see pictures of people and how they have them attached to their yaks. Of course you can always visit the youtube, or even search this sub for light ideas and setups.

Edit: have a friend who uses this kind of light he likes it because he can just suction it on when he wants. He's tied a string/rope to it, and affixed it to the handle so if it loses suction he doesn't lose the light (despite it being able to float).

SUPER! You have a grandma and an aunt in the picture. Use them. BUT, you are her parent. You make the calls. I have bigger, meaner fights with my mom now than ever in my life and they all revolve around how I expect her to act around or what she can and cannot do around my boy or let him get away with.

Bathing is easy, just get in with her and clean up. Our families rule of thumb is boys can bathe with dads for years, moms until boobs start getting asked about. Girls with moms for years and dads until the first wiener grab. So you have at least a year.

Smart and amazing, of course. Talk to her. Use adult words, explain everything and just jabber away. You actually will improve her vocabulary later in life.

As far as choking, avoid hotdogs & grapes. Cut them horizontally or longitudinally. Ya know, lengthwise. They are designed to choke kids, for real. My cousins are ER nurses and hotdogs can really be dangerous.

Best purchases ever

This tactical flashlight has a dim red setting and you can change a diaper without waking the kid.

This floatie got my kid swimming own his own by 18 months, our favorite trick was having him leap into pools and give old folks heart attacks... We are horrible.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://www.amazon.com/Astral-Buoyancy-V-Eight-Jacket-Medium/dp/B002AJHTN0/ref=sr_1_13?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1397324201&sr=1-13&keywords=kayaking+life+jacket


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

https://www.amazon.com/Stohlquist-Toddler-Jacket-Approved-Infants/dp/B071J3V714?th=1&psc=1