LifeJackets - is everyone a pansy these days?

[skodster]

Life jackets make you look important and that you know what you're doing in front of the gawpers. I some times take my life jacket with me on long walks in the countryside just in case.

 

[boomerangben]

Surely then he'd have been better off wearing some kind of thermal protection? When the water's cold, ie mid winter to early summer, it's hypothermia which is most likely to kill you regardless of whether you're wearing a LJ or not.

Technically, it's not the hypothermia that gets you. Quite quickly you get too cold to be able to stop water entering your lungs and you drown.

Survival suits are all very well, but they are bulky and hot. On a warm spring day with still cold water, you would probably want to jump in just to cool down. More importantly they take a bit of practice to use and it's all to easy to end up floating upside down, although the modern ones have elastic to prevent air collecting around your ankles. You still need a life jacket.

Agree prevent falling in.
I still haven't heard a practical reason for not wearing a lifejacket.
I understand the RNLI's take on this, after all they do see more of their fair share of disasters that might have ended happily for the sake of a lifejacket.

 

[Lakesailor]

I still haven't heard a practical reason for not wearing a lifejacket.
I understand the RNLI's take on this, after all they do see more of their fair share of disasters that might have ended happily for the sake of a lifejacket.

and mechanics will happily tell you all the things that will go wrong with your Peugeot. But most people find them very reliable.
The RNLI's opinion is just a tad skewed. They rarely get called out to deal with someone who is having a nice sail.

A practical reason not to wear a life jacket is that I will make my own mind up about the matter, not some PR suit working for the RNLI.

 

[Chrusty 1]

Life jackets make you look important and that you know what you're doing in front of the gawpers. I some times take my life jacket with me on long walks in the countryside just in case.

Congratulations!! That is the best contribution to this daft debate I have seen so far!

You aint Dara O Briain are ya?

 

[Chrusty 1]

Technically, it's not the hypothermia that gets you. Quite quickly you get too cold to be able to stop water entering your lungs and you drown.

Survival suits are all very well, but they are bulky and hot. On a warm spring day with still cold water, you would probably want to jump in just to cool down. More importantly they take a bit of practice to use and it's all to easy to end up floating upside down, although the modern ones have elastic to prevent air collecting around your ankles. You still need a life jacket.

Agree prevent falling in.
I still haven't heard a practical reason for not wearing a lifejacket.
I understand the RNLI's take on this, after all they do see more of their fair share of disasters that might have ended happily for the sake of a lifejacket.

Erm call me picky if you like, but I think you just did, If you cannot fall in the oggin, why do you want to ponce about in a life jacket?? On my boat, the harness anchor points simply will not let me go over the side. I worked it all out see, twin lines on me harness, and multiple anchor points, all lines led back to cockpit, job sorted. From shore to me boat, or viccy verca, I agree, well at least for me I agree, I should wear me lifejacket.

All this thou shalt wear a life jacket evangelism is a crock of shyte. FFS! let people be, it's as far away from one rule fits all as it's possible to get.