Life Jacket Fitting Guide
By: SurvivalAtSea.com | Liferaft Services
Life jackets, which are also referred to as “life vests,” are incredibly important devices that should be utilized during any potentially dangerous activity taking place on the water. In fact, 85% of deaths related to drowning happen due to the failure of the victim to wear a life jacket. This is unfortunately due to the fact that people usually do not put them on because of their bulky design or their unattractiveness. With this in mind, it is therefore important to take wearing a life jacket seriously, and select one that will adequately and comfortably fit the person intending to wear it, so that it is able to serve its intended purpose.
Most states have laws in place describing the different requirements regarding life jacket usage. In the case that a state does not have any such laws in place, however, children under the age of 13 are required to wear a life jacket on the water at all times. After this age, sporting one is optional, but recommended; this often causes life jacket fitting to be overlooked when it should not be. Upon purchasing a life jacket, the most important measurement to pay attention to is chest width and overall size. After it can be confirmed that the life jacket is able to accommodate the size of the wearer’s chest without allowing additional room to move around excessively, the straps can be fastened or the vest can be zipped up, if applicable. Having a life jacket that fits properly not only ensures that it will keep the user afloat properly, but it also makes it easy to move normally and freely.
After the life jacket has been selected, it is a wise idea to test it out in some way to ensure that if necessary, it will serve its purpose properly. The user should put the jacket on. If it fits comfortably and snugly, the wearer should find a body of water in which they are able to stand. The life jacket is then able to be tested through the wearer retracting their legs close to their body and seeing if the lifevest keeps them floating at the top of the water. This way, it will be easy to see whether or not the life jacket is able to keep the user afloat. If it does not do a sufficient job, the wearer can simply put their feet back on the bottom of the ground and begin their search for a different life jacket.