Mustang Survival’s Elite 120 Inflatable PFD Makes Boat Safety Simple
I grew up on the shores of Vancouver Island. Baynes Sound and the Strait of Georgia were my playgrounds. By the time I was a tween, I was boating solo in an eight-foot inflatable with a 9.9-horsepower outboard on the back and my Lab-Shephard dog in the front, for ballast. Today, I have my Sailing Class 1 and my Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card, and I’ve piloted powerboats around Haida Gwaii, out to the continental shelf from Vancouver Island’s West Coast, through the fjords of the Great Bear Rainforest and even on Great Bear Lake.
On the water, memories are made and the mood is high. But with such fun comes risk. And the sobering stats are enough to bring down any mood.
More than 400 people drown in Canada every year. Some 73 per cent of these deaths occur during the summer months and about half in natural bodies of water. (Basically, that’s just people out for some fun on the water on a summer’s day.)
And more than 80 per cent of these drownings happened when the person wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). That number jumps to 89 per cent when filtered for recreational boaters only.
Safety equipment permeates our society; most of us use some type every day. Few vehicle users would argue against wearing a seat belt; fewer still would wish to return to a time before air bags. Bike helmets are legally mandated in most provinces, too.
But when compared to the PFD—all of those well-accepted life-saving measures fall short. Seatbelts reduce fatality risk by some 45 per cent. Air bags, by about 29 per cent. And bike helmets? That’s a whole new can of worms, with some sources claiming they’re not reducing deaths at all.
Conversely, a Transport Canada certified PFD—worn and properly fitted—reduces your chances of drowning in any scenario by more than 90 per cent.
Yet, in data compiled by the Government of Canada, on-site inspections revealed only about 34 per cent of boaters actively wear one (despite 49 per cent “claiming” they do).
So, what gives? Why wouldn’t we wear something that offers such an unparalleled safety upgrade?
Well, classic foam PFDs can be uncomfortable. They can be hot. They can chafe. And all of this is amplified when you’re wearing one during active sports—SUP or kayak.
The truth is, most boaters don’t want to spend all day in a PFD. We focus on our immediate concerns of “being comfortable” over the far more abstract concern of, well, our own mortality.
Mustang Survival hopes to change this with the Elite 120 inflatable PFD. Rather than the chunky foam unit you may be used to, this is a low-profile inflatable featuring a breathable mesh back and an ergonomic neck—while providing 28 pounds of inflation via maintenance-free (for five years) Hydrostatic Inflation Technology.
In short, you barely know it’s there. Until you need it, of course.
On a sunny Sunday in May, a few days after an unseasonable storm rolled through on Canada’s southwest coast, I clipped-on the Elite 120 and took my twin kindergarteners out for a boat ride. To demonstrate in the simplest of ways how low-profile this PFD is—my kids, burdened with thick foamies, kept asking why I didn’t have to wear a “lifejacket” too.
In the years I’ve spent on boats, I’ve often been that guy who strips of his PFD when the sun beats down, then “forgets” to put it back on for the run home. With the Elite 120, those days would be over. Quite literally, I forgot I had it on. It disappears in both weight and ergonomics. It’s a no-brainer.
But how does it work? Of course, unlike the always-floaty foam PFDs, this style does require active inflation via a ripcord. You can also attach it to your engine’s kill switch, in case of an accident while piloting solo. But the safest PFD is the one you wear—and this one is designed to be worn. Taking it off never once occurred to me, mostly because, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I really did forget it was on.
I needed to know what it would feel like to pull the cord, so once back on land, I ripped the ripcord and the Elite 120 puffed up instantly, but without any discomfort or noise beyond expectation.
Deflating and repacking is relatively easy too, but like so many safety devices—the ultimate point is to not use them. In the best case scenario, a user will spend his or her life never knowing what it’s like to pull that cord. A recharge kit is available—in case emergency happens or curiosity simply gets the better of you.
Drowning is serious business—it’s the number-three cause of accidental death in Canada. And we as recreationalists have to balance this with the fact that being on the water is fun—boating, fishing, paddling… all in an environment the human body was not meant to survive.
Thankfully, we have good Canadian companies like Mustang Survival facilitating such inspiring outdoor experience by ensuring we stay comfortable and safe—and always return home after a day on the waves.
This article is sponsored by Mustang Survival
From inshore to open ocean, recreation to professional rescue—generations of boaters, anglers and paddlers have trusted Mustang Survival to shield them from the harshest environments and deliver peace of mind that everyone comes home safe. They’re here to protect the lives of those who live beyond land.
