Pete in MI
New member
wear a vest that quickly inflates (using CO2) with a pull of a string in case you fall in a hole and lose your balance or slip off a drop off?
I know of one water detectorist a year or so back who probably didn't have one on and did not survive the experience. Do you risk your life going in the water without one? Do you have loved ones you might leave behind if you had a similar fate?
I think wearing an inflatable vest is an important detecting tool and investment for you and your family. Give it some thought.
There are several types of vest and most won't work. Ones with just a tube to blow into to fill up the bladder in the vest won't work. You need speed and time is too short to blow into a tube. There are the 'boating vests' and if you wear that you will never detect beyond your waist as the vest will keep you off your feet. Another type is the BC vest (Bouyancy Compensator) that divers use. If you are a diver and have scuba tanks this is a good vest but it requires a scuba tank to provide air to the BC vest. If you aren't a certified diver you won't be able to get a scuba tank filled with air.
The only one that will work in an emergency is the CO2 inflation vest. It may have a tube to blow into to add more air but you definitely want immediate floatation when needed. When not inflated it doesn't make you float away like the boaters vest.
I bought a like new CO2 vest on eBay for under $35 (not counting shipping). They are sometime called 'flotation vest', 'CO2 vest', 'inflatable vest', 'fisherman's vest' but the key to look fo is CO2. Get one that fits. Too loose it will get in your way while swinging the coil. Too tight it won't fit or be too small to keep you upright in the water.
Good hunting and be safe
God bless you and yours
Pete
Houghton Lake, MI
I know of one water detectorist a year or so back who probably didn't have one on and did not survive the experience. Do you risk your life going in the water without one? Do you have loved ones you might leave behind if you had a similar fate?
I think wearing an inflatable vest is an important detecting tool and investment for you and your family. Give it some thought.
There are several types of vest and most won't work. Ones with just a tube to blow into to fill up the bladder in the vest won't work. You need speed and time is too short to blow into a tube. There are the 'boating vests' and if you wear that you will never detect beyond your waist as the vest will keep you off your feet. Another type is the BC vest (Bouyancy Compensator) that divers use. If you are a diver and have scuba tanks this is a good vest but it requires a scuba tank to provide air to the BC vest. If you aren't a certified diver you won't be able to get a scuba tank filled with air.
The only one that will work in an emergency is the CO2 inflation vest. It may have a tube to blow into to add more air but you definitely want immediate floatation when needed. When not inflated it doesn't make you float away like the boaters vest.
I bought a like new CO2 vest on eBay for under $35 (not counting shipping). They are sometime called 'flotation vest', 'CO2 vest', 'inflatable vest', 'fisherman's vest' but the key to look fo is CO2. Get one that fits. Too loose it will get in your way while swinging the coil. Too tight it won't fit or be too small to keep you upright in the water.
Good hunting and be safe
God bless you and yours
Pete
Houghton Lake, MI