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| Hobie High Back Vest | | Print | |
| Thursday, 06 September 2007 | ||||
Type III PFD
There was really nothing wrong with the Ultra Gorge PFD that I parted with recently, other than the fact that it was looking really very grubby with blood stains all over it. That's not why I switched over to the Hobie High Back Vest PFD (Personal Floatation Device) though. What attracted me to the it's design was the very feature that has inspired it's name: the high back. While mooching around the Melbourne boat show I got curious, tried one on and then parked my backside in one of the display kayaks. Instantly I noticed that it was significantly more comfortable than my other PFD. Given that I was planning to be wearing a PFD for hours on end day after day (over the period of at least a year) I figured that extra comfort would be a really good idea. Despite being an upgrade that I really didn't have to make, I'm glad that I did. The high back design means that the lumbar region of the back sits more neatly into the backrest of the seat. The difference it makes is more noticeable in the new (2007) seat design that all Hobie kayaks are supplied with, due to the extra padding that has been incorporated. I suspect larger framed paddlers would notice even more of a difference than I do. Instead of thick floatation padding in the lumbar area, the High back vest has thin but tough air mesh sewn into nylon webbing. I was surprised how comfortable this feels, especially with all of the compression straps pulled neatly into place.
Even though the mesh isn't buoyant, the upper part of the back retains a thick insert that accommodates nicely. The front of the vest incorporates buoyant inserts that when combined with that of the back, do a suitably good job of keeping you afloat. Classed as a type 3 PFD, by Australian standards, it is suited (and legal) for use in kayaks, canoes, row boats, rafts and the like. It isn't designed for use on jet skis, for water skiing, so keep that in mind if you have multiple uses for a PFD. The front of the vest has two large mesh pockets on either side, which is where I put my Leatherman multitool, GPS device and weather permitting, UHF radio. These have nylon coil zips, where as the vest itself comes together with a stronger thick tooth-style zipper. With all compression straps pulled firm the vest fits very snugly, even on my lightweight frame. There's a lot of room for adjustment though and I was very surprised that the XL size fit me just fine. I have put it to the test a couple of times (just for interest sake) and it kept me afloat nicely. I really can't find anything to complain about with the high back vest design, nor the quality of it's construction.  Even though the high back vest carries the Hobie logo, like some of the other Hobie accessories (such as rod holders, drink bottles & sunglasses) I really don't think it has been manufactured by Hobie. It's more likely that it's been built by a specialist PFD manufacturer, although I'm not sure who is actually behind it. It doesn't matter who's logo is on it to me though - so long as it does it's job nicely. That's the most important consideration, especially when it comes to products designed to prevent you from drowning.
   
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