A Life Jacket provides safety on the water. Therefore, it is important to wear one on board to prevent drowning! There are different models and variations of life jackets available. When buying a vest, it is helpful to look at these differences. Based on that, you can best choose which type of life jacket you need. Because of the wide range available, a life jacket is often confused with a life jacket. However, the two are not the same. A life jacket has no collar and serves as a buoyancy aid, keeping you afloat on your belly. A life jacket does have a collar, which ensures that you are always turned onto your back and float with your head above water if you fall into the water.
If you want to buy a life jacket, stop by our megastore or check out our range of life jackets in our online water sports store. Here we offer life jackets from the brands Helly Hansen, Besto and Jobe. For most lifejackets the rule is, ordered today, delivered the next day.
TYPES OF LIFEJACKETS
There are different types of life jackets available. What kind of life jacket do you need? It is important to choose the right life jacket. Everyone knows the striking orange life jackets with large collar, these come in young and old. There are also automatic life jackets. An automatic life jacket inflates itself when it comes into contact with water. Inside the vest is a salt tablet and a Co2 cartridge. When the salt tablet dissolves in the water, the cartridge will inflate the life vest. The vest is rolled up in a kind of harness. A big advantage of this is that the size is minimal, this gives you optimal freedom of movement on board. This is why an automatic lifejacket is widely used among sailors. In a sailing boat with a lot of tube water or splashing water, an automatic lifejacket is not so useful, it can happen that the vest is inflated unwanted.
WHEN IS A LIFE JACKET MANDATORY?
Within recreational water sports it is often not mandatory to wear a life jacket, however for your own safety it is certainly advisable to wear a life jacket in many cases. With a fast sailing boat it is mandatory to carry a life jacket for every person on board. Convenient boat packs are available for this purpose. These boat packs are often competitively priced and contain four or five simple but good life jackets. In addition, it is also mandatory to wear a life jacket if you are operating (standing) a fast-moving vessel. It is also mandatory to wear a life jacket or lifejacket on a watercraft (jet ski).
Normal life jacket or an automatic life jacket?
The choice between a normal life jacket and an automatic life jacket depends on several factors, including the water sport, safety considerations and personal preference. Often, a normal life jacket requires manual activation to inflate or is made of foam padding. An automatic life jacket inflates itself upon contact with water. Generally, automatic life jackets are used in sports and activities where you can become unconscious such as sailing. Manual life jackets are suitable for other water sports where you won't become unconscious in a fall. It is important to keep these points in your mind when buying a life jacket.
How many newtons do I need?
The buoyancy of a life jacket is measured in Newtons (N) and is an indication of how much weight the vest can support before being pushed underwater. The Newton value needed depends on several factors, including body weight, the activity for which the vest is being used and water conditions. Generally, for adults, a buoyancy rating of at least 100 Newton is recommended for buoyancy aids and 150 Newton for inflatable life jackets. For children, vests with a buoyancy of 50 Newton or more are recommended, depending on their body weight and swimming ability. In our range we offer lifejackets with 50N, 150N and 275N.
BESTO LIFEJACKET
In our assortment you will find Besto's life jackets the most. Besto is a leading company in lifejackets, the lifejackets are made of the best materials and are always up-to-date with current regulations. Besto life jackets are comfortable, safe and high quality. The life jackets in different types of colors and buoyancy.
LIFEJACKET CHILD?
Looking for a life jacket for a child? As long as children do not yet have a swimming certificate, it goes without saying that they should wear a good life jacket. But even with a swimming certificate it is advisable to wear a life jacket. The choice for a vest for a child is between a fixed life vest with foam padding or an automatic vest. For very young children, however, it is better to choose a fixed life jacket. The fixed life jackets are the well-known orange vests with collar. These come in nylon or neoprene. A nylon vest is lighter in weight and easier to clean because of its smooth fabric. A neoprene vest is many times more flexible and has better breathability. From about 30kg a child can also wear an automatic life jacket. However, the blast can cause a startle reaction in a child. Also, when a child plays a lot near the water, an automatic life vest is not a convenient choice because the vest can inflate unwanted.
