Sospenders

[Larry Harp]

Thinking about writing Santa Claus and asking for a pair of Sospenders and was wondering if any of you guys have any experiance with them. I fish by myself often and worry about falling overboard, especially in winter weather. I have tried wearing my PFD while fishing and hate it.

Questions:

#1, Are the Sospenders more comfortable? Comforable enough to more or less forget that you have them on?

#2, Which style is best? Is the automatic blow-up the way to go? Will it deploy in the rain or spray on a choppy lake?

#3, Do they have enought floatation to support my largess? I'm a bigolboy +300lbs. I can just picture being suspended about 2 feet under the surface.

Thanks



Harpo

 

[Ron Perry]

Hi, I wear the belt type, and it is very comfortable, I had to get some extra belt material from a fabric store and have my wife splice it, I am also a big guy. I fish on a lake where even if you just running your trolling motor, it is considered as operating you boat so a pfd must be worn, I don't mind wearing mine even in the summer.

 

[Bill McElroy]

LMAO @ Harpo!!.....#3 is priceless,......gave me a whole new visual for the brand name "SOSpenders"...LOL!!!



You'll love'em dude,...I have one of the manual inflater's and I wear it fishing all the time...I'm like you,..I wouldn't trust the auto-inflaters if I was wearing it in the rain and choppy spray!! Mini wore them a couple of times when I let him use my boat and he really liked them too!! That would be an excellent item for Santa's list!!



Mac

 

[David Hunt]

I have the automatic. I figured that if I go in the drink, it will be by accident and I may or may not be conscious. Besides, the automatic ones have both a manual pull to bypass the automatic feature as well as a tube to blow into to truely manually inflate it (think the Airplane movie and the auto-pilot scene near the end). One of the models has a larger bouancy rating. Recently, one of the members here talked about going in the drink with lots of gear and barely making back into the boat. Do a search for 'ladder' and it should come up. I try to wear mine whenever I am out on my own even in good weather.



david.....

 

[Dewey Leggett]

A few thoughts on SOSpenders:



1. I love mine (it's manual). I rarely take it off, especially in cooler weather.



2. BASS will not allow automatic ones because there have apparently been accidental inflations running down the lake in rain. That would not be good!



3. I was in a tourney on Saturday (12/6) and a guy was thrown out of the side of the boat (air was 30 degrees, water was about 55). He was so cold, he never got his manual inflated. Luckily, his partner, who was thrown to the other side of the boat, finally got the kill switch connected and got to him. He was up to his nose at that point.

 

[Greg Meyer]

I wear the Automatics and have not had an on the water unintended inflation... rain, etc...

 

[Rich Stern]

I wear the manual version. Very comfortable, easy to forget you have them. They do have different models with different buoyancies, so compare the specs before you buy.

 

[Dan J.]

I received a set of the World Class Automatic SOSpenders at our first Tracker Legends Tourney several years ago. I'm a big boy as well and they provide full floatation (35lbs. I believe). This first set I got still looks great and even all the fancy embroidering is holding up, considering the use they've been through.



Keep a spare arming kit with you. (I think they come with them.) We were fishing a BASS T on Old Hickory in a week long deluge of rain, when one night, after putting our damp gear around the radiator in the hotel, we heard a BANG!! (Man, if I could have taped this!) Two big ol' country boys jumping out of their beds, digging for guns, to repel the attacking....life vest!! Then the knocks at the door from the other fellas. Then explaining to them and more laughing. Man, it was truly a "had to be there" experience. Other than that, I haven't had any problems.

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

I have a set of the Automatic ones, of the Long type/style.



Totally like them. Do forget they are on. Only thing that I do not like, is that when I sit down to run the boat, they get pushed up in the back and rub on the back of my neck/head. I think I should have bought the regular style not the long.



Bad thing was, went to check them out at the end of the year and replace the CO2 cartridge and the bobbin thing (17 bucks done yearly) is that the CO2 cartridge had backed out and did not inflate when I pulled the cord. Woudl have been a bad deal if I went in the drink and needed then to inflate.



Carlos



PS I still carry extra regular ones in the boat locker too.

 

[Mark Gross]

I forget I have mine on have the time .Greet for tournament fishing when your hitting a lot of spots fast.I had left a pair in the boat during a heavy rain and the inflated lifting up the seat, it took me a minute to figure out; what the heck! You can use the auto's either way ,auto or manual.



Mark

 

[Larry Harp]

Thanks for all the responses guys! On my way to the mall to sit on Santy Clauses lap.



Harpo

 

[fatrap]

 

[fatrap]

They sound good but do they interfer with getting a tan durning the summer months?

fatrap

 

[Charlie Nethaway]

Dang Harpo I know you was big but not 300 ya got me beat be just a few.



You might think about straping a inflatiable raft to ya butt. LOL

 

[Larry Harp]

The last time I took my shirt off at the lake some guys in another boat started yelling "THAR SHE BLOWS" and throwing harpoons at me.



Harpo

 

[Greg Meyer]

Don't mention "inflatables" around Toxic... He gets all misty eyed and remembers his college sweetheart... a redhead polyvinyl ... creature of questionable repute...

 

[Marke Cicero]

Mac, Yours ARE the Automatic type.



The first time I wore them was in Mark Gross's boat when he came to MI a few months ago. Since then I borrowed Mac's for a tournament.



They are now on the top of my Christmas list for this year.



I like the auto ones for the same reason David mentioned. The likely hood becoming unconsious, injured or panic stricken is very high in a boating accident. I'd rather have them inflate by accident than not inflate when my life depends on it.

 

[Bill McElroy]

Really??..Never knew that!!..I just noticed the red pull tab dangling down and figured they were the manual type!



(They were given to me as a gift from an Outdoor Writer, so I never got the packaging or paperwork or anything....he just gave me the PFD and said,.."Here,..keep these,..I've got 3 of them and I don't even own a boat!!) LOL



Well Harpo,...that answers one of my misconceptions too...the Automatic ones are fine to wear in inclement weather..I wore mine all the time and never had a problem!!



Thanks Marke...



Mac