Bum bag or pouch for vhf etc?

[phoenixpete]

Hi everyone, I am wondering what people do to carry all the safety bits and pieces we should have on us when out in the boat? Thinking of something like the Spinlock pouches or something similar. I allready have my PLB in a pocket on my Kru lifejacket but would also like to have handheld vhf,and maybe the led flare and rope knife on me as well. What do you think?

[Iron Dials]

We have all 3 of the Spinlock pouches in this house.
You will struggle to get a handheld vhf into them without antenna sticking out.
Plb and mobile fit in mine (middle one in pic) with lots of room to spare, knife lives in lifejacket pocket for quick access. VHF clips onto lifejacket strap beside it.

Bear in mind that these pouches live on the side of your lifejacket and for comfort they end up behind your arm, so less accessible than you might think.

[Simonh66]

Don’t think I’d want to be moving around with a flare in my pockets!

[jeffstevens763@g]

Zips could be a problem eventually I use a kayaking life jacket to carry all my stuff with a dry suit

[Iron Dials]

FWIW Zips still fine after 3 years of being ignored

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Iron Dials

FWIW Zips still fine after 3 years of being ignored

Good to know most zips don't last

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Zips could be a problem eventually I use a kayaking life jacket to carry all my stuff with a dry suit

That will be a buoyancy aid presumably, and not a life jacket?

Not necessarily a problem but it's important to understand the differences. It's possible that making the choice purely on the number of pockets might not be the right decision.

[jeffstevens763@g]

It's a PFD to be precise your right a white water kayaking vest with most of the buoyancy at the front chose because it won't puncture turns you face up no manual input from me won't blow off when I get wet,designed & used for more extream conditions than I use it for plenty of movement cheap maintenance nothing to fail and it happens to have loads of pockets for PLB , radio, knife etc. suits my needs perfectly.

[pilotwillie]

Originally Posted by phoenixpete

Hi everyone, I am wondering what people do to carry all the safety bits and pieces we should have on us when out in the boat? Thinking of something like the Spinlock pouches or something similar. I allready have my PLB in a pocket on my Kru lifejacket but would also like to have handheld vhf,and maybe the led flare and rope knife on me as well. What do you think?

I use the chest pack (triangular one) for PLB and spare strobe. I use the water bottle waist belt one for hand-held VHF (VHF in place of the water bottle !) which leaves good storage in pouch for knife, led flare, etc.

[pilotwillie]

Originally Posted by Simonh66

Don’t think I’d want to be moving around with a flare in my pockets!

OP has an LED flare (but I’m sure you have genuine reasons for not wanting to carry your type in your pockets) [emoji1303]

[phoenixpete]

Originally Posted by Simonh66

Don’t think I’d want to be moving around with a flare in my pockets!

LED flare light.

[phoenixpete]

The middle spin lock one looks reasonable, though not sure how it will attach to my kru as there is no obvious place for it. My kru is more a waist coat type.

[Simonh66]

Originally Posted by pilotwillie

OP has an LED flare (but I’m sure you have genuine reasons for not wanting to carry your type in your pockets) [emoji1303]

Ooops missed the LED bit! 🤪

[spartacus]

I put a diver's knife and sheath on my life jacket waist belt and carry a handheld VHF, with a security lanyard looped through the stainless steel D ring. That's it. Anything else I can source from the toolbox onboard. When ashore on islands, that's about all I actually need.

[Bigplumbs]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

It's a PFD to be precise your right a white water kayaking vest with most of the buoyancy at the front chose because it won't puncture turns you face up no manual input from me won't blow off when I get wet,designed & used for more extream conditions than I use it for plenty of movement cheap maintenance nothing to fail and it happens to have loads of pockets for PLB , radio, knife etc. suits my needs perfectly.

Which one do you have as I was thinking of going this way

[Maximus]

It's possible that making the choice purely on the number of pockets might not be the right decision.[/QUOTE]


.....Very bloody probably!

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

Which one do you have as I was thinking of going this way

Look for a sea kayaking BA like a Palm Kaikoura or Peak Explorer Zip.

Bear in mind that a BA is designed do situations where help is close at hand and won’t keep your airway clear if you are unconscious or incapacitated in the way that a life jacket will.

BAs are good for inshore stuff and I’ve often chosen to wear one when using a SIB. If going offshore though then I’d definitely opt for a life jacket.

There’s a good article about the various differences and applications on the RYA web site:

https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge-adv...fejackets.aspx

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

Which one do you have as I was thinking of going this way

Mine is a NRS just to be clear I have life jackets manual and auto the reason I have gone this way is when I land on a beach I have tripped over making an auto useless, when I get in the boat going back out a manual arming tag has got caught in the past rendering the jacket useless. I've worked for many years in the marine industry seeing that the gas inflated horseshoe type life jacket has limitations, for instance how many times a year do you check it's not punctured for me wearing a dry suit a life jacket with built in buoyancy is the way to go not for everyone I know just suits me and it works keeping my head above water on the sky trip I fell over pulling the boat in so I know it works. as a canoeist years ago using the same kit in Rapids gave me expeariance in rough airiated water just so happens the pockets are very handy right in front of my face for the important bits radio, PLB, knife.
NRS do a rescue PFD which is nice a lot of the rescue stuff has better buoyancy ratings too if you don't wear a dry suit. OMO

[markmullen]

On my life jacket my VHF lives in the pocket built in to the Spinlock Deckvest. My PLB and knife live in a spinlock pouch attached to the port side strap which works well, an AIS beacon is installed to automatically activate on inflation of the lifejacket for my own crew to be able to quickly locate me, I’d pop up on their ECDIS or chart plotter display.

On my rescue buoyancy aid my vhf lives in the back pocket (Palm Rescue 850) with a fist mic wired over my shoulder to my lapel, and sometimes and earpiece if it’s a loud environment.