Thinking about acquiring one but have a concern/seeking advice. My boat is a “Wetliner” and in high seas (eg. on LOTW on a windy day) you can get pretty well drenched on the ride up to Garden Island or out to the reefs. What are the chances of accidental deployment in such conditions or in heavy, day-long soakers? Advice, recommendations as to brands welcomed.
Mustang Hydrostatic does not deploy unless submerged I think in 3-4″ of water. Will not deploy in rain or high humidity. They are spendy compared to others but I believe they are considered one of the best.
Here is where I ordered mine a few years back. They had the best deal back then.
I can’t speak for all inflatables, but I’ve been using the Float-Tec brand for over 6 years now while being on the water whether guiding or pleasure boating.
I can’t locate the photos right now, but two photos of my clients made it into on of the Lund Boat catalogs a few years back. They were soaked. That happens frequently when fishing in the rain. 
As long as the water doesn’t come up from the bottom of the PFD it won’t discharge and inflate.
Vest only pictured above.
Normally if a person is getting wet they would want to have some type of jacket on. Nothing can be worn over an inflatable. If it would discharge it could prevent a person from breathing.
Float-Techs can be purchased with an “outer shell” that’s made for the vest. The shell will expand if the vest inflates.
The outer shell is a light nylon wind breaker style with a hood rolled up in the back.
Either way, I have never (I hate saying never on the river) had a Float Tech discharge in the rain.
Full disclosure: Since no one in the area stocks them, I’ve been set up as a dealer for them in the last 6 months.
Beginning last fall we started using the Mustang Inflatable and the Cabelas Guidewear 3500 auto PFD. So far we’ve fished in all sorts of conditions and never had any problems. I really really don’t like wearing anything bulky or even remotely feels like a life jacket when I’m fishing. So the new low profile inflatables are pretty nice. A lot of the times you forget they are even there.
Beginning last fall we started using the Mustang Inflatable and the Cabelas Guidewear 3500 auto PFD. So far we’ve fished in all sorts of conditions and never had any problems. I really really don’t like wearing anything bulky or even remotely feels like a life jacket when I’m fishing. So the new low profile inflatables are pretty nice. A lot of the times you forget they are even there.
the Cabelas Guidewear 3500 auto PFD is the one I use also. Well built and comfortable. It has never yet discharged in the rain. The “pellet” which is the trigger for inflation should be replaced every three years per the research I’ve read.
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