A personal flotation device (PFD) is your lifeline when taking part in any water sport. Considering the consistent exposure of your equipment to salt water, UV and repetitive impact, you must care for your PFD to ensure its longevity and reliability. With so many different models, styles and types, how do you know how to maintain your life jacket?
Essential steps to care for your PFD:
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Keep your PFD out of the sun. Exposure of your PFD to UV can cause the trim and materials that make up the PFD to degrade quickly. It is important that after washing that you dry your PFD in the shade to avoid any UV overexposure.
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Wash your PFD in fresh water after every session. Similar to UV, saltwater can significantly damage the materials and construction of a PFD, even if fully dry. After every use, it is imperative that your PFD is washed thoroughly in fresh water to prevent any salt buildup.
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Ensure that you store your PFD only when completely dry. Storing your PFD whilst still wet or damp can significantly damage the materials due to mould buildup.
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Do not bend or fold the foam of your PFD. While the foam in your PFD is durable, if the shape of the foam changes, the buoyancy and comfort of the item can be significantly affected. A PFD mustn't be squashed, folded or used for any purpose other than its intended, to best care for your life jacket.
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Follow the care instructions listed on your PFD. Every PFD, as with standard clothing, has care instructions printed on it, detailing that the item should never be ironed, tumble dried or bleached. Failure to follow these details can destroy the materials and construction of a PFD.
How to test if you need a new PFD:
Vaikobi life jackets don’t have official expiry dates, meaning it is incredibly important that you complete regular at-home checks to ensure that your PFD is still within its usable life. To do so, see the testing criteria below:
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Check for visible signs of wear or damage. A lifejacket with visible damage to seams, seals or the material in the form of discolouration or mould should not be used and replaced immediately.
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Find a calm body of waist-deep water, place the lifejacket on and secure it tightly. It is important that the body of water is calm and hazard-free to ensure the test can be conducted safely.
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Submerge yourself to check flotation ability. Get to a point where your feet cannot touch the bottom, and check that your head remains above water without needing to tread water or paddle. If the PFD fails this test, it is non-functional and needs replacing.
For more information regarding the lifespan and replacement requirements of your life jacket, click here.
Specific care instructions for your Vaikobi PFD:
V4 OCEAN RACING PFD LIFE JACKET, V3 OCEAN RACING PFD LIFE JACKET, VXP RACE PFD AND THE VX RACE PFD LIFE JACKET
The V4, V3, VXP and VX lifejackets all feature multiple utility pockets, bright colours and reflective trims, and a number of zips and buckles to allow for fit adjustments. Due to the complexity of these PFDs, when washing it is important that specific care is taken to ensure there is no buildup of salt or dirt, particularly in the pockets and on the zips and buckles. Failure to do so can result in breakdown of the materials and trims, and subsequently render the pockets and adjustment points useless. These models are sold in highly visible colours for visibility on the water, and thus it is important that these PFDs are stored out of the sun to prevent UV overexposure and subsequent damage to colour vibrancy. Read here for more information on Vaikobi PFDs.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR LIFE JACKET HYDRATION BLADDER:
If using a hydration bladder with these PFDs, it is important to clean this with the included cleaning kit after every use to maintain the life of this equipment. Read more about hydration bladders here.
VXI NEO PFD LIFE JACKET
Being a life jacket made of neoprene, the care required of the VXI PFD differs to others. Typically used by those who tend to take impact during their sessions, it is important that the foam is checked for any deformations before use. While the lifejacket has no zips it is important that the entire PFD, including inside the pockets, is thoroughly washed after use to prevent damage to the seams and seals. Take a close look at the VXI here.
Ensuring you know how to care for a life jacket allows you to maintain the longevity, reliability and performance of your equipment. Click here to learn how to choose the right PFD for you.
Purchased other Vaikobi gear and need to know how to care for it? Read our article called how to care for your Vaikobi gear.
