I was shopping for new life jackets and noticed that they all have a logo inside that says, "USCG Approved." That got me thinking...who in the Coast Guard is in charge of approving life jackets? How do they approve them? I have a friend who is a Coastie and I asked him that question. He didn't know.
In my imagination, companies ship life jackets to the Coast Guard, where Coasties are strapped into them and tossed overboard. If they're feeling like having some fun, they make the Coastie walk the plank first. If they float, the life jacket gets approved. If they sink, the life jacket doesn't get approved. I hope the next step is rescuing the sinking Coastie.
Zack, my Coastie friend, said they likely test them on dummies, but then they probably are tested by real people for functionality. I feel bad for the guy who has to test the big orange brick life jackets. You know, the basic ones every summer camp makes you wear? All his pals are in the nice vests from LL Bean and he's stuck in the orange square thing. Those "brick" life jackets aren't very comfortable, and if you are a female or have a round belly, you can't see your feet past it sticking up past your curvy parts. (This is why I bring my own life jacket to camp now!)
Does anyone know what the testing and approval process is for a life jacket?
Oh, and if you're looking for a decent life vest that's pretty comfy, Cabela's has their basic vests on sale online this week.
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