BALTIC FORCE 190N
Price £229 or £264.95 when supplied with light and sprayhood baltic.se
Pros: larger/longer bladder gives higher buoyancy, smart outer casing looks stylish.
Cons: no sprayhood or light as standard which would be essential for offshore or coastal use after dark.
The Baltic Force is somewhat of an outlier here with the lack of offshore provision as standard so this makes it more difficult to compare side by side with our other higher-buoyancy offshore lifejackets on test. Baltic does provide this lifejacket with those essential items but at extra cost, making this the most expensive lifejacket on test if they were fitted. As we have been unable to test those components we haven’t been able to score on those items, which gives the lifejacket an artificially low score.
This ergonomically-designed jacket is stitched together to a high standard using quality fittings and materials. The Light & Hood model suitable for ocean use also has AIS beacon access and a beacon inspection window. Tester Phil commented from the pool: “This didn’t right me, which was a surprise as this is a higher capacity bladder. It felt comfortable in the pool – a basic but comfortable model.” It is a well constructed and sturdy casing that fits a wide array of body shapes.
In water 5 / Adjustability 9 / Buckle 10 / Comfort 9 / Practicality 9 / Deployment 9 / Sprayhood 0 PLB fitting 2 / Equipment 10 / Visibility 6 / Arming check 9 / Repacking 3 / Style 8 / Score 74%
SPINLOCK DECKVEST 6D
Price £219.95 or £239.95 with HRS spinlock.co.uk
Pros: form fitting sculpted design with bright, stylish casing. Excellent elevated lighting and reflective visibility. Good snug fit holding casualty high in the water. Excellent sprayhood. Harness release system (HRS).
Cons: bladder is a darker orange and may not be as visible as some of the brighter types. The extra sculpting can make the lifejacket feel stiff to wear and makes it heavy
BEST FOR OFFSHORE SAILING
This highly sculpted, comfortable model is the sixth iteration of the Isle of Wight-based company’s Deckvest design. It performed well in our tests and can be purchased with innovative accessories, such as the award winning Lume-On bladder illumination light system, which cleverly uses the inflated bladder as a large light diffuser. Shoreside, the lifejacket when packed has quite a rigid feel and at 1.3kg is heavier than some. A small add-on stowage pocket is ideal for a PLB and you could probably fit a sailing knife in there too.
It also has the facility for a harness release system, so that should you find yourself being dragged along in the water by your tether then you can trip this release and set yourself free. While tester Alex felt the side adjusters are prone to coming loose and advises making sure the buckles are t
