Developed for the Volvo Ocean Race, Spinlock life jackets are now coming to the boating market with a model called Vito. The latter benefits from 2 years of development and 1 year of real-life testing, often in unfamiliar conditions. Indeed, this vest equipped all the participants in the last round the world race. A good test run and a really ruthless test.
The hood stored in sle sle back
To better balance the vest on the shoulders and not carry all the weight on the front, Spinlock has integrated the hood and its frame into a plastron placed on the crew member's back. The hood's frame allows it to be held securely above the head once it is in place on the inflated lung.
This vest comes in one size only, but with adjustments on the back. Very simple visuals to adjust the vest properly are displayed inside while graduations on the strap ensure a good distribution of the adjustment on each side. The vest can be preset by adjusting the straps on the back using these clearly legible graphic markers. This vest is put on from the side. It is closed on the front which can be a little embarrassing, forcing you to remove it before taking off your jacket.
Hammar only
This model for offshore sailors is only available in the Hammar version which is activated with hydrostatic pressure. Vito does not exist in salt tablet version. Boaters who want this type of trigger can always choose the old 5D model that opens at the front and remains in the catalogue.
Available from 329 ?
The loop on which the carabiner of the lanyard is hooked is made of a strap (to avoid stainless steel). It can be released under power as an option. This option avoids drowning, towed by its lanyard behind the boat. In case of use, resetting is possible without great difficulty.
In addition to the hood, Vito vests also have a pocket for an AIS beacon. On the other hand, you no longer need a knife to cut the lanyard, since you can now drop the loop even under tension.
These vests, available in a single black colour, are available at ?329 for the standard model and ?349 for the model with the tension releasable lanyard loop.
