Thigh/crotch straps for PFDs

[jen1722terry]

Following up on an earlier discussion about PFDs and the need for thigh/crotch straps, has anyone tried the straps that Mustang sells for their PFDS? There are a few different manufactures that sell the straps, so we'd like to get some opinions from folks who have tried them. We did talk with a sailing neighbor here in Nova Scotia about them and he said they were a bit tricky to fit and wear, as the strap that attaches to thigh/crotch straps to the back of the PFD can impede bending over if too short or, if too long, would not keep the PFD securely on the wearing in the water.

Any experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Jenn and Terry

[jbenagh]

I used the SOSPenders strap on a West Marine offshore vest for three days without any issue on Tiara last summer. This was about 12 hrs/day, in foulies. I generally kept the strap slightly loose unless I was out of the cockpit. I think even slightly loose it would still prevent the inflated vest from going over the head.

I have the Mustang vests myself and they don't seem like they will work with that strap (too bad because it's pretty cheap) so I'd be interested in what you learn. For use of a MOB beacon the Mustang also requires that you attach something to the bladder rather than just around it; had I known all of this I might not have selected them.

Jeff

[jen1722terry]

After some searching around different PFD manufacturer sites, we're leaning towards the Onyx universal thigh straps. Easy to fit on our Mustang PFDs and they are not crotch straps (which I've worn in my mountain climbing days and hated).

The Onyx straps velcro on and have a safety strap with buckle across the chest to take the load if the velcro gives out while wearing in heavy seas or while lifting. This could result in the two sides of the PFD pinching together around the wearers head. Not sure about this but we plan to manually inflate our Mustangs and test the straps under a load. We'll report on this later in the spring.

But the above probably is not as good as some of the professional racing harnesses one sees for hundreds of dollars, but, at 20 bucks at Defender, I still think it will work and be much more comfortable to wear and use than than crotch straps which can painfully, pitifully and profoundly pinch ones privates.

Unless someone has a better idea, we're going to order two pairs when we return the NH from Canada in early May.

Happy outfitting to all of you.

And a very happy Easter. Sadly, the Easter Bunny skipped our house today. Rumor is he had an appointment for a hare cut.

Jenn and Terry