The Kru Sports Pro claims to be “probably the most comfortable lifejacket in the world.”
It's good news that lifejacket manufacturers are suddenly taking an interest in making lifejackets more comfortable - and so tackling the principle excuse given by yachtsmen for reluctance to wear them.
As the “sports pro” label suggests, the latest addition to Ocean Safety's all British-made Kru range is designed with the active sailor in mind. And what works for racing crew works equally well for the cruising fraternity.
The new lifejacket has an easily adjusted waistcoat-style fit, with a neat zip closure at the front, instead of the familiar bulky stainless steel catch. The integral harness, too, features varnish-friendly plastic covered loops. With mesh back and sides for ventilation, the new-style lifejacket certainly ought to be comfortable.
And no less attention has been paid to the safety features, starting with higher than standard 175N buoyancy. There's a light fitting point, as well as crotch strap fitted as standard, and plenty of retro-reflective tape.
The lifejacket comes in unobtrusive colour-ways: black and silver or navy and gold. But don't worry, if it goes into the water, it becomes much more high visibility thanks to a fluo-yellow internal stole (as the inflatable lung is technically known), complete with lifting beckets.
Priced competitively, at less than £100 for manual inflation with harness, and also available in auto inflation, with or without harness, the Kru Sports Pro is likely to prove attractive to anyone who wants a lifejacket that's “comfortable and unobtrustive when worn over prolonged periods,” as the manufacturer puts it.
And according the RNLI, that should mean all of us!
For more information visit www.krulifejackets.com
