So what do you have in your vest?

[Fiskadoro]

I was taking a few shots of my radio for the other thread and popped off these pics with the vest and the standard stuff I carry.

Here's the vest...



Here it is with the stuff out of the pockets....


So what I had on and in my vest was:

Small leatherman well oiled.
Icom M88 radio with extension speaker mic.
Combination whistle, waterproof lightstick, flashing emergency beacon, flashlight.
Ultralight aluminum lobster guage (homemade, always on there).
Carabiner compass.
Spyderco lockblade knife.
Skyblazer flare.
Mini Mag LED flashlight.

Most of the stuff there adds no real weight to speak of, some of it is just convenient, some of it would come in handy if I ever ended up out in the water alone for an extended period. I've always had this what happens if I get separated from my yak thing. Which probably comes from all my hours fishing small boats offshore. I don't see myself as a safety nut, just safe.At any rate most of the stuff is relatively cheap. for instance the whistle is a modded home depot product that I just shortened it to fit in the pocket.





It has several functions blinking red, solid red, flashlight etc... Since it meets the whistle requirement as well it's worth carrying around.

So that's my vest gear. What do you guys carry?

Jim

[StinkyMatt]

Go go Gadget Jim. If you don't have a drift sock and a 30 lb anchor you ain't got chit! Better go shopping.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by StinkyMatt

Go go Gadget Jim. If you don't have a drift sock and a 30 lb anchor you ain't got chit!

Damn!!! A 30lbs anchor?!?!? What the hell for

I don't think I ever deployed anything over twenty pounds, except when I was getting paid to do so, and that was only on big boats over fifty feet, with a power windlass.

It's not the weight of the anchor anyway it's the weight of the chain and the scope that holds you.

Personally I don't have much use for an anchor on a yak, except when I'm "bait an wait" fishing in freshwater. Then I use a grapple that only weighs something like 10 ounces.



Castiac and DVL are pretty rocky so it holds just fine without much weight to it..

Driftsocks another matter... I usually carry two on the yak, a small and a large one. They don't weigh anything and I found them ideal for dropper loop fishing, and halibut fishing.



I use them all the time, the small one even on relatively calm days to control my drift angle, and when it get's rough the bigger one slows me down and keeps my bow to the swell and waves. I've had whole days I could not have fished without them. They are great tools to have on board especially when it's windy or rough.



My take is there is more then one way to skin a catfish. If you don't use it, don't take it, but the things I generally take are things I actually use. With the exception of the flare I pretty much used everything I carry on the vest in the last year. If I didn't carry it on the vest I'd still have to carry that stuff somewhere, and it's nice having it right there when I need it, but that's just my take.


Jim

[dorado50]

Don't forget to turn off the radio........

[bus kid]

unibutter. whistle, flashlight, compass, radio, knife, C02 for my paintball marker, seadye marker. cellphone in waterproof case.

Hay Jim where did you get the Starblazer flare from?

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by bus kid

Hay Jim where did you get the Starblazer flare from?

Sorry about that.... it's actually a Skyblazer, an older one. I used to buy them for my skiff at West Marine but they quit selling that model. In probably got about a half dozen of them sitting around, they may be out of date but every one I have ever tested worked fine.

Orion still makes them but they now have an extension handle.



Signal weighs only 1.41 ounces, 4 inch length

• USCG Approved
• Altitude: Up to 450'
• Burn Time: 6.9 seconds
• Candlepower: 16,000

Exact same flare.... The perfect flare for a vest.

Jim