Do you wear a floater suit?

Agreed, I thought this was primarily about ice fishing though.

On a boat....differnt story for sure.. TC approved only for this guy and passengers.

Thx for posting that. It forced me to think about it a bit more. You are quite right in that the clothes I wear will sop up water, making it harder to pull myself out if I do fall thru.

I didn't balk at buying a suit because of the cost---IMO safety gear is a poor place to be saving $. I thought my PFD's floatation was as good or better than what was in the suit. I intend to look around for the right suit for me.

A lot of people seem to use Mustang but the ones I saw did not have any pit zips or other vented areas. I guess that's Ok if you are not walking. I walk so I need to be able to vent to cool off as I'm walking, then zip up once I arrive at the fishing spot.

The guys on an American board I visit seem to be totally sold on Striker brand suits but the don't seem to be avail here in Canada.

After reading this post i went today and got one from Canadian tire was reg $249 i paid $129 on sale. they also had the keep-a-float suit which is reg $329 on sale for $199 unfortunately it was a size medium. Way to small for me. Any one looking for one check you local Canadian tire be surprised what you may find.

Thx for posting that. It forced me to think about it a bit more. You are quite right in that the clothes I wear will sop up water, making it harder to pull myself out if I do fall thru.

I didn't balk at buying a suit because of the cost---IMO safety gear is a poor place to be saving $. I thought my PFD's floatation was as good or better than what was in the suit. I intend to look around for the right suit for me.

A lot of people seem to use Mustang but the ones I saw did not have any pit zips or other vented areas. I guess that's Ok if you are not walking. I walk so I need to be able to vent to cool off as I'm walking, then zip up once I arrive at the fishing spot.

The guys on an American board I visit seem to be totally sold on Striker brand suits but the don't seem to be avail here in Canada.

Knuguy:
"I guess that's Ok if you are not walking. I walk so I need to be able to vent to cool off as I'm walking, then zip up once I arrive at the fishing spot."


You should have a suit. By walking unzipped until you reach your fishing spot, you defeat the purpose of wearing a safety suit. Anything can happen real fast. We want you to get to your spot safely!!!!!

I care.

tuna

That's the reason why I bought it, for it's rain suit like quality in addition to floatation/hypothermia

This is the dilemma that's stopped me from getting one. As I see it, the time I need it most is when I'm walking to my spot. Once there, and having checked the ice, the suit would mostly be useful for warmth. If I zip it fully up I'll sweat like a pig and die from hypothermia once I'm fishing. The suit I looked at had pit zips. I would undo those rather than the front zip. That would degrade the performance of the suit but not defeat the purpose entirely, so might be the best compromise I can achieve.

Just encase some have not thought about it,
For those who cant afford a floater suit or even just a jacket you can simply just wear a low profile life jacket under or over your winter jacket.
Its better than nothing!

Picked up a mustang float suit a few years back. Went though to about my shoulders when walking by a dock that had a bubbler once. Ice just skimmed over, couldn't tell there was a bubbler. Didn't even get wet. Only down side is now I'm the guinea pig when I go ice fishing with friends that don't have a floater suit.

What makes me chuckle is that people wear floater suits on hard water but won't wear a life jacket on soft water. The amount of people out there with boats stacked with 14 people in a small 20 footer with no life jackets is too damn high

Fishermen seem to be a bit better, but still lots of people with no jackets out there in 120+ feet of water 5 miles out. Sorry, I don't care how good you think you are at swimming, you're not swimming back 5 miles in 50-60f water with no jacket unless you actively train.

This is obviously an old thread. I bought a 2 piece a few years back and it is working just fine, It may not be quite as good as a 1 piece if I break thru but I don't sweat on our fairly short walks----I sometimes just unzip the jacket.

I wear a Mustang Integrity one piece....it was the first piece of ice fishing equipment I bought and it should be the first thing everyone buys prior to going on the ice. Best time to check its buoyancy and see how long it takes for the water to come in is in the summer. I do sometimes wonder if I should have bought a two piece as they don't bunch up on you at all but that cold water has easier access to you.......best insurance you can buy,,,,,stay safe all.....do not cheap out when your life may depend on it.

Arnie

Anytime on Simcoe i wear one. Mustang Integrity HX. Also have the picks on with the idiot string if on Simcoe.

Nipissing (which is where i fish most times) i'll admit i don't always wear it but definitely wear one early and late season. Last year on the ride out on March 15 there was a pressure crack that was lower than the ice level by an inch or two and as a result at dusk riding on glare ice it was near impossible to see until almost on it. Son and I both had the suit/picks on that time but fortunately didn't need them.

Saw it too late to stop or turn so pinned it to win it and fortunately my track is studded so 100% power to the ice. Skipped my 2-up Scandic with my son and i on it (1200 lbs of machine and rider) plus a 7 foot by 3 foot toboggan that weighs +/- 250 lbs with the gear in tow. Combined length of toboggan, hitch and machine is 22 feet weighing 1400-1500 lbs including riders across 25 feet of open water - scared the #$%^ out of me. Kept the machine pinned for the last 3 kms all the way to the truck.

I have a full striker suit. Yes it’s very expensive, but it’s your life your risking. I usually head out early and bring a spud as well

Add another to the “yes” category. Previously owned a mustang atlantic class and am now on my second season with a striker climate. Cheap? No. Worth every penny? Absolutely. Even after a handful of years now ice fishing and learning the read ice, I wear mine whether I’m on 4” or 30”.
I have a buddy who decided over the summer that he wanted to dive into the hardwater fishing. I begged him to make sure he invests in the safety tools before a hut ie picks, spud bar, any type of floatation device etc. He reluctantly purchased a striker jacket more so for the appearance than the function. Well two weeks ago it saved his life. He was spudding out onto a canal and broke through. At 280lbs, he said it kept him afloat and allowed him to safely climb out. He called me to let me know what happened, got into his truck and ordered the bibs.
Be safe guys

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully, many people see this and stay safe.

I'll also add to the people who don't know, this is spud barring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTCWg3zIOkw