# Astral v. Lotus Rescue Vest



## wycoloboater (Nov 18, 2003)

I am looking to get a rescue vest and have a few questions about some. NRS has the 2004 astral aquavest 300R rescue vest for sale right now for 140$. The lotus p-vest is 180$. I have an astral vest right now and really like the fit and style, but I was talking someone at Confluence who said they weren't carrying the astral rescue vest because they didn't like the way it was made/performed. Are they fixing these problems for 2005? Does anyone have any input on either vest or 2005 astral? Should I get the 2004 astral, p vest, or wait for the 2005 astral? Are their any other good rescue vests out there I might be overlooking, Extrasport, HF, etc.? Thanks for info.

Zach.


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## TheKid (Aug 25, 2004)

I work at confluence, and this year we will be wearing the astral rescue vest as our team jackets. I hear that some pretty significant changes have been made to the jacket, but i have not had a chance to see it yet. If you want information on it just call confluence and talk to Don, I'm looking forward to seeing this year jackets. Good luck with your decision.

Reed


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

I have the 04 vest and love it. Many people with the P-Vest have noticed that the shoulder straps loosen on their own. It is almost completely impossible to pull the Astral vest over your head by pulling on the shoulder straps. There are some minor things that could be tweeked on the '04 vest and I expect that the '05 should be awesome. Also there was a good post not too long ago about vests, do a search for it.
Peace
joe


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## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

The Lotus rescue vest shoulder buckles all loosen on their own. I've had a Lola Pro for several years, and several friends have the same problem with their P-Vests. It's a problem that should have been fixed a long time ago. Lotus is slacking.

I'm impressed with the Astral designs. IIRC, the designer is the old Lotus designer, who just recently finished up his no-compete period with Lotus. Not totally sure if that's true, but not that it matters much. My next vest will be a Stohlquist or Astral.

FWIW


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## mattyb (Oct 31, 2003)

*Rapid Air equipped HF Serpent*

Rapid Air equipped HF Serpent
I wear it all the time regardless of the type of boating I'm doing.
Extremely comfortable and not cumbersome at all. I love it.

http://www.rapidair.net/catalog/ListProducts.php


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## Meng (Oct 25, 2003)

Does Hf have a website??? I mean, I'm sure they do, I just cant find it. A google search for HF gets nothing relevant. Any help appreciated.


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## mattyb (Oct 31, 2003)

*here ya go*

http://www.hf-kajaksport.de/


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## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

Are the HF vests USCG approved? Wondering about Westwater, Grand Canyon, etc.


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## ebaker (Oct 14, 2003)

The Serpent is the ruler vest. I will be getting one to replace my super old Lotus.


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

The major design flaw in the HF is that it doesn't have a knife widget. You'll need that extra O2 if you get caught in a rope (the cause of several deaths and close calls on Gore alone). I agree that the Astral has some issues, but it's better than the competition. Be on the lookout for the '05s. Also, Astral is designed by the former Lotus designer.


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## wycoloboater (Nov 18, 2003)

Can anyone tell me the difference between the 04 and 05 astral? I have looked on their website and can't find much. I have an astral now and really like it so I would like to get the rescue vest, but I want a vest that won't give me problems

Zach.


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Astral*

The difference between the '04 and '05 is the shoulder straps. It seems that Astral ran into a conflict with some patents held by Extra Sport and was force to change the shoulder adjustments before OR last summer. So, no more 3 strap jacket. The new 05 jackets will have independant shoulder straps. That's about the only major difference.

I felt that orginal design I saw at the '03 summer OR show was a little weak, so I didn't bring them into the shop last year ('04). Now the jacket that was released mid season last year was different from what I saw the privious summer. With all the changes that Astral Bouyance did between the '03 and '05 jackets, the new '05 looks solid. 

That is why you saw the old one's on sale on the net. It was because of the change in the shoulder straps. (Note: that change has been made to all the AB vests for '05. No more adjusting the shoulders by using the side straps. They are not connected anymore.)


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## pbowman (Feb 24, 2004)

My wife bought me an Astral rescue vest for Christmas, so I haven't used it yet. It is apparently the '04 model b/c the shoulder straps are adjusted through the side, not independently.

Anyway, have any of you with the new or old Astral rescue vest experienced difficulty with the release buckle? This is my first rescue vest, and there appears to be two possible problems with the release buckle location. 

First, it is not centered on the vest (offset to wearer's left, if I remember correctly), so it appears to be easily reached by the wearer's right hand, but more difficult to grab with your left hand vs. a model where the buckle is centered on the vest. If it is on the other side, the same problem (just opposite hands) exists.

Second, it appears that buckle could partially become "tucked into" the hand warmer pocket on the front, also creating difficulty in releasing the buckle.

While I appreciate the comfort of the Astral design, I am a little concerned with the above issue. Given that this is the first rescue vest I will use, I may be (and probably am) missing something here. However, if there is difficulty in using the release buckle due to the location on the Astral, I would rather have a little less comfortable vest (Lotus or Stolquist or ??) that has a more fool proof, centered buckle location.

Any advise or experience is appreciated. Later.


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## wycoloboater (Nov 18, 2003)

Don,

Do you think there is a big difference in safety between the vest NRS has (not sure if it is the original OR vest or midseason release) and the 2005 vest? And when are you going to get in the 2005 vest?

Zach.


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Rescue PFD*

I don't think that safety will be any issue with the vest. Safety comes mostly from fit, features and coverage. As long as the release buckles work smoothly, you should have no issues with it (if it opens from the side or the center, it shouldn't matter). Whatever you own you'll get familar with it over time.

Some folks didn't grasp the concept of the full adjustable side and shoulder combo. Other's jumped on board right away. It's one of those things that you have to try on to see if you like how it sits and rides on your boat.

Some folks didn't like how the shoulder straps pulled away from the body when you pulled on the '04 vest. But, in theory pulling on the shoulder should tighten the vest around the mid section giving an even tighter grip on to the body. Still interfeard with Extra Sports patent and it had to go away.

Still a safe vest.


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## badkins (Oct 30, 2003)

Hey Don, how much are you charging for the Astral rescue vests?


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## rivermanryan (Oct 30, 2003)

Has there been any problems with the harness releasing cleanly? My impression was that it looked like there was a chance it could get snagged in the pocket area. That is a safety issue, if you need to release and it snags, and holds you on the line.

Don- not a matter of releasing it, but coming clean of the vest after release.


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## ACC (Oct 30, 2003)

one thing i noticed about the astral rescue vest last season (i wore it for the whole season as an instructor) is that it rides pretty low. i liked the fit and mobility, but i like to use a salamander waist throwbag and the astral came down too low to leave room for my throwbag while i was in my boat. also, because the vest only came in two sizes, i ended up with really long and annoying tails on the cinching straps. that issue is likely eradicated with the 05 vests. for now i'll stick with my x-tract.


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