The Evolution of Whitewater Lifejackets

Today, everyone on a whitewater rafting trip can be seen sporting a lifejacket. All different styles, colors and cuts of life jackets can be seen on the river. But we didn’t always have all these lifejacket options to choose from, let alone anything of the quality that we have today! In this blog we’ll look at the evolution of modern lifejackets throughout the years.

• 1800’s-The first PFD (personal floatation device) that was remotely like today’s was commercially sold in the 1800’s. Made of bulky cork that was only sometimes covered in a canvas material, these PFDs were made for use on the ocean. Because they were so rigid and difficult to move around in, they were mainly used in emergencies. 
• 1920’s- The difficulty cork life jackets created for the wearers to move led people to look at other materials to make their jackets from. Enter Kopak! This natural plant fiber was naturally buoyant and a lot less rigid than cork. But it was not as durable as cork. If the Kopak was compressed i.e. if you sat on it, after a while it would lose its ability to float. 

  

• 1940’s– Along with World War II came the inflatable life vest. These vests yet again, were all invented with the intention of being used at sea and only wearing them in emergencies. 
• 1950’s – Life Jackets had always been made for ocean activities, never ever whitewater rafting! Ocean life jackets restricted your movement significantly and when whitewater rafting a full range of motion is extremely important to running a successful boat. So many rafters leading up to and during this time period chose not to wear lifejackets. 
• 1960’s– We still hadn’t found the best material to make life jackets yet, but that all changed when in the sixties synthetic foams came into the picture. Foam was pretty durable, had great buoyancy, and wasn’t as rigid as cork! Yet these new jackets, although a better option than their predecessors, were still only targeted towards ocean activities. 

  

• 1970’s– The first water white rafting life jacket appears on the market, the Type III life jacket. This new jacket was coast guard approved and made of synthetic foam. It had more flotation and did not restrict the wearers movement like their sea-faring siblings did. These lifejackets are still worn today, though their designs have been altered over time. 
• 1980’s– A new jacket appears, the Type V jacket. This lifejacket is very similar to the Type III jacket, but with some bonus features. The Type V jacket has a flap on the back on it that acts like a pillow when in the water, keeping the wearer face up! This jacket has even more floatation than the Type III. The Type V PFD is what you’ll wear on your trip with us! 

  

• 2000’s to Today- Today the Type III and Type V reign supreme in the whitewater rafting world. Over the years their look may have changed but their key features remain the same. We now have brands like NRS, Astral, Extrasport, Koktat, etc. to choose the perfect jacket from. After looking closely that the jacket we chose meets all our safety  requirements comes the fun  part, choosing the color! And it wouldn’t be a Hatch lifejacket if it wasn’t orange!

   

  You can check out the lifejacket we provide you with here!