I bought a Stohlquist X tract a couple of weeks ago. Its comfy and leaves plenty of room for movement. It doesn't have all the fancy things like hand warmers or these Flotection things you get in the Astral vests but you don't pay for it either.
I compared some vest on the "Boot" exhibition here in germany and in my eyes the xtract had the highest quality and best materials used (couldn't compare to astral...but palm, nookie, artistic, langer and prijon)
Hope you get to try one!

On the X-Traxt, if you tighten the shoulders, do they still bunch up? Also, is there enough room in the pocket for 2 carabiners, some 5 mm rope, and is very durable material? Where does the waist belt hit? I am around 5'7", so if you are of comparable height, can you tell me where the waist belt is?

I should be 2 inch taller than you so we're more or less the same. If you look at the vest, the lowest strap goes just below your lowest rib (looking from the side) so the belt is somehwere at the top of your belly. The pocket itself doesn't seem to have much room but you can squeeze quite a bit of stuff in it.. carabiners will fit. How long is that rope? 20 metres? don't think it will fit.

The material is great. Neoprene at the flexible points i.e. the sides and shoulder straps and tough cordura on the rest of the shell. The shoulder straps are made of two parallel straps with neoprene inbetween. I actually never adjusted the shoulders because they were just right..
If somebody pulls you up the neoprene will stretch until the normal straps are tight.

the rope is 3 pieces that are 4 ft., or around 4m overall. I already have a Stohlquist ( Flowter ) and was wondering if the shoulder systems are similar in the way that they adjust. Also, for Nathan, the problem with buying bad stuff in the beginning is that you end up upgrading later (Had a Pro-Tec helmet, NRS Rawhide skirt, and Pyranha S:7, and ended up upgrading to a SR helmet, IR skirt, and Fluid kayak). I'm just trying to get a PFD that I won't want to upgrade from soon.

hard to say actually. Don't know if the shoulders will be the same.. i think that is something you'll have to check out by trying it on. If you order online you should be able to send it back?
I guess the rope should fit if you give it a good squeeze.

Anyway, just ask a dealer if you can send the stuff back and order two different ones and send one back. Really trying them on helps a lot. You'll need to wear that stuff for hours on the river...

Since the shoulders are still made out of neoprene, they will probably be the same design, but the X-Traxt should be reinforced. That is one reason why I like the Green Jacket and from the online pics, the Extrasport Pro Creeker. One of the bad things about the Tempo is that it has the really stretchy shoulders, which wouldn't be as strong as the Green Jacket. The only thing that I don't like about the Green Jacket seems to be the QR belt, since it is sewn onto the PFD, which I would think would defeat the purpose of it being "quick release" when it's still stuck on your body. I have emailed Astral about this, because I think that it's really weird.

the xtract shoulderstraps are VERY strong.. i asked my dad to pull me around the house holding the shoulder straps... lots of vests only have one layer of tape.. the xtract has two.. one to adjust and the other is one size but loose... I think they say something about the strength on the website....

Are you sure the QR belt is sewn onto the green jacket? Don't think astral would force you to have the QR buckle on the right side....`?? If they did that would be a step backwards..

I just got a response and they said that it was sewn on so it was impossible to lose, and if I tried a retrofit for a side entry vest, it would void the warranty and USCG approval.

Well thats crap.. Velcro would have done the job At least it does for the Xtract...

Astral makes the best vests. I have their rescue vest and another one they make. They product test their gear extensively and I completely trust their product. They are also exploring environmentally friendly materials. You will not be disappointed with their product and the green jacket looks sick.

Has anyone that owns the Green Jacket ever had a situation where they wanted to detach the QR belt? Also, what's the point of the QR belt release mechanism if it doesn't come off of the jacket?

It just looks cool

Just kidding.. really.. just half of the belt will come off an release what ever is attached to it..

I think you should really see a dealer and look and touch all the stuff.. and try the quick release in-store and all these things..

There, you will find all answers to your questions......

I have looked at it, and there is nothing going through the QR piece, but the belt is sewn onto the base, and the gate is empty. I am not sure if there is something that you are supposed to thread through that you would have to buy separately, but it seems kind of dumb that the QR mechanism doesn't serve a purpose. If you were to pull on the ball on the QR mechanism, I have a feeling that nothing would actually happen, but I will try to go to the store again soon.

Also, it's sewn right where the QR mechanism is, so it can't come off at all.

Don't worry... it works.. the only problem in my eyes is when something of the belt breaks you'll have no way to remove it completely.. Just buy the jacket and go paddle!

I already have a PFD, but I don't want to spend >$200 for a PFD that I might not like.

Then buy a cheaper one...

I desperately wanted to buy an astral jacket but couldn't find one for less than 160 euro (about 200$) My second choice was the xtract because it seemed to be a great vest and the company is on the market forever. I tried it on at an exhibiton and had a long chat with the dealer (1h or so) while wearing it and didn't really want to take it off.. So i decided to buy it for 135euro (170$) and took a cowtail with a paddle carabiner with it (20eur / 25$)

And guess what! I spend less money that day for more pieces of decent gear!!

oh! and i still love it!

That's what I'm thinking...Can you tighten the shoulder straps all the way, and tell me if the material is bunching up?

Will do tomorrow.. I keep my stuff at my parents place since i live in a tiny students flat ;D

Thanks. The way that my boat is, my PFD ends up where the waist strap is at my belly button/bottom of ribs, and I end up tightening the shoulder straps as far as they can go. The only problem with it is that the stretchy neoprene ends up folding over, which is kind of uncomfortable. I just need to find a store that consistently carries both (only one that I have found is in Colorado, which is on the opposite side of the US from North Carolina.

I'm not even going to attempt to try and tell somebody how to use a Quick release belt in a forum. Buy River Rescue by Slim Ray & Les Bechdel and read it.

I seem to remember that a few years ago shops in the US only were selling "rescue PFD's" i.e. PFD's with a Quick release belt to boaters who had been on a swiftwater rescue course. They were concered that paddlers would have an accident using it and then take them to court for selling it to them in the first place.

This has never been the case in Europe. Things have changed a bit in the last few years in the US. A lot of rescue PFD'S are now on the market there. However a lot of paddlers buy a rescue PFD because "everybody has one like that so I must too", without having a clue what it's for or the limitations of the system.

I would have to agree with tkretek on his point, if you don't know what it's for "then buy a cheeper one" (or keep your old one). With the money that you have saved you can then go on a Swiftwater rescue course and a wilderness first aid course, which if your young could save your life many times over before you ever have to use a rescue PFD in a real situation.

Neil Newton Taylor

www.swiftwaterrescue.at

I will take a SWR course, hopefully before May 16. The place that I would take it still has water temps that I would guess are 5 to 10 degrees Celcius. In the summer, it gets up to around 30 degrees Celcius. I am just trying to figure out the best options, since I can't find the Pro Creeker or the X-Traxt near me, so I was hoping for some feedback on the pros/cons on the jacket. Also, I got 1 more email, and the QR belt on the Green Jacket is sewn on one side, so the ring will slide off, not the whole belt.

Just found this a little while ago: rescuesourcestore.com/khxc/ccp0-prodshow/PF7665.html

Since it's nearly $50 off retail price, should I try to buy it, or place a special order through my local store, which would come out in the range of $190-$200 after tax? Also, as far as people misusing rescue PFDs, I don't see why someone would attempt to try something that they have no clue how to do, like getting on a large highway at 2 AM with no driving experience (lots of drunks going the wrong way down the road, and since the speed limit is normally 75 mph, it is essentially like running into a wall at 150 mph). my . Also, one of the reasons that I want to upgrade is that my current PFD is really basic, with 1 mesh pocket and that's about it. I can barely fit a knife, whistle, 2 carabiners, and some 5mm rope in it, and I am afraid that it may get punctured or just break from the pressure. I was figuring that if I was going to upgrade PFDs, why wouldn't I get a model that I wouldn't outgrow?

The Pro Creeker seems to have a slightly similar design to the GJ, since it has the rescue belt sewn onto one side ( See right side of link on rescue belt ).

Alright Here are some pictures of the xtract shoulder straps..


Works for me...


The Vest comes up very high so i don't think its a good idea to do that

Thanks for the pics. I am not sure where it sits on your body compared to my PFD, but the shoulder straps bunch up exactly the same.

i have an hf serpent pfd
after a couple year of use the reflective thing on the shoulder strap arebreaking away, that's the only negative comment on this vest

As an update, I ordered the Pro Creeker today in the XS/S after checking out the Extrasport Gauge at another boating store. I can't wait !

Congrats! Can wait to hear your review. I think you'll love it.

t

I'll probably be taking it to an SWR class on April 25-26, since there are 3 area courses that weekend, as well as my scout troop's backpacking trip. I'm also going to use it on the Nantahala on May 16. The only PFD that I have to compare it to is the Stohlquist Flowter, but it still will be a half-decent comparison.