Has anyone had this experience, if not be aware. We bought 2 new Self Inflating Life Jackets last year when we bought the Tinnie. For the last 6 months we havent used iether. actually one jacket has never been removed from the original package. Anyway been holidaying and working up NT for about 3 months. Finished work so hubbie decides to check all, before heading off down south. Well just as well he did. Evidently the jackets had INFLATED all by there lonesome. We think, but still not positive, that it could of been the humidity as they were wet, and of course that is when they are supposed to inflate when you fall in the water eh????? So they burst out of their original packaging also.
Keep them stored OUTSIDE of the original plastic packaging.
The same with flares, if you want them to last longer, remove them from the sealed plastic bag they come in and store them in a dry/waterproof container with a bit of silica.
Thanks for that Ken, didn't think of silica. I do think they are a good invention really.
Wouldn't be without them and so much more convenient that those old fashions pillow type.
Incidentally, I forgot to mention that if you leave the flares in the original package, they also sweat, not good.
At flare night, we were able to get well out of date flares to operate, whilst flares that had been kept in the original package and were just out of expiry date had a terrible fail rate.
