PLASTIMO SL 180

Designed in conjunction with French offshore racing sailors, Plastimo have taken a different approach with this lifejacket. The major difference is its construction. While all the other lifejackets have an outer casing and a separate internal bladder of welded construction, the SL 180 is constructed with a sewn bladder and an airtight liner.

IN USE

While it’s quite large, the SL 180 is extremely soft and flexible, making it very comfy to wear. Closure is with a zip at the front rather than a buckle, and loops either side of the zip give secure tether attachment, meaning there is no awkward buckle. The length of the back is also adjustable, one of only a couple of lifejackets to offer this.

An inspection window lets you check the firing mechanism and a short zip gives dedicated access to the canister without unpacking the whole jacket. On the other side, another zip gives access to a small pocket for a strobe light or MOB beacon.

IN THE WATER

This jacket is designed to remain soft and flexible once inflated. We found this disconcerting initially as it felt like it had not fully inflated. While initial inflation time was slow because of this, it performed well in the rotation test. It provided one of the lower freeboard heights but did allow very good manoeuvrability. There was some impact on hearing and situational awareness as the bladder was quite large around the head, though for life preservation this is no bad thing. The sewn-in sprayhood was easy to find with a string to pull it forwards, though the oral inflation tube was less simple to use.

The back length is adjustable, one of only two lifejackets to offer this The hood’s unique shape helps prevent waves funnelling between the bladders An extra zip pocket offers stowage for a strobe light and MOB beacon

This was the only lifejacket on test to have zip closure and double tether attachment loops