The Upside Down Life Jacket

Ufloat

Anyone who grew up in the Midwest and spent their weekends “up north” or “at the cabin” will take one look at the Ufloat and say, “But we’ve been doing that for years!” Indeed we have — all you do is turn the life jacket upside down, stick your legs through the arm holes, and you are ready to diaper float.

So why the heck would someone do that, you ask? A regular life jacket or PFD is not very comfortable to wear. It’s bulky and when you are in the water, it bunches up around your neck. While a life jacket serves the purpose of keeping you afloat with your head above water so you can breathe, it makes swimming or simply floating around in the water an awkward experience. Hence the upside down life jacket that still keeps you afloat, but enables full freedom of movement up top.

Ufloat, however, has made this long standing practice quite a bit safer and that much more enjoyable. Their version of the upside down life jacket is actually USCG certified for calm waters where rescue is close at hand — this is classified as Type III recreation. It’s also purpose-designed to be worn as a “diaper” so cuts down on the possibility of chaffing, wedgies, and getting unmentionables caught in zippers.

The company also found a niche amongst people living with disabilities — it enables someone with Muscular Dystrophy or Cerebral Palsy for example to safely swim or float in water, people who may not be able to comfortably or safely wear a regular life jacket. This is great!

I wouldn’t exactly go waterskiing or tubing in the Ufloat — it’s not approved for that purpose anyway — but for jumping off the boat or hanging out in the lake sipping a cold one, you bet I would.

The USCG certified Ufloat retails for $130 and is available now. Bring on summer at the cabin!

Contact Us

Email: