What's In My Life Jacket? I NRS Zen Rescue PFD

Here's a look at the equipment I keep in my NRS Zen Rescue PFD.
Pully Carabiner - amzn.to/3RtyfzO
Prusik Loop - amzn.to/3RMKTem
Everyone's Z-Drag or pin kit is slightly different. This is the minimalist kit that I carry which I find best balances size, weight, and effectiveness. This is not the textbook definition of a pin kit, I have adapted over the years to this system because I would rather carry just enough gear all the time, than all the gear none of the time.
Please, please please- if you are going to use a rescue vest with a tow tether take a swift-water rescue course from an ACA certified instructor. These tools can be more lethal than effective if used improperly.

Пікірлер: 46

  • @AlexBarham
    @AlexBarham7 ай бұрын

    Pully Carabiner - amzn.to/3RtyfzO Prusik Loop - amzn.to/3RMKTem

  • @blakesommers77
    @blakesommers774 жыл бұрын

    I like the trad gear! hadn’t thought of that. Good vid 🤛

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks man! I've seen guys take old cams, but odds of failure after a season in a PFD are high.

  • @johnhenry4389
    @johnhenry43894 жыл бұрын

    I just got a Zen. Though mine contains a lot more snacks!

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    The secret to paddling fast is a fully stocked fridge at the takeout ;)

  • @kevinhill.8

    @kevinhill.8

    4 жыл бұрын

    I was thinking same thing. What about the snacks?! 😆

  • @alphamah3979

    @alphamah3979

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm a fan of bringing a power gel or 2 in my lifejacket. Going for a swim often really takes a lot of energy out of someone who might already be pushing themselves, and then the rest of their day spirals and they swim again amd again because they're tired. Giving them a gel, especially a cafinated gel helps perk them up and prevent future incidents.

  • @fitdoc565
    @fitdoc565 Жыл бұрын

    I like it!

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    Жыл бұрын

    Still crushing in 2022

  • @ryannesbitt4584
    @ryannesbitt45844 жыл бұрын

    The black diamond magnetron locking carabiner is awesome because the locking mechanism is magnetic so it never gets filled with sand and silt

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Nope. Fails the "trick biner" test and I can absolutely see that getting gummed up.

  • @serpensphile

    @serpensphile

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@AlexBarham What is the "trick biner" test? :)

  • @johnnyadkins8216
    @johnnyadkins82163 жыл бұрын

    Hey Alex, awesome channel. What did you get the premade prusik loops from?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks man! Here's what I use: amzn.to/3aC7iEv

  • @420Durban
    @420Durban2 жыл бұрын

    What size rock nuts do you have there and what is your most commonly used size(s)?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    2 жыл бұрын

    I have no idea off hand. I reached out to a local rock climber and asked what they would take if they could only have 3. So far that was a winning strategy. Doesn't it work all the time, but I am thinking about switching to those compounding lever types for next season.

  • @jeremyjames9439
    @jeremyjames94397 ай бұрын

    Where can you get the carabiner with the loop?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    7 ай бұрын

    Pully Carabiner - amzn.to/3RtyfzO Prusik Loop - amzn.to/3RMKTem

  • @Ranger_k16
    @Ranger_k164 жыл бұрын

    what are those carabiners with the pulley called, or can you link them please

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sure thing www.amazon.com/PETZL-P74-ROLLCLIP-A-Pulley-Carabiner/dp/B01CR6FR9S

  • @michaelwolf8090
    @michaelwolf80903 жыл бұрын

    I don't understand what the carabiners are used for. Would you explain their purpose?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    3 жыл бұрын

    They are part of a Z-Drag kit. It's a rope technique for extracting pinned boats.

  • @WildwaterKayak
    @WildwaterKayak4 жыл бұрын

    What kind of carabiner do you have the ones with the pulleys built in like that?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Peztl Rollclips. However they were cheaper when I bought them www.amazon.com/PETZL-P74-ROLLCLIP-A-Pulley-Carabiner/dp/B01CR6FR9S

  • @mikegaskin5542

    @mikegaskin5542

    4 жыл бұрын

    DMM Revolvers are another option

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@mikegaskin5542 I have 3 of those as well. They dont seem as well made, and I didn't have confidence that the rope would stay on the pulley

  • @MarkFitzptrk
    @MarkFitzptrk4 жыл бұрын

    Hey, I was thinking to get carabineers with pulleys myself but was told they were rubbish by a safety instructor!!! You had any issues with them in real situation??? I personally like to carry equipment that has 2 uses so I like the idea of them but don't want to compromise safety??? Thoughts??

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    I look at it this way. Instructors usually are there to show you the best way to do things in an ideal scenario. If you actually put everything you need into a PFD it would sink. If I put everything I could need in my boat it would wiegh 80 lbs.

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Reality is that I am just not taking a set of pulleys with me, and neither does anyone else I know. At least this way I have a good chance at more mechanical advantage. What do you I have to loose? It the pulley doesn't spin then it is the same as if I was just clipped through a carabiner which is the way I did it for years. IDK, I never agree with what a lot of these instructors come up with. More often than not they don't actually get out on the mank and have to make this stuff work in real life anyway.

  • @susansibille8280
    @susansibille82803 жыл бұрын

    What brand safety knife is that? Pretty nice! Thanks

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    3 жыл бұрын

    Here's a link amzn.to/380VESl

  • @susansibille8280

    @susansibille8280

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks

  • @joshhughes1319
    @joshhughes13193 жыл бұрын

    Taking a WW safety course and need a rescue PFD. This seems like it has the most flotation out of the kayaking ones I’ve seen? Has it held up?

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    3 жыл бұрын

    It has held up very well considering the endless abuse I give it and the amount of time I spend on the water. I have been very happy with it!

  • @dannykraeger1602
    @dannykraeger16024 жыл бұрын

    efficient, I see what you did there, for the fishing line. ( maybe not ) Your like MacGyver

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Better hope you see the line! Salmon laps are seriously scary sometimes at lower flows. You have to go right into those areas they are casting into and loosing hooks on branches.

  • @Op4Grunt0311
    @Op4Grunt03112 жыл бұрын

    I have no clue what all this gear is for with the language you were referring them with………I’m looking for something more basic but good video

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    2 жыл бұрын

    This is whitewater rescue gear. Not something I would expect in a fisherman's vest

  • @alexbraddock4549
    @alexbraddock45494 жыл бұрын

    Is the pickets inside the pfd water tight?

  • @alexbraddock4549

    @alexbraddock4549

    4 жыл бұрын

    Pockets*

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    4 жыл бұрын

    Nope, they are mesh. Can't think of a pfd that has a dry pocket built in.

  • @Cary_Glenn
    @Cary_Glenn2 жыл бұрын

    Please don't use WD40 on a carabiner. WD40 is not a lubricant. I've had more problems with old-school screw gate carabiners jamming up than the newer double locking designs.

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's fine. If you're taking double locking carabiners on the river your odds of a jam skyrocket anyway. A simple twist lock will be fine until the end of It's lifespan with a checkup now and again to make sure the locking collar spins freely.

  • @0331longrifle
    @0331longrifle11 ай бұрын

    If you lived in Florida you’d have a gun in one of those pockets. Sometimes the wildlife wants to say hi

  • @AlexBarham

    @AlexBarham

    11 ай бұрын

    Nope, pass on that.

  • @0331longrifle

    @0331longrifle

    11 ай бұрын

    You shouldn’t if you lived here. Had to use mine 3 separate times,1 point blank. But it’s part of the environment.