A lot of people don't like wearing life jackets, as they find the things to be bulky and cumbersome. If you're such a person, then you might be interested in the Wingman, as it's claimed to be the world's thinnest.
US Coast Guard-approved for adults weighing over 90 lb (41 kg), the Wingman has actually been around for a few years, having been the subject of a successful Kickstarter campaign. It's just become commercially available relatively recently, however.
It was inspired by the CO2-inflatable vests sometimes worn by big-wave surfers, although it was designed to be considerably less expensive than those. In its case, the replaceable CO2 canister is located out of the way, on a plate in the back.
That canister is activated by pulling a chest-located rip cord that is routed over the wearer's shoulder. When the cord is pulled, the Wingman's horse collar-style bladder instantly inflates, bursting through the vest via a unique zipper system that's designed to give way in three places. If need be, it's also possible to inflate the bladder orally.
![The Wingman was inspired by the CO2-inflatable vests sometimes worn by big-wave surfers](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/87d7918/2147483647/strip/true/crop/960x720+0+0/resize/960x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2Fhyde-wingman-life-jacket-2.jpg)
Once all the excitement's over, the bladder can be deflated and stuffed back in place.
Users performing high-output activities can opt for a 1.5-liter hydration pack, which is inserted into a sleeve in the back, with its drinking hose coming over the shoulder – not the same shoulder as the rip cord, as that could be confusing.
The Wingman is available now, for US$199. Some of its other features can be seen in the following video.
Source: Hyde Sportswear