Impact Vests in 2020/21 - A focus on rib protection

[brighamj]

After going through a number of older threads about impact vests, I think an updated thread that takes newer model vests into consideration is warranted. Specifically, I am hoping to understand which models offer rib protection.

Yesterday, I broke ribs for the second time in three years. (Such a shitty injury!) It all happened pretty quickly, but long story short, I botched a pretty large jump, the kite looped on me, and I impacted the water hard enough to pop them. I am riding in what I consider to be a “softer’ waist harness - a Manera Eclipse - and I use their rope slider instead of the hook. So it wasn’t a hook that caught me. What I think happened on impact was my body folded, and because of the harness being against my ribs with nowhere for them to flex except for into the harness itself, they broke.

(If I’m correct, I am a bit skeptical of whether a vest will help with this issue at all.)

Anyway, to the topic of vests. Do you ride with one? If so, which model? For those that use waist harnesses, how do you feel it is protecting your torso, specifically your ribs?

I like the look of the Manera Boom Vest after some upfront research. It seems to have foam that wraps around your sides.

Thanks, all.

[or6]

I always ride with one, I feel naked without. I have a really old one, o' Neill, two sided, no zips. No zips mean something less that can break.

It keeps my harness from riding up, and definitely takes some impact from lungs and ribs when crashing.

Hard to tell how much....I really don't ride without, even on mellow sessions.
Would it help against the crash you experienced? Some, I'm sure. Enough? Who knows.

One advice I'd give you: get one that keeps your harnas low: im guessing that makes a difference in protecting your lower ribs.

Heal fast!

[iriejohn]

One advice I'd give you: get one that keeps your harnas low: im guessing that makes a difference in protecting your lower ribs.

Heal fast!

Was previously a seat harness user. Now use a waist harness which rides up with my impact vest, but without the impact vest stays where it is. So I've just ordered a Prolimit half padded XF impact vest which has a harness grip area on the back. Hope this stops ride up.

[kct]

> was my body folded

This happened to me surfing. I was at Steamer Lane and fell onto a rock with my ass. The impact was timed with the wave crashing onto the back of my head and folding me over quickly and violently. My lower rib separated from the cartilage and took about a month to reattach. Not a bad injury but surprisingly painful.

[TheJoe]

Yeah your asking for a lot. No impact vest would have saved your ribs from that crash. Impact vest offer hardly any real protection. Sure some minor impacts they will help but big airs with a loop that your ribs take the impact and your F'd. I have bruised my ribs 3 times and broke them once. The time I broke them was at a cable park doing air tricks and wearing a full CCGA vest. The big problem with the kind of crash you described is the rapid de-acceleration upon hitting the water. A very tiny piece of foam is not going to absorb much of that energy ans all your weight comes crashing down. It is going flatten out and your going to be taking the vast majority of the impact.

Don't get me wrong I wear one when I ride. I have the Ride Engine one and it fits well, stays where it is supposed and gives just enough float to keep my head out of the water. I wear one just for the little xtra buoyancy that it give. The best rib protection is learning to crash and or luck. Well probably both of them.

[iriejohn]

This is what three broken left ribs, that forced me to sleep in an armchair for 8 weeks, looked like. Don't cough, don't sneeze, don't laugh, etc.

Caused by a crash and going over the rumble strip "quite quickly" while closed circuit motorcycle racing. The blood slowly drained down my left leg into my heel which turned black.

My wife's a nurse and did I get any sympathy? Nope.

Haematoma.jpg (14.03 KiB) Viewed 2376 times

[zlatko23]

I always wear a vest when kiting. Although I am not sure what impact protection does it provide it for sure adds warmth and buoyancy. Used to have ION Vector, but felt it a bit too bulky. Now since 3 years I use Prolimit Stretch - it is way more flexible and slimline(thinner foam) than ION, but I think it provides less impact protection. My major gripe with current vests is that none are designed to be worn with hard shell harnesses that are becoming the norm nowadays. Hard shells have noticeably smaller footprint on the back, thus there is approx. 20 cm of a gap between the harness' edge and the foam padding of the vest.
@iriejohn - as I am using the same vest you are planning to buy, I can share with you my opinion that grip area does not play a role on harness riding up. In my case when harness rides up it is altogether with the vest. So the harness doesn't slip over the vest, but pushes the vest up. But with a hard shell the riding up is minimal in comparison with the soft shells. BTW - I am using RE with Stealth bar surf.

[iriejohn]

@zlatko23

If my Mystic Majestic X with Stealth rope bar still rides up then I'll sew neoprene inside the back of the impact vest to stop it riding up on my wet suit (plenty of 1mm neoprene in the garage left over from a previous job).

[brighamj]

Yeah your asking for a lot. No impact vest would have saved your ribs from that crash. ... The big problem with the kind of crash you described is the rapid de-acceleration upon hitting the water. A very tiny piece of foam is not going to absorb much of that energy ans all your weight comes crashing down. It is going flatten out and your going to be taking the vast majority of the impact.

I agree with you. The entire side of my body is sore today from the impact. I slapped down pretty damn hard. The harness position against my crumpling body is what did it. Same as before.

I spent a bit of time looking at Liquid Force wakeboarding vests today that have padding down to your waist, but this seems like a bad option. Even if the harness stayed down, I think some “feel” may be sacrificed.

End of day, it is what it is. Heal up, and go again. I’ll order that Manera vest, I think, and hope it gives just enough buffer to prevent rib injury round three.

[Topaz]

Liquid Force Supreme impact Vest. Very happy with it. It gives decent flotation as well. Feels very comfortable and it's designed to be used with a wait harness. You wear the vest first, then the harness.
At the end of the session I can feel it rode up a bit, but I got used to it and it doesn't bother me at all.

P.S. I made the bad decision of not put it on the only time I had an accident and I broke three ribs anyways, LOL Yeah, a couple of weeks sleeping almost sit and praying not to have to cough or sneeze, LOL funny times. Now I wear it every time.