by Shawn Altman
The Green Jacket is here in the Pacific NorthWest! What a great looking PFD. A few of the AlderCreek’s staff has had a chance to try out the vest. Paul Kuthe, programs director for Alder Creek kayak and canoe, mentioned a few of his favorite features of the vest. The first thing Paul noticed was the addition of a second pocket for the tow system. Now there are pockets for the tow on the left or right side depending on what hand you want to work with. This allows for a second pocket to be used for additional gear and extra items.
Check out the vest on our sight! Click Link to see The Astral GreenJacket
The next feature that Paul noticed was the Big Front Pocket with Velcro and Snap. We all agree that this Velcro and Snap feature is nice because sand and grit will not interfere with opening the pocket. A zipper can be hard to open when full of sand from surfing at the beach. This makes the closure system less likely to break, which is a plus. A big pocket in the front provides plenty of room for a VHF which makes this a great PFD even for the Sea Kayaker. This is a fantastic vest that should be around for awhile. Astral is doing a great job at creating what the public wants and we can see this in the Astral GreenJacket. Any thoughts or issues so far for those of you who have tried this vest out?
Below is the press release from the Astral Blog
Astral announces approval of the Greenjacket.
For Immediate Release
Date: 11/7/08
Asheville, NC - The Astral Buoyancy Company officially announced that the new Greenjacket has been approved by the US Coast Guard. This highly anticipated whitewater rescue jacket continues Astral’s legacy of producing truly innovative and environmentally considerate buoyancy products for the core market. Originally slated for release in Spring 2008, the testing process had been extended until October when the jacket passed as a pullover entry. Today the final paperwork arrived at Astral’s Asheville, NC headquarters.
The Greenjacket is the successor to Astral’s popular Aquavest 300 and Wonderpro series, and is designed on the platform of Foam Tectonics where the front buoyancy panels are split into two parts. This separation enables the paddler to have unrestricted freedom of movement as well as the ability to customize the height of the front panel. The Greenjacket is offered in three size options, providing an excellent fit to both women and men. The Greenjacket provides increased back protection over previous models and Astral’s signature safety features like an integrated throwbag pocket and spectra safety loop.
Philip Curry, owner of Astral ecstatically commented that “November 4, 2008 will be a day we happily remember for a long time, the Coast Guard finally approved our kickass new rescue jacket, and the people of USA chose Barack Obama our next president.”
The Greenjacket is constructed without toxic PVC and carcinogenic neoprene. All excess raw materials are recycled.
For additional information on the Astral Buoyancy Company visit www.astralbuoyancy.com
MSRP $209.95
