Palm Kaikoura Tour Buoyancy Aid
I purchased this buoyancy aid from The Wetsuit Outlet, 12 Towerfield Close, Shoeburyness, Essex SS3 9QP. It is manufactured by Palm Equipment International, Kenn Business Park, Kenn Road, Clevedon, North Sumerset, BS21 6TH. It was about the top of Palm's range in sea touring buoyancy aids and one of the reasons I chose this particular model was the many pockets (about 12!) that this jacket contains.
These pockets although extremely useful can also prove fatal!!
On the front of the jacket there are 4 zipped pockets with 2 inner pockets and a small pocket on the strap containing a whistle. Behind the main zipped pockets there are 2 open pockets perhaps to warm you hands. On the picture, above left, you can see that a couple of tabs have been sewn into the pocket presumably to attach valuable objects. These red tabs get caught up in the zip and cause it to jam. This can be a very serious problem especially if you are in the water with cold hands and your radio / phone is in one of these pockets and the zip has jammed! I doubt very much if it would be possible to free one of these zips if you were in the water with cold hands. The only option you might have would be to cut the pocket open if you were fortunate enough to remember to take a knife. I reported this defect both to the retailer and manufacturer and you can read the outcome at the end of this page.
The picture on the left shows the open (hand warming) pocket. The picture on the right shows the two large pockets outside the back of the jacket. One of these pockets could be used for a hydration bag with the tub being lead over your shoulder to a fairlead on the front of the jacket.
The picture above left is showing inside the jacket where there is another pocket in the back section. The picture on the right above is showing the back pockets with velcro flap which can be opened by a tape which leads to the front of the jacket. I suppose you could have flares in the back pockets but it might prove difficult to get them out.
The first time I used this jacket I had my digital camera in the left hand zipped pocket and my mobile phone in the right hand zipped pocket. After taking a couple of photographs the zip on the left hand pocket jammed and I was unable to open it while at sea. I had to go ashore and, with a lot of manipulation, managed to free the zip and get the pocket open again. The zip had caught up with the small red tab sewn inside the pocket. Later on the same day the zip jammed again and this time I could not get it free. I ended up breaking the slider on the zip. When I came home I examined the pocket more carefully and found that the same tab on the right hand pocket was in a different position and therefore unlikely to catch on the zip. The other tab with a D ring attached was larger and seemed unlikely to get caught up with the zip. This proved to be not correct as on my next outing this zip jammed just like the left one but this time the pocket contained my mobile phone. Once again I had to land and managed to free the zip but this time I cut off the offending tab. I read on some review on the net that the small tabs with clips were "Zip Parks" !! I don't know whether the manufacturers told him that or whether it was just his imagination but that explanation seems unlikely. I have used the small tab to clip my camera but really wonder if the plastic clip would be strong enough to hold the camera in an emergency.
I wrote both to the Wetsuit Outlet and to Palm International explained the problems I had experienced with the jacket and asked for a replacement since I had broken one of the zip sliders. I am still waiting for a reply regarding the replacement but Palm eventually did write saying that they would consider either cutting off the tabs or lowering them so that they could not foul the zips. I really do not think that either of these companies took the problem seriously. Perhaps someone has to die before changes are made.
I decided to try to repair the broken zip and spent some time on the Internet looking for zip sliders but with little success. The slider had the initials YKK 5N on the back so I got in touch with the zip manufacturers (YKK) who immediately replied and sent me a couple of free sliders. It was so refreshing to deal with people who cared about their products and their customers. I will never buy any more product from either The Wetsuit Outlet or Palm International and I would strongly recommend against anyone else doing so.
My conclusion about the Kaikoura jacket is that it is a good jacket providing you cut off all the pocket tabs. I am a bit worried though about the front main zip (I am a bit paranoid about zips now!!) If this main zip was to fail then the jacket would only be held together by the strap and buckle at the bottom. Perhaps it would be better if another strap was sewn in higher up so that the jacket would still be closed if the main zip fails.
Jacket showing main front zip and bottom strap and buckle.