Do Life Jackets Expire? We explore the answers here

Are you getting ready for boating or water sports season? When you grab your supplies for your favorite water activity, how much thought do you give to the life jackets? Do you inspect them? Do you wonder if they are still good and will serve their purpose? If you’re like us, you probably don’t give it a second thought and wonder “Do life jackets expire?” Until we were stopped for a safety inspection, we never really thought about it. We had some really, and I mean really, old life jackets tossed in a corner of the boat. It turned out that they were OK, but it made me think if I should be inspecting them more often.

Type of Life Jackets

Some people might refer to any type of flotation device as a life jacket, anything from those wing floaties for kids to serious Type I USCG approved life vests. Our focus here is on life jackets that are coast guard approved from Type I to Type V specifications. For a deep dive on life jacket types, check out our article on US Coast Guard approved life jackets.

Take a look at this picture and you’ve probably seen most of these if you’ve been on boats, kayaks, ferries or cruises! No matter the size of boat you’ve been on, the life jackets are all the same. We’re not going to dive deep into each life jacket type here, we’ll save that for another article. As you read this article, try to think of the life jackets you have on your boat, kayak, or in your cottage shed. Ok, let’s move on to the topic on hand.

Do life jackets expire?

The short answer is no, not really. You won’t really find a life jacket with a hard expiration date stamped on the label. However, that doesn’t mean that life jackets don’t have a serviceable lifespan. As with anything, over time, life jackets will lose their usefulness, and you’ll need to choose a best life jacket . This is especially true for items like life jackets that we generally take for granted and toss in a locker on our boat or some other dark corner.

Something we learned after our boat inspection is that life jackets need as much attention as other equipment we have on our boat. Since it is a life saving device, why wouldn’t you want your life jacket to be in tip-top shape so that it can save your life? It just makes sense.

So why is the answer not a simple yes or no?

The reason is that it is the materials that will lose their effectiveness over time. A life jacket can be called “expired” once the materials are ripped, soggy, or otherwise non-functioning. Any of these symptoms can render the life jacket useless. If you have inflatable life jackets with CO2 cartridges, you need to pay special attention making sure the cartridge is in good working condition. A red/green indicator on inflatable life jackets shows whether the CO2 cartridge is charged or empty. Pay attention to that and check it regularly.

A general rule of thumb is that life jackets, under regular use, last about 10 years. Accidental rips and tears can happen no matter how well you take care of them. So if your life jackets are 10 years or older, you have to take a good look at them and consider investing in new ones. It doesn’t mean that once they’re 10 years old you need to toss them, we think you just need to pay extra attention to them and make sure they’re in good condition.

So, do life jackets expire? In the end, it is all about taking care of your life jackets, since you want your life jacket to take care of you when the time comes. Below are some quick tips to keep in mind when inspecting life jackets to determine whether they are “expired” or not. Cleaning your life jacket is another key step in keeping your life jacket in good form. Happy boating and water sporting out there!