Top 3 Best Avalanche Airbag Vest 2018
Gear Spotlight
January 11th, 2018
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Top 3 Best Avalanche Airbag Vests 2018

By now we all know the benefits that an avalanche airbag can provide. Studies have shown dramatically increased survival rates with their use. Avalanche airbags come not only in a traditional backpack format, but also as a vest. Vests provide a couple of key advantages: they move weight from your shoulders and spread it out over your entire torso, and they tend to feel more secure and shift around less. Those advantages make them very appealing! So with that in mind, here are what we consider to be the top 3 best avalanche airbag vest options available for 2018!

 

 

Top 3 Best Avalanche Airbag Vest 2018

Here they are, in no particular order.

Highmark Charger

We start things off with a couple of vests that provide impact protection in addition to the other benefits of a vest over a traditional backpack. The first vest is a brand new vest from Highmark called the Charger. The Charger is modelled after a PFD style, pull-over vest. The result is a super comfy vest that doesn’t require a zipper in the front. It offers a generous cut which provides easy movement of the arms. One drawback is that in order to take on or off the vest, you’ll have to remove your helmet.

BCA Float MtnPro

The second vest comes from BCA, and it’s called the Float MtnPro. This vest has been around for a few years, but it’s been improved and remodelled for 2018. Now included is an external shovel carry. This is a crucial feature, and thankfully it no longer requires an optional purchase. The vest has also been trimmed down somewhat, but it still remains the bulkiest of all three vests highlighted here. That said, it probably offers the most protective coverage, although the zipper right down the middle does likely reduce the effect somewhat.

Highmark Spire LT

The final avalanche airbag vest is the Highmark Spire LT. This is the lightweight option, with no impact protection. It uses a light, thin fabric which breathes well but remains tough and durable. However, the Spire LT does offer additional protection that the others don’t—in the form of the Protection Airbag System. This airbag wraps around the head and in front of the shoulders to provide head and cervical protection in a deployment. It’s the best head and neck protection available on the market today. Here’s a full review of the Spire LT we did last year.

Thanks for watching!

 

– MS