I agree, I would not put young children in an inflatable either..... the auto-inflate ones i own are for exactly what Neil said..... not for running hard.........

When you get drilled head first into the water don,t forget to pull !!!

Yes, that's how they work and I would never use them for normal running nor would I ever put mine or anyone else's kids in an inflatable period.. manual OR automatic. Even if its the expensive automatic type, if you're ejected, the likelihood of it still being on you when you hit the water is low.

As I said earlier, I keep the inflatables on-hand in the event that conditions turn poor unexpectedly, would be running fairly slowly and I feel it necessary for everyone to have a jacket on. These are at least more comfortable. I also keep a dozen of the bulky orange jackets on board if god forbid we ever have to ditch. I have half a dozen Lifelines on board for regular running and poker runs and I keep a few high end child life jackets for my youngest son and for his friends when they come...

As far as the Kids just push them under to the 2' and they inflate! maybe that's why we don't have children

Designed to automatically inflate when immersed in water, these versatile vests easily convert to manual-only inflation with oral inflation backup. With a wide neckline, this lightweight, low-profile design maximizes mobility and range of motion. Reflective graphics boost visibility.

Well said

Stupid question but ... Would the auto inflatable go off if you got splashed from a wave or if it started pouring ? Just wondering

So what are you guys wearing when you are running hard or at poker runs? I thought that was what these were for?

For Poker Runs we recommend

http://www.keitheickert.com/p-14030-...re-jacket.aspx

Not a stupid question, but no they will not go off with just a splash, there needs to be a significant amount of water (Almost submerged) to activate the device

Here's a video (not the best)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OOyv1kwnx8