Spinlock Deckvest LITE+ Review: Ultra-light, Ultra Comfy
Our favourite lifejacket to date
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We’ve tried our fair share of lifejackets over the years and have recently been wearing the original Deckvest LITE, and the latest model the Deckvest LITE Plus +. Spoiler alert: the LITE+ has quickly earned its spot as our all-time favorite (and it’s not just because the Sun Yellow looks rad!).
This honest review is based on my husband Jeff’s and my experiences which will help you decide if you'll love the Deckvest LITE+ just as much.
After our Baltic Winner 165 jackets were ruined in a devastating and rather fumy incident involving a gear cupboard, a leaky fuel connection on our heater’s daytank, and 4L of oily diesel…long story short, we were on the hunt for new lifejackets. (For the record, diesel soaked material is horrendous to try and save).
Enter the Spinlock Deckvest LITE, which caught our eye for its ultra-light design. This jacket was first released in 2017 and has become one of the most popular PFDs for coastal and cruising sailing. Now, there’s the Deckvest LITE+ which has an integrated harness — an important feature for anyone serious about safety.
Since adding the Deckvest LITE+ to our gear we’ve given it a good workout with overnight passages, wet conditions and long coastal sails.
With 170N (38lbs) buoyancy this jacket has plenty of features but here are five features in particular that make a big difference to our enjoyment using it — and make it one of the best lifejackets we’ve worn to date.
1. It Ain’t Bulky aka Ultralight and Ultra Slim Design
Hubby keeps his LITE+ on during a solo-sail up the east coast of Aotearora, New Zealand
First off, it’s not the only jacket on the market that’s slimline. But, in comparison with the Baltic Winners we had, we found the Spinlock Deckvests much more lightweight and a more fitting slimline design. The LITE+ weighs just 860g (1lb 14.3oz).
This is one of the main features that attracted us to trying it out.
Aside from traditional lifejackets (which can be bulky and annoying), even some of the modern PFDs can still feel weighty when you’re wearing them for long periods.
But wearing the Deckvest LITE+ while up and down on deck reefing, working sheets, and keeping watch I noticed far less shoulder tension after a long sail — just from wearing this lighter jacket.
Ultra-light features:
We could move freely: The jacket shape fit well over just a teeshirt, or over thicker layers of wet weather gear. There were no issues moving around on deck, or feeling restriction around our shoulders or bulk around our neck when sitting back in the cockpit.
Perfect for Long Days on the Water: Because it’s so light and comfortable, we can wear the jacket out on the water all day and night without feeling weighed down, making it ideal for longer sailing trips or racing.
Unobtrusive: The jacket has such a slim profile, we hardly noticed wearing it, even when shifting around stays on deck (they’re good at catching loose things), hoisting sails and digging around in lockers.
Super easy to put on: The big plastic clips are easy to grip and clip in the wet and wearing gloves.
NOTE: It doesn’t come with a spray hood but this is an optional extra you can add on.
2. It’s Comfy to Wear for A Long Time
When we sail around Aotearoa, New Zealand, we’re usually in fairly strong winds and often uncomfortable sea states — so it’s a non-negotiable that we feel comfortable wearing our lifejackets for most of the day (or night) — at least every time we’re on watch.
We found the Spinlock Deckvest LITE+ excels in this area with its ergonomic fit and adjustable design. If you look at the lifejacket profile, you’ll see it’s actually slightly shaped to fit a body, and holds this shape as you fit it to you with strap adjustment. Jeff and I have quite different body shapes (he’s lean, I’m curvy) but we were both stoked with the fit.
Comfy features:
Ergonomic Fit: The lifejacket is designed to sit comfortably on your shoulders and chest without digging in or causing discomfort, even after hours of wear.
Adjustability: With multiple adjustment points, it’s easy to tailor the fit to your body so it’s nicely secure.
Breathable Materials: The Deckvest LITE+ materials are designed to be breathable and keep you cool on hotter summer days.
The side profile shows the slight ergonomic shape and ultra slim design
3. High-Quality Construction
Our lifejackets get worn A LOT. So when it comes to safety gear, quality is non-negotiable. You can actually feel when holding the Spinlock Deckvest LITE+ that it’s well made (it’s manufactured in the UK). The outer shell — a ripstop cover fabric with honeycomb texture is very durable, and we couldn’t fault the stitching or construction. We tend to give our lifejackets a regular rinse to keep the salt corrosion and mould at bay, but every aspect of this lifejacket is designed with longevity and safety in mind.
Well made features:
Durable Outer Shell: The lifejacket’s outer shell is made from abrasion-resistant materials, ensuring it can handle the wear and tear of sailing. The honeycomb texture is kinda cool too.
Reliable Inflation System: The Deckvest LITE+ features an automatic inflation system that deploys quickly underwater, providing you with immediate buoyancy when you need it most. NOTE: When wearing the jacket, the green pull tab is tucked on the left side.
Trusted Brand: Spinlock is a well-known name in the sailing community, recognized for producing high-quality, reliable safety gear. This reputation is reassuring when you need to trust your gear.
4. Integrated Deck Safety Harness
The integrated harness point. You can also see the recessed manual activation handle in green
One of the standout features of the Deckvest LITE+ is the integrated deck safety harness which allows you to clip into a safety line, ensuring you stay securely attached to the boat in rough conditions.
Harness attachments we’ve used on previous lifejackets have been stainless steel which is strong but since our harness clip is stainless too — you can hear the clinking moving around. We like the material loop on this jacket — which is super strong and fairly stiff so it is easy to clip on and off from.
Safety harness features:
Enhanced Safety in Rough Conditions: The harness can be a lifesaver during offshore sailing or when navigating challenging weather, to prevent you being swept overboard away from the boat.
Easy to Use: The harness loop is central and prominent making it quick and easy to clip onto when needed.
Peace of Mind: The harness and high quality construction of the Deckvest LITE+ all give you the confidence to focus on enjoying sailing more.
Harness is clipped onto the lifejacket for safety during rough wet conditions
5. It’s Easy to Check the Gas Canister and Repack It All
The tab and coloured zip mark the gas canister placement
Easy access to do your checks
The lifejacket bladder inflated — spot the red manual inflation tube, organise safey whistle, reflective side strips and the gas canister.
It’s not my favourite job (that would be hoisting the burgee) — but checking the gas canister regularly is an important part of lifejacket maintenance AND peace of mind that it’s going to work when you most need it to!
The Deckvest LITE+ is easy to unzip for a quick visual check or to rearm, and then repack (the last thing you want is to put off checking your lifejacket because you can’t do it up again very well). I like the Spinlock tab and different colour zip which signal where to unzip to for a canister check.
I used this video by Spinlock to follow the best practice for rearming and repacking. I thought this lifejacket would be much fiddlier to repack than it was first time round — although I’m definitely much quicker now!
Feeling comfortable and safe on nightwatch is what it's all about!
Full List of Deckvest LITE+ Features
• 170N (38lbs) buoyancy
• Automatic inflating lifejacket
•One size fits all — chest measurement: 60-145cm, weight: 50kg+
• Durable honeycomb ripstop cover fabric
• Easy side access to put it on
• Single crotch strap with recessed clip reduces risk of snagging
• Webbing end tidy
• Muted highly reflective panel detail
• Neoprene neck panel for added comfort
•Integrated deck safety harness with a soft loop safety line attachment point.
• Toggle attachment point for Chest Pack
• Attachment point for kill cord or VHF leash
• Easily converts to ‘manual only’ firing head with a Manual Conversion Kit
• Through Life Support (TLS) Registration extends product warranty to 5 years
• Lume-On™ Lifejacket bladder illumination lights illuminate the inflated lifejacket bladder to increase visibility and aid location.
The Deckvest LITE+ is approved to the following international standards:
• CE Approved
• ISO 12402-3 Lifejacket (170N)
• ISO 12401 Deck Harness
Where can you buy the Spinlock Deckvest LITE & LITE+?
Lusty & Blundell in New Zealand stock the entire Spinlock range including the Spinlock Alto belt which we reviewed here. Outside of New Zealand, you can purchase Spinlock UK or from Amazon.
Register your lifejacket with Spinlock within 30 days of purchase, and you’ll get a massive 5 YEAR product warranty! We love this.
Deckvest LITE
Deckvest LITE+ (with integrated harness)
Spinlock 3 clip tether
Rearming Kit (DW-RAK)
You need to buy the right re-arming kit to fit your Spinlock LITE+ lifejacket. The DW-RAK Pro Sensor re-arming kit (33g) fits the Deckvest LITE & LITE+.
If you need to double-check see the Spinlock Re-arming Kits Guide
In Summary
When you’re wearing a lifejacket — you just want things to go smoothly. Quick and easy to put on, no fuss when you’re wearing it, comfy for long periods, easy to inflate and reliable when you need it. And easy to service and maintain.
In our experience — the Spinlock Deckvest LITE+ doesn’t disappoint. And it’s something we’ll always throw on and feel confident wearing on the water. It’s the perfect coastal sailing and boating jacket (if we were heading off-shore we’d go for something like the Spinlock Deckvest VITO).
The only improvement we could find was the waist buckle which needed to be tightened from time to time as the webbing loosened through the metal slide bar. This was most noticeable during one very wet and rainy sail. However, with all the straps (waist and crotch) done up — the jacket is secure and as the jacket ages I suspect it will hold better as a natural ridge wears into the webbing.
Sailing is all about freedom and adventure, but it’s also about being prepared for whatever the sea throws at you. The Deckvest LITE+ has you covered on all fronts.
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