{"id":81011,"date":"2025-02-24T17:13:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T22:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=81011"},"modified":"2025-02-26T10:02:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T15:02:37","slug":"mustang-atlas-pfd-is-the-complete-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/gear\/mustang-atlas-pfd-is-the-complete-package\/","title":{"rendered":"Mustang’s Atlas PFD Is the Complete Package"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mustang Survival\u2019s latest addition to the inflatable PFD space is the Atlas 190 DLX Hammar, a product that has already won a slew of awards, including TIME\u2019s Best Invention of 2024, a Red Dot Award for outstanding design, the 2025 Miami Innovation Award and a 2023 DAME Design Award special mention. If that\u2019s not enough street cred to make you give it more than a first look, let\u2019s check out some of the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Atlas <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Mustang’s Atlas 190 DLX Hammar PFD strikes a balance of comfort and essentials. <\/span>\n Courtesy Mustang Survival<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Yes, we all know how important the safety aspect of a good PFD is, and we\u2019ll get to that, but the first question always, is it comfortable?  If it\u2019s comfortable to wear, we\u2019re more likely to wear it without a second thought, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right. And there\u2019s good news on that front. First, what little weight it carries is well distributed over the shoulders, rather than resting directly on the back of your neck. From personal experience of consecutive days in an inflatable that didn\u2019t spread the weight, resulting in a pretty sore neck, that\u2019s huge, maybe even the most important comfort consideration. Beyond that, a mesh back panel prevents heat build-up, always a nice touch, and a simple buckle system in front makes getting in and out of the Atlas a cinch. The side adjusters, with large tabs to release tension, makes shifting clothing modes from warm, dry, daytime conditions to multi-layer, wet and cold night watches a minor issue at best. A single crotch strap can also be easily adjusted or removed completely.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the Atlas has passed the comfort test in flying colors, let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s really important and the whole reason for having an inflatable PFD: safety components. Mustang uses the acronym ADAPT (ADvanced Airway Protection and Turning) to describe their technology. The basic idea is that once in the water, the PFD keeps your face up, blocks waves from hitting your face, supports your head and gives you some in-water stability. Let\u2019s inflate it and see how it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Atlas <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n For race crews that spend time on the rail, the low-profile design of the Atlas, packed with survival features, will make getting under lifelines easier. <\/span>\n Courtesy Mustang Survival<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

First impression\u2013this thing is big\u2013can\u2019t imagine anyone it couldn\u2019t support. Clearly plenty of head support to keep your head protected and out of the water, plus there\u2019s s chafe strip around the neck opening to minimize abrasion. All ancillary items are to your left\u2014manual inflator, whistle (on lanyard) and light. Reflector patches are just above the head and on top of the two inflated lobes, so they should be easily visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spray hood, to prevent secondary drowning, is rolled up, just above the head and held in place with a small Velcro attachment. One tug and it\u2019s free. Pull over your head and attach two bottom loops around the two lower sections of the inflatable. As with any inflatable new to you, it\u2019s always good to test it out in a controlled situation so you know exactly where everything is and how the parts work together. Once the hood is in place, your face is fully protected from the elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Atlas <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n With attachment points for beacons, a spray hood and all essentials of a modern-day PFD, the Atlas 190 has it all in a streamlined design.<\/span>\n Courtesy Mustang Survival<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

A couple of other features worth noting. There\u2019s a heavy webbed ring in front for the attachment to jacklines, and the vest has a thin layer of flotation, which means it can be tossed to someone in the water, like a life-ring.  Inside the vest, on the inflatable section, there are slots to hold an AIS and PLB beacon. The Atlas uses a low-maintenance Hammar MA 1 inflator, and with the small viewing window, it\u2019s easy to check its status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atlas 190 DLX Hammar is a true, professional-level offshore inflatable PFD that is comfortable, but will provide you with strong assurance of safety at a reasonable price.  Red\/black, universal adult size, $369.99.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the critical choice of PFD, there is no compromise, and the latest from Mustang takes the same approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":81013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Powlison","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[1391],"class_list":["post-81011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gear","tag-safety-gear"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}