A wader garment is provided, wherein the wader garment includes buoyant elements that may be employed so that a wearer may float in water, should the need arise, and further includes means for providing a substantially water-tight seal between the waders and a wearer at an upper portion of the waders. The wader garment may also include drainage valves on the leg portions to drain water from waders, if necessary, as well as a urination valve that may be in an open position or a closed position.

An inflatable personal flotation device worn about the waist level as a belt or as incorporated into a swimming garment is disclosed, that is inconspicuous and may be worn over, under or even be incorporated into almost any type of apparel. This waist belt PFD in its uninflated state is practical, comfortable, attractive and inconspicuous. The PFD contains an outer compartment housing a buoyancy component, activated by pressurized gas or other means, and has one or more straps to secure the device to the wearer. Upon inflation the apparatus, being deployed and powered by its own buoyancy, rises above the waterline into a rescue configuration turning and positions a wearer upright with their head above water.

A wetsuit is provided which comprises (a) a first central region comprising a first material and having a first thickness; and (b) a second lateral region comprising a second material and having a second thickness. The buoyancy per unit area of the first region is greater than the buoyancy per unit area of the second region.

A wader garment is provided, wherein the wader garment includes buoyant elements that may be employed so that a wearer may float in water, should the need arise, and further includes means for providing a substantially water-tight seal between the waders and a wearer at an upper portion of the waders.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a pop-up vest, illustratively implemented as a flotation apparel item comprising a water sport apparel item, an inflatable Personal Flotation Device (PFD) configured in the water sport apparel item, and an inflation trigger configured to inflate the PFD. The water sport apparel item may comprise a shirt, t-shirt, wetsuit or rash guard. The water sport apparel item may be adapted to include a plurality of ribs to provide structural support to the PFD. The inflation trigger may be a pull tab configured to inflate the PFD when desired. The inflation trigger may be a sensor configured to automatically inflate the PFD when the sensor is wet. An exemplary pop-up vest implementation may be configured with a water activated light to improve visibility. Some pop-up vest designs may comprise a whistle permitting the user to raise awareness of their location.

A lower body garment that includes an inflatable flotation device and a method of using the garment for flotation are provided. The flotation device is integrated with the garment and can be inflated in case of emergency in water. The garment is designed to be worn as a typical lower body garment when the flotation device is deflated and to convert into a life jacket that can be harnessed to a user's upper body and inflated to provide flotation. The garment includes straps that are designed to be used as both a garment belt when worn on the lower body and as harness straps when used for flotation.

A wader garment is provided, wherein the wader garment includes buoyant elements that may be employed so that a wearer may float in water, should the need arise, and further includes means for providing a substantially water-tight seal between the waders and a wearer at an upper portion of the waders.

The present invention is a personal flotation device comprising an inflatable bladder, a harness configured to be worn on the body of the user comprising a body belt and at least two vertical straps on the front of the harness configured to extend upward over the user's shoulders and connect to the back of the harness, the inflatable bladder attached to the front of the harness and slidably attached to the body belt and the at least two vertical straps, an inflation mechanism configured to inflate the inflatable bladder, and the inflatable bladder configured to expand vertically and horizontally across the user's chest when it is inflated.

A device for releasably connecting a first element with a second element includes a male element connectable to one end of the first element, and a female element connectable to one end of the second element such that the male and female element pass from a disengagement condition to a mutual engagement condition. A slider activates and deactivates engagement and is engaged to the male element such to slide along the axis of insertion of the male element inside the female element. The relative motion between the activation/deactivation slider and the male element is transmitted to first removable locking members, belonging to the male element and cooperating with corresponding second locking members belonging to the female element, such to pass from a stable locking condition to a stable release condition of the male and female elements via a movement of the slider along the axis of insertion.

A wetsuit is provided which comprises (a) a first central region comprising a first material and having a first thickness; and (b) a second lateral region comprising a second material and having a second thickness. The buoyancy per unit area of the first region is greater than the buoyancy per unit area of the second region.