The Spinlock Deckvest 6d has a distinctive style and appearance that may divide people, you either love it or you don't But we test it and discovered what's really behind this iconic looking lifejacket casing.

Product Overview

Overall rating:

84%

Spinlock Deckvest 6D

Pros:

  • Form fitting sculpted design, Bright colour of casing is stylish.Excellent elevated lighting and reflective visibility. Good snug fit holding user high in the water. Excellent sprayhood. Harness release system.

Cons:

  • The bladder is a darker orange and may not be as visible as some of the brighter bladders available. The extra sculpting can make the lifejacket feel a bit stiff to wear and makes it heavy.

Product:

Spinlock Deckvest 6D lifejacket – tested

Spinlock Deckvest 6D lifejacket

Dry Testing

Shoreside the lifejacket when packed has quite a rigid feel and is notably substantial in the hand. (1.3kg) The sculpted shape of it makes it a bit of a space hog in a kit bag. It comes with it’s own mesh bag for cupboard hanging and stowage.
Alex comments, “the side adjusters are prone to coming loose, you need to really make sure the buckles are tight.”
Fox shore side comments, “the little add-on stowage pocket is ideal for a plb and could probably fit a sailing knife in there too. Also maybe a small snack and a book for when you’re waiting to be rescued.”

The casing feels sturdy and well constructed. The adjusters are easy to move and lock in place. The range of adjustment is very good and will fit a slimmer form all the way up to a much larger body. It comes in a range of colour options so if the bright yellow isn’t to your taste you can opt for something a little less flashy.

Pool Testing

Fox in pool test comments: “This flipped me over really very fast. It feels really secure and the fitment is snug. I like the pylon light and the lumeon bladder illumination, the antenna light is a standout feature. The sprayhood is very easy to reach with a useful lanyard and easy to pull over the bladder. It’s comfortable all round in the water. You can’t miss the lifting strop and it’s easy to find the onboard essentials.”

This lifejacket has the facility for a harness release system (HRS), so that should you find yourself being dragged along in the water by your tether then you can trip this release and set yourself free. Which is great as long as your crew can actually get back to rescue you.

In the pool this lifejacket was outstanding in every aspect. From autoinflation rate to roll over and surfacing of casualty. The fit remained secure and stable in the pool and the Sprayhood was easy to find. All of the essential items have been well placed for intuitive use.

Spinlock Deckvest 6D lifejacket

Price from £219.95 or £239.95 with HRS

Buy Spinlock Deckvest 6D

How our lifejacket scored on average out of 10 for each of our criteria

8 – Adjust speed ease difficulty
8 – Fastening buckle ease with gloves
7 – Comfort women body size (when tested by men 4)
8 – Practicality. bulk snagging
7 – Manual inflated view and fitment
10 – Sprayhood
9 – PLB fitment
8 – Positioning of essential items
7 – Night view / reflectors / light (if fitted)
6 – Ease of checking bottle / trigger status
4 – Unpacking / repacking
9 – Style
10 – In water score (due to being tested alongside other higher spec models)

84% Total as a percentage

Verdict

This is an outstanding lifejacket with great performance across the score board. The standout features are the lighting, both elevated and lumeon, lighting the entire bladder. The essentials are labels and easy to find and this feels like a lifejacket that has really been designed with the user in mind. Every query has been answered. If we were challenged to find a way to improve this, we’re really not sure how we would.


With thanks to

western maritime training logo


Note: all of our lifejackets tested conform to either  ISO 12402-3 (coastal/non harness) or ISO 12401 (harness versions), and this means that they all meet the basic safety standards you would expect from a lifejacket.
In order to conduct unbiased testing, our test team were given full freedom to test and evaluate the lifejackets presented to them on the tests days. Their opinions are made in a professional capacity and skippers and end users of the products and are a result of direct hands on experience. This does not override any official safety rating or certification.
legal disclaimer is available here

To read about more lifejackets go to our Best Lifejackets for Boaters and Sailors – Tested Buyers guide where you can find individual reviews for 15 current lifejackets