Avy backpack caution

[backcountryislife]

Batgirl is my wife,

We were both at the Denver snow show, we were not together the whole time (I spent a disproportionate amount of time talking to Shain W/ twisted) so I may not have seen what she saw, but I heard the same thing from someone there (yeah, real convenient that I can't remember who it was now!). Keep in mind, this may have been a guy who bought one & was going to blow it off after the sale but forgot it wasn't fully attached or something. I'll ask her if she actually saw it or if she was just going off the same thing I heard.

Hopefully it's just a rumor, but what I heard was very specific. I heard two failures though, not necessarily two separate bags, so if a guy didn't have his canister attached or something, that would make sense.

 

[aviinfo]

Avi Vest Demo

I was the rep for Avi Vest at the WA show. I was there doing a demo of the Avi Vest prototype when it malfunctioned. The bag inflated to about half full. To sum up, after doing dozens of demos I failed to check the gauge on the new gas canister. It was not full. Below is an explanation from our engineer that explains why the gas canister was not full.

Due to a change in the manufacturing process of the Avi-Vest (AV) Cylinder Head (CH), the existing puncture disc (PD) design was rendered 'out of spec'. If the PD was not properly centered during installation, an incomplete seal between the PD and the o-ring on the CH could result (in 1.6% of tested bottles). When this occurred, the gas was able to evacuate the AV bottle. During leak testing (of the AV bottle) in August this issue was discovered and the PD was redesigned. However, due to time constraints created by show schedules, the new PD could not be manufactured in time. The decision was made to use the existing stock of old PD’s on hand, in demo models only, so that we could deploy AV’s at the shows. Note: this issue would not have led to an AV inflation failure if the rep at the show had checked the gauge on the bottle before screwing it into the device. It is also a reminder to users of any device utilizing pressurized gas: follow all instructions diligently and completely before relying on the device to save your life!

Regarding Denver, the Avi Vest was not at that show.

 

[CatWoman]

THANK YOU aviinfo for your post! It is VERY important to get the correct information out there, and not have rumors floating around. Not good for business, nor good for the purchasers of these products.

If there is more info about the Denver incident, please post the firsthand facts on that. It is important to all of us.

Thanks!

 

[tube]

when will the avi vests be available?. I would like one. now. please. thank you.

 

[Impatientforsnow]

thanks

Ya thanks for stepping up to the plate..those vest do look pretty sweet..

 

[RGM]

Weigh your canister!! You should always test the bag and be comfortable in folding it back up, it might take a couple times to get this down. Also if you bought a used bag, you might want to get educated on using it properly. There are steps involved with each that must be followed.

If you don't have access to an electronic scale take your canister down to the post office and put it on their scale. The weight of the canister should be on a sticker on the canister, weigh it with the protective cap off.

 

[newmy1]

I was the rep for Avi Vest at the WA show. I was there doing a demo of the Avi Vest prototype when it malfunctioned. The bag inflated to about half full. To sum up, after doing dozens of demos I failed to check the gauge on the new gas canister. It was not full. Below is an explanation from our engineer that explains why the gas canister was not full.

Due to a change in the manufacturing process of the Avi-Vest (AV) Cylinder Head (CH), the existing puncture disc (PD) design was rendered 'out of spec'. If the PD was not properly centered during installation, an incomplete seal between the PD and the o-ring on the CH could result (in 1.6% of tested bottles). When this occurred, the gas was able to evacuate the AV bottle. During leak testing (of the AV bottle) in August this issue was discovered and the PD was redesigned. However, due to time constraints created by show schedules, the new PD could not be manufactured in time. The decision was made to use the existing stock of old PD’s on hand, in demo models only, so that we could deploy AV’s at the shows. Note: this issue would not have led to an AV inflation failure if the rep at the show had checked the gauge on the bottle before screwing it into the device. It is also a reminder to users of any device utilizing pressurized gas: follow all instructions diligently and completely before relying on the device to save your life!

Regarding Denver, the Avi Vest was not at that show.

Thanks for full disclosure!!!

 

[WARY]

Whoa, finally back in the lab, what a drive, sheesh........

That was our Avi-Vest that failed at the Washington show. We haven't sold any Avi-Vests yet, they will be available in December, so we were demonstrating the device at the show but not selling any devices at the show.

Our pal aviinfo fell on his sword and took the blame but it was a factory error and not his operator error that caused the inflation malfunction. Bottom line, that was our only demonstration model (we have parts for several hundred here in the lab which we are assembling, but there is only one working model) and it is built from prototype parts and one of these parts may have failed. We are tearing things apart and looking into it now and will let you know what happened when we are sure.

For those of you who did not see it, the bag did not quickly explode from the Avi-Vest as is typical, but instead it more slowly lept out of the pocket housing it between the shoulder blades and only filled to between 50% and 65% of its capacity. It may have floated a smaller person to the surface of an avalanche, but it may not have floated a larger person to the surface.

Rest assured we will not sell anything that is not safe, and we are thoroughly testing the Avi-Vests we are building from factory, and not prototype parts.

Great show, nice meeting you all, Washington is a great place.

 

[bigbird]

Whoa, finally back in the lab, what a drive, sheesh........

That was our Avi-Vest that failed at the Washington show. We haven't sold any Avi-Vests yet, they will be available in December, so we were demonstrating the device at the show but not selling any devices at the show.

Our pal aviinfo fell on his sword and took the blame but it was a factory error and not his operator error that caused the inflation malfunction. Bottom line, that was our only demonstration model (we have parts for several hundred here in the lab which we are assembling, but there is only one working model) and it is built from prototype parts and one of these parts may have failed. We are tearing things apart and looking into it now and will let you know what happened when we are sure.

For those of you who did not see it, the bag did not quickly explode from the Avi-Vest as is typical, but instead it more slowly lept out of the pocket housing it between the shoulder blades and only filled to between 50% and 65% of its capacity. It may have floated a smaller person to the surface of an avalanche, but it may not have floated a larger person to the surface.

Rest assured we will not sell anything that is not safe, and we are thoroughly testing the Avi-Vests we are building from factory, and not prototype parts.

Great show, nice meeting you all, Washington is a great place.

Thanks for being honest. Would have been real easy to leave the blame on the operator. Hope you get it figured out.

 

[deepdiver]

Thank you for putting an actual product to this story. The internet is a great source of info, but also a giant rumor mill sometimes so facts are really important....so did someone here actually SEE two of the snowpulse packs fail during the Denver show or did we just 'hear' about it. Not saying it didn't happen, just looking for facts. Which means the next question is did the rep do something wrong for the demo (improper canister charge or installation for example) or is there a flaw with the design. If I'm dropping $1000 on a piece of safety equipment I most certainly expect it to work as advertised.

Also I don't think anyone 'plans' on using their avy pack, at least I hope not. Just like pilots don't 'plan' to use their ejection seat or parachute when they fly but they certainly expect them to work if things start going to hell. An avy pack isn't a guaranteed 'get out of jail free card' its a last ditch effort to save your butt when your planning and/or decision-making have failed to keep you out of trouble.

And I agree with Batgirl, if you are going to post on here about a failure of a safety product, don't be cryptic, give us facts.

When I posted I couldnt recall (really) the exact name...it had three letters and started with an A..I am glad I did not post the one I thought it was because I would have been wrong. I just got back from the cabin in the woods and verified with Big Bob and do concur with AVI that it was the AVI. http://www.avivest.com/index.php and yes it was at the Puyallup show. Wasnt trying to be cryptic just didnt recall the name at the time and had to guess a bit on the price...I have to mention that AVI stood up before I came back with the company name. You have to give AVI credit for taking responsibility and addresing this theirselves. They could have sat back and kept silent until I spoke up but they didnt, instead they came forward and showed some corporate responsibility.

 

[deepdiver]

if you were the one who tested the pack and it didnt work properly let the people know which pack it was !!!! cause we may be jumping to conclusions here and for all we know you maybe the dealer that sells the other brand.. SO SPEAK UP!!!

the only $400+ pack out there is the new BCA pack comming out that I know of...

Sorry for being stealth for a bit...I have been out of town at the cabin and dont have internet access there.

 

[Tonysnoo]

Thanks for being honest. Would have been real easy to leave the blame on the operator. Hope you get it figured out.

Yes, AVI vest I think that was the right thing to do. I still plan on buying your product when it available. I saw it at the Boise show and fell in love with it. It fit me so much nicer than my ABS. I still plan on incorporating my impact vest into yours.