I'm fishing the Corrib in May and I'm having trouble getting life jacket gas cylinders over to the West of Ireland by air freight and road freight from England.

Can any of the Irish lads on here recommend a supplier in Ireland that I can order re-arming kits from and get them delivered to where we're staying in the West?

Many thanks in advance.

GH

If you're flying you should be able to take lifejackets and re-arming kits as hold luggage providing you inform the airline in advance how many of each you are taking. It's just so they can identify them on the x-ray machine and confirm it with your booking. Check with them before doing anything else.

Otherwise disarm the lifejacket and send as many cylinders as you need by post to your destination. I've done this in the past quite successfully. You might need to leave them behind on your return unless you can get someone to post them back to you.

Quick look at google maps shows lots of small boats
Here should be easy enough to find a chandler who stocks the bits you want.

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GH

Corrib tackle will be able to look after you. Contact Corrib Tackle
Unit 2 Kilkerrin Park,
Tuam Road,
Galway.

Ph: 353 (0)91 769974

alternative is buy on ebay and ship to accommodation.

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“Éist le ceol na habhainn agus geobhfaidh tú breac”

Hey GH
Tell me the make of your jacket and I will sort it for you. Wont be a problem.
Tight Lines
Trout Hunter

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Trout,great to hunt,greater to release.

Bob,
Although the rules say you can, it's usually up to the local authorities.
I went to Slovenia a few years back but flew into Trieste and carried documentation saying it was legal. After checking in to return, I was called on the loadspeaker and led into the back room, and the two officials went through my gear, and finally consifcated the 2 c02 tubes - a spare and the one in the jacket. They were agressive and demanding, shouting orders at me to pick up my bags, carry them and open them. One had a gun. When they finally were sure that everything was as it seemed (me being a fishing tourist) their attitudes changed completely and were both profusely apologetic!

Cheers,

I can't speak for the Slovenian cops who are likely to be a bit erratic I would imagine. I've been over to Ireland several times and have found Ryanair to be OK about lifejackets etc as long as they know in advance. That way it's on the computer that you are carrying and they then recognise it for what it is. I've never taken a lifejacket to Austria when fishing the rivers there as I don't consider it necessary. I fell in the Traun a couple of years ago in chest waders, and apart from it being effing cold, simply rolled onto my back, laid back and paddled to the shore. Corrib is a different animal all together and you'll not see me out there without a lifejacket. If you buy cylinders etc out there, you've still got the problem of getting them back. They're too expensive just to leave.

It was Trieste, Italy, not Slovenia and also Ryanair. I informed the checkin girl I had them but made no difference as it seems.

At some point would it not be better just to forget all this screwing off with trying to get past baggage check in / security, shipping canisters back and forth, etc and just leave the all-singing-all-dancing Inflate-O-Matic at home? I'd think it would be worth considering just getting one of the modern, comfortable, non-inflatable vests for travel and forget all this faffing around. No airport hassles, no canisters, no screwing off with arming mechs, etc, and all for less than $50.

Grouse

You can call Cyril at Greene Marine, Dublin 01 (or 003531 from UK) 4923061.
He does lifejacket arming kits for both manual and automatic jackets.

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Norm

Float Tube Fishing 30+ years
Float Tubing Info Resource