Design of Mustang's Newest PFD Driven By Angler Input

The video has more than 3 million views on YouTube. It has easily replayed in Hunter Bland’s mind tenfold since that morning in January of 2017 at Lake Seminole. That’s when he and Connor Young, his partner on the University of Florida fishing team, were riding down the lake behind another boat when they were suddenly thrown from Bland’s boat after a part in the hydraulic steering system came loose.

The boat turned violently to the right, throwing both Bland and Young out the passenger side and into the water. Neither were seriously injured (both were wearing inflatable personal floatation devices), but the accident set in motion a series of events that has allowed Bland to use the experience as a talking point in a broader conversation about boating safety checklists and the importance of PFDs, whether the zip-up vest type or the hydrostatic version that many novice and pro anglers wear.

It's a conversation that can’t be had enough, even if it seems repetitive, and Bland has been a leading voice on the topic for many years now, largely thanks to the video that captured the accident.

“Without that video, the impact (of what we’re doing) would be nowhere near what it has been,” Bland said.

This year at ICAST, Bland was approached by a teenager. They’d not met before, but the teen told Bland he’d given a speech at his school about his experience. Talk about a small world coming full circle. The teen then relayed a story about the steering mechanism in his boat also malfunctioning and causing him to lose control of the boat.

“He told his dad that that experience really opened his eyes to how important boating safety really is,” Bland said. “You can’t play around and you can’t take anything for granted.”

It’s a role Bland never saw himself in, but it’s one he has embraced fully. So much so that Mustang Survival approached Bland in 2023 about a project they were embarking on to revamp their Elite 28 inflatable PFD and build upon that platform to improve it. They wanted his input and feedback throughout the process.

Bland had already been working as an ambassador for the brand for several years, but he’d never been tapped to contribute on the product development side. The goal was to build a more comfortable and functional PFD without sacrificing any of its life-saving features. Other requirements were to keep it lightweight and make it less cumbersome. For instance, the Elite 28 tended to ride high on the back of a person’s neck, causing chafing in some instances.

Multiple prototypes and endless testing by Bland in the grueling Florida weather helped Mustang craft a PFD that has a revamped, ergonomic fit and includes new features like ADAPT technology, which incorporates bladder contouring to promote airway protection without hindering self-rescue or boarding rescue vessels. The Hammar MA1 automatic inflator is exclusive to Mustang in North America and helps prevent accidental activation from rain, spray or humidity. In the final analysis, the team and Bland hit the bullseye.

To Bland, though, it’s more than just the new Mustang Elite 120, as the label says. It’s his version of pay it forward.

“It makes you feel proud when you realize the impact of working with the entire company, from the engineers down to e-commerce,” he said. “It’s a testament to the message about safe boating. Their product saved my life, and I was able to help them build a better product to hopefully save more lives.

“It’s been a crazy dream for a kid who just wanted to be a pro fisherman. This is way more than a product. It’s a part of my legacy.”

What to Know About New PFD Regulations

As Mustang Survival worked on revamping its Elite 28 hydrostatic personal floatation device (PFD) in order to develop the new Elite 120, the team had to factor in new regulations rolled out by the United States Coast Guard and Transport Canada meant to standardize the classification system for PFDs and life vest approvals.

For years, the U.S. and Canada used different systems to classify PFDs. The Coast Guard categorized them by “type”, such as Type II or Type III. In Canada, PFDs and life jackets had different classifications.

Since the mid-2000s, the agencies have been working toward a universal system for PFD regulations in an effort to encourage more people to consistently wear PFDs and life jackets. By 2018, Level 70 was introduced as a new standard by both agencies. It aligned PFD requirements and allowed a single approval label for use in both countries. Additional levels (50, 100 and 150) were proposed, but only 70 was adopted.

In 2025, the USCG announced additional guidance that Level 50 is now accepted and will be approved alongside Level 70. Level 50 is a lower-buoyancy PFD that must be worn to meet legal carriage requirements on a boat. Level 100 has been defined for commercial use and are designed to establish an airway-protected position in the water.