MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 Inflatable Belt Pack Review

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MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0

The MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 PFD is an inflatable belt pack that’s specifically designed for stand up paddleboarding. This well-designed SUP PFD belt is loaded with great features and is perfect for anyone who is looking for the ultimate in safety and comfort…

Headquartered in Massachusetts, family-owned MTI (Marine Technologies International) is known for making some of the best personal flotation devices on the market today. With 25 years of experience in designing and manufacturing top-shelf life jackets, MTI’s extensive line of watersports safety products leads the industry when it comes to beautiful design, functionality, safety, and comfort.

In this review of MTI’s Fluid 2.0 inflatable belt pack, we’ll take a look at this PFDs best features, functionality, comfort, warranty, what we didn’t like about it, and more.

MTI Fluid 2.0 Inflatable Belt Pack Review: PFD Overview

MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 SUP PFD Belt Pack

Currently available in three colors (Moonlight Black, Ocean Print, and Red/Black), the MTI Fluid 2.0 is this year’s best SUP PFD belt and features an attractive design and a variety of great features that die-hard paddlers are sure to appreciate.

Constructed out of 300D polyester with a 3D polyester mesh liner, the Fluid 2.0 is built to be comfortable and quick-drying. The heavy duty, fully adjustable belt is made out of nylon webbing, and it buckles securely around your waist thanks to the sturdy plastic buckle system.

On the front of the belt pack is a zippered storage pouch that’s perfect for storing small items like your keys or some sunscreen, and there’s also a clear, see-through window that allows you to view the PFDs status indicator (more on that in a minute).

MTI Fluid 2.0 PFD Zippered Pouch

MTI Fluid 2.0 Indicator Window

Neatly embroidered on the front of the Fluid 2.0 is the MTI logo and “Type III PFD/US Coast Guard Approved”. MTI also added some reflective safety trim for increased nighttime visibility.

MTI includes a plastic, high-visibility orange safety whistle with the Fluid 2.0, and it tucks conveniently into a webbed loop on the belt. The belt also features a D-ring and daisy chain attachment loops that serve as handy gear attachment points if you need to secure other small accessories.

MTI Fluid 2.0 Safety Whistle

How it Works

The Fluid 2.0 shell features a nice velcro closure system which keeps the bladder tucked neatly into place. Whenever the jerk cord is pulled, the bladder will instantly inflate and pop out of the belt pack for quick and easy access.

MTI Adventurewear 2.0 SUP PFD Belt

MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 Jerk Cord

The Fluid 2.0 inflates automatically, thanks to the included bayonet-style CO2 cylinder. After inserting and twisting the CO2 cylinder, the status indicator that is visible through the belt’s see-through window will turn green which means it’s armed. This is a great safety feature as you’ll never have to guess whether or not your PFD belt is armed and ready for action.

After pulling the jerk cord and inflating the bladder, simply place the life jacket over your head and pull the adjustable sternum strap downward to tighten the fit. The Fluid 2.0’s life jacket has a very secure fit — you definitely won’t have to worry about slipping out of it once it’s on properly.

MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 PFD Inflated

MTI Fluid 2.0 Inflated

When you are ready to deflate the bladder, simply press the green plastic bit on the inside of the PFDs red valve stem. You can also manually inflate the Fluid 2.0 by blowing air into this red valve stem.

MTI Fluid 2.0 Deflation

MTI Fluid 2.0 Belt Pack Valve Stem

After deflating the bladder, it’s super simple to pack everything back up. MTI printed fold lines and instructions on the outside of the bladder — all you need to do is fold it back up by following the step-by-step directions and then tuck it back into the belt.

MTI Adventurewear Fluid 2.0 Repacking

Folding MTI Fluid 2.0 Bladder

Repacking MTI Adventurewear Fluid Belt Pack

MTI Fluid 2.0 Inflatable Belt Pack PFD

Warranty

MTI Adventurewear is a company that stands behind all of the gear they make, and they back the Fluid 2.0 PFD with a lifetime warranty against any and all manufacturing defects.

What We Didn’t Like

MTI Inflatable Belt Pack PFD

We were honestly hard-pressed to find anything about the MTI Fluid 2.0 that we didn’t like. This inflatable belt pack PFD is as good as they come, but there are a few very minor things that we’ll mention.

First of all, we found the included bayonet-style CO2 cartridge to be a bit fragile, and it’s important to be careful not to break off the plastic ring around the top of the cartridge. Ours somehow got broken prior to installing it, so that’s definitely something to be mindful of. In the event that the plastic ring on your cartridge does happen to break, all is not lost — there’s still a way to insert the CO2 cartridge into the belt pack but the indicator won’t turn green.

Broken MTI Bayonet CO2 Canister

Secondly, the included CO2 cartridge is single-use, which means once you’ve pulled the jerk cord and inflated the bladder, you’ll have to purchase another CO2 cartridge for your belt pack. This obviously isn’t a fault of this particular inflatable belt pack — just a downside to be aware of if you’re considering this style of PFD. For those who don’t want to deal with buying replacement CO2 cartridges for belt PFDs, we highly recommend the MTI Vibe PFD.

Final Thoughts

MTI Fluid 2.0 SUP PFD

SUP safety is a huge deal, and if you aren’t already in the habit of wearing a PFD each and every time you paddle out, we highly recommend that you start doing it today. A PFD is an affordable and necessary paddleboarding accessory that can (and does) save lives.

MTI Fluid 2.0 Inflatable Belt Pack

As far as inflatable belt PFDs go, the MTI Fluid 2.0 is the best of the best. This is an insanely well-designed PFD belt that weighs next to nothing and is so comfortable that you’ll never even know you have it on.

MTI Fluid 2.0 PFD Belt

We really like the design of this belt PFD and the great overall build quality. We also love the fact that MTI stands behind their gear with a rock-solid lifetime warranty. MTI is a wonderful company with a long history of designing high quality water safety products, and their gear gets our top recommendation when it comes to SUP safety products.

Click Here to Buy the MTI Fluid 2.0 Belt PFD

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