On my recent flight to the UK, I had a 4-6 person raft that weighed maybe 5 kgs. No fancy stuff obviously, but for European flying, I think it is very good.
A_and_C wrote:
If you are high enough when your engine quits and you get the first message out soon enough the rescue helicopter will be in the air before you have hit the water
It gets more interesting when you’re outside the range of SAR helicopters.
As for a single person raft mentioned before, I personally use it as a back-up because it can be worn and I can take it into any aircraft (however, the belt version is sealed and you can’t remove the cylinders; plus side is extended service interval compared to loose pack). I prefer to wear all the essentials (which vary) since what I’m wearing will probably make it out with me. Not as comfortable as a proper offshore raft but it will still considerably extend survival time compared to just a suit. Inflatable floor is optional.
For me the reason for buying my own multi-person raft would be so I can specify what I want packed inside (and if you have a PLB in there, you want it registered). But I guess this depends on the raft and provider. I can see the appeal of leasing where you don’t have to deal with overhauls.
Peter wrote:
What is the cost of an overhaul of the 4 person one above, Chflyer?
Winslow suggested Jet Aviation in Basel since I live in Switzerland, but their quote was from another planet or at least for another pocketbook. Perhaps peanuts for a biz jet owner, but not in my ballpark. Winslow said they’ll see what other options they can suggest.
Martins comments are interesting and reflected in British military practice, a single person life raft is stowed under the seat in helicopters and in the seat pan of ejection seats.
The crew member is attached to the life raft by two straps one can be detached quickly to free the life raft the other takes much more controlled action to detach, the result of this is that the life raft follows you out of the aircraft or ejection seat, once you are free one strap is detached and pulling on the other deploys the raft, this strap is your safety line and you never detach it until rescued.
I carry a life raft in the winter if I am flying over hostile terrain as if you have a forced landing a covered life raft is an instant tent that can be deployed away from a wrecked aircraft that is likely to be a fire hazard.
This is the light (13 lbs) 4-6 person raft with a roof I rent every year for 2-4 weeks. I would have bought it, but I really shy away from one more thing in my life that has to be overhauled.
Flyer59 wrote:
This is the light (13 lbs) 4-6 person raft with a roof I rent every year for 2-4 weeks
We have purchased this life raft a few days ago at Jersey for 1750 Euro, VAT free. The Channel Islands are the perfect destination for holidays, shopping and refueling.
Yes, that’s a good price. Do you know how much the overhaul is? And… how often it has to be done?
Flyer59 wrote:
Do you know how much the overhaul is? And… how often it has to be done?
In a small pocket on the raft one can find a paper where I read: “Reinspect by one year from date put into service.”
In my opinion this is over the top. As Peter mentioned before one does the overhaul every 2-3 years. I do not now the price yet, will give further informations on this 2019. 
chflyer wrote:
Winslow said they’ll see what other options they can suggest.
I suppose you’re aware that they have a list of service centers on their website. Link to the PDF is at the end: http://winslowliferaft.com/service-department/
About 9 years ago I had the Winslow raft serviced at AEM Stansted, which i think was the only service centre in Europe at that time. They made a mess of it. The valise was something like 50% bigger, because they could not find the correct way to fold it. I refused to take it back and complained to Winslow US who sent me a brand new raft, and told me that the problem was caused by AEM not having any experience with the product. They promised to appoint more service centres in Europe and train them properly. I’ve never had any service done on it since, because I bought the above red Survival product. I do believe that in a real emergency (flipped over in the water) the chances are so much better that you’ll be able to take the Survival out with you compared to the Winslow, You can actually place the Survival on your lap just before hitting the water.
My Winslow (unserviced) is for sale if anyone wants it, 300 euro plus shipment. Or maybe I should just throw a party and inflate the thing one day, you’re invited. Food may be a little stale though, but we’ll find some liquid to wash it away.
