55 years beyond land

Through the Decades

More than five decades ago, Mustang Survival began engineering lifesaving solutions that push the boundaries of performance and what is possible in marine safety. Fifty-five years later, we continue evolving and innovating, never losing sight of our goal to bring people home safe.

Original Mustang Survival facility in a historic building in Vancouver, British Columbia, shown in black and white.

Founded 1967

Irv Davies founds Mustang Sportswear Ltd. Five employees work out of a 2,000 sq. ft. office and manufacturing facility in Vancouver, British Columbia’s historic Gastown.

Person wearing the original Mustang Floater™ coat with flotation and insulated outerwear, shown in black and white.

FIRST COAT 1970

The original iconic Mustang Floater™ coat hits the market. Using closed-cell foam for flotation and insulation, it’s the first combined life preserver and jacket.

The floater

An archival photo of a vintage UVic Thermofloat jacket overlaying a bar graph comparing rates of mannequin heat loss.

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Thermo float coat redesign 1977

With Dr. John Hayward at the University of Victoria, we develop the Design Canada award-winning Thermofloat Coat. This new iteration of the original Mustang Floater™ added extra padding in areas that needed it most to protect against hypothermia and the innovative Beaver Tail neoprene flap to prevent cold water from flushing the jacket. This redesign is the pivotal point that directs us to become a leader in life-saving scientific research and technologically advanced designs, working with NASA, the military, the government, and more.

First gov contract 1984

Underarm Life Preservers (LPU), our first government contract, go into production, beginning our long history of supplying critical life support equipment to the Canadian military. We continued to fulfill government contacts with innovative and lifesaving solutions, including dry suit systems to the USCG for the next 20 years and the design and development of new US
Air Force flight ensembles worn on the F22 Raptor.

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Meta x waterlife 1989

M.E.T.A Research Inc. (now Waterlife Studio) opens. A research and development division complete with a manufacturing center, innovative prototyping facilities, a science lab to study human physiology and material properties, and a pool to test gear in real life scenarios. It revolutionizes the design and construction of marine equipment and clothing.

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Nasa 1996

NASA awards us a contract to co-develop and supply self-inflatable life preservers for their Space Shuttle Program, beginning a long relationship providing equipment for several different missions.

A collage shows sailors across eras in rough seas, comparing vintage boat crews with modern offshore foul weather gear.

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ocx ep/2004

OCX (Ocean Class® Xtreme™) line, engineered with our revolutionary integrated LIFT™ (Life-saving Inflatable Flotation Technology) and the ultimate answer to extreme weather conditions, launches. OCX research and development will go on to inform the construction of our pinnacle EP Ocean Racing collection for the world's harshest marine environments.

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Elite 28 2016

Using wind tunnel testing, we engineer our Elite 28 Hydrostatic Inflatable PFD with a 3D chassis that reduces drag when travelling at high speed. An instant favourite among professional anglers, the Elite 28 is now synonymous with the professional bass fishing circuit.

Studio close-up video showing manual activation and inflation of the RATIS tactical inflatable life preserver.

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Ratis 2018

With input and validation from several Tier-1 maritime-focused special forces groups, we launch RATIS. This extremely low-profile tactical life preserver uses an ultra-light-weight membrane film for the bladder and new COR capability. Co-developed with our partner Hammar® COR allows RATIS to activate at different water depths or time delays after immersion.

Two men aboard a boat in Mustang Survival gear navigating cloudy waters, representing international expansion.

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Crossing the pond 2022

We open our first office outside North America with a business and product development team in Salisbury, UK. At the same time, we successfully launch an e-commerce site to serve our international customers.

Visit the UK Website

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Charting our course

We remain committed to improving your experience on the water by expanding our recreational portfolio and strengthening our professional, military and government innovations.

We provide new, premium flotation solutions to a broader range of users. Our revolutionary lines of women-specific products, including the redesigned Helix Dry Suit and Women’s Taku Collection, further strengthen our industry-leading progression. Expedition activity is made more accessible with added comfort, technical advancements, and optimal protection in demanding marine environments.

Our mission remains unchanged—to protect and enrich life on the water by delivering confidence to those who live beyond land.