Inuvik (June 02/03) - Boating season is here and this summer you can hit the water in style.

Say goodbye to ugly, bulky fluorescent orange life jackets. This year your friends won't even know those snazzy threads you're wearing can actually save your life.

Suppliers of boating and camping equipment are providing outdoor enthusiasts with plenty of options for survival gear this season.

The most impressive is the new bomber-style life preserver.

"Mustang came out with a new style of coat that you can't even tell that it's a floater. It looks like a normal jacket," said Hans Lennie, co-owner of Westwind Recreation in Inuvik.

Although it's pretty cool to look at, the jacket costs a pretty penny. Lennie doesn't have any in stock yet, but said the jackets will cost a few hundred dollars each.

Also on the market you can find an array of signal flares, a must for anyone thinking of taking a boating trip in NWT waters.

"Smoke signal flares are good, they are the most popular. And then we have the shotgun flares and there are also lots of different coloured flares too," said Lennie.

So what about those darned mosquitoes? There's a new product on the market, the Eco-trap, that apparently kills those blood-sucking fiends by the hundreds.

"It a very small contraption that fits right on your propane tank and it attracts the mosquitoes.

"It's supposed to cover up to three-quarters of an acre," said Lennie, "but you would probably have to change the catch dish quite a few times a day."

And of course, when a new product hits the stores it can cost you an arm and a leg. Lennie said the Eco-trap can be purchased at Westwind for $300 right now, but prices are sure to fall sooner or later.

"They're already making smaller versions of them, so the price is coming down a bit," he said.