White Rose Canoe
stocks
Astral & NRS PFDs
About PFDs
How do you choose a life vest? There are two features that are essential in a PFD:
1. It keeps you afloat when you need it to.
2. It is comfortable enough that you will wear it.
The first point is fairly simple - if you buy a reasonable quality PFD and wear it properly, it will keep you afloat in all normal circumstances. If you buy from a reputable brand, you can have faith that the life vest will work for its purpose as long as you are wearing it, wearing it correctly and are keeping it in good functional condition. PFDs should be replaced at least every 10 years.
The second point is trickier, because it is subjective and a matter of personal preference and what fits your body. It is important to come to a shop and try on a few different vests. Bodies are all different shapes, and vests come in all sorts of different designs. Here are some factors in PFD design to consider when looking for a new one:
High back or full back: High back PFDs came about primarily for kayaking where the back of the vest can hook or bump against the kayak seat back. This is less of an issue in a canoe which typically doesn’t have a seat back. The advantage a high back jacket might offer in a canoe is more ventilation - less of your back is covered. But the offsetting drawback is bulkiness - the floatation material that would be on the lower back has to be moved to other parts of the vest, making them thicker and more obtrusive.
More coverage or less: Some life vests are designed to cover as little of the body as possible, usually meaning they have larger arm holes and they are shorter top to bottom. Others cover more and take the shape more like a suit vest. The advantages of the low coverage vests are more freedom of movement and more ventilation. The drawback is once again that the vest needs to be thicker to fit in all the needed flotation material. The vests with more coverage are able to be thinner but offer less ventilation. Speaking generally, the less coverage vests work better for more active paddlers like white water or racers, but it is really a matter of what feels comfortable and works for you.
To be continued…