I still can not find a comfortable PFD. Is there something out there that is durable, comfortable, and has front pockets? I have read reviews until by eyes look like a drunk. Any help will be appreciated.
Yer might like dis…
– Last Updated: Jan-03-07 10:42 AM EST –
Wha Ho, Pilgrim;
Fer touring/general rec check out de ExtraSport Retroglide Sabre. Most comfortable vest ah' gots.
FE
MTI Big Bouy
Has anyone tried one? I’m interested but have yet to find a review.
Shohlquist Motion
Have you tried the Stohlquist Motion? If so, what was uncomfortable about it. Just trying to understand the issue. Good luck.
Paul S.
shouldn’t anything that fits do?
All they’re designed to do is keep your head out of the water. Any old 17-lb PFD should do. I’m 230 and mine (a Lotus) does fine.
Also, that 200 isn’t all muscle. It’s the skinny folks who have to worry, they say. We come with a touch of natural floatation.
something along the lines
that does not bind and irritate, something I plan to wear every time I go out no matter the season. I have a lotus lolita that rubs in front of my arm pits. I would like front pockets to stuff my GPS and a signaling device, perhaps some sunscreen. I also would like to not die while making this fashion statement. I would like something that would not rub the seat back. Am I being unreasonable?
MS Fit Tour
Try the Kokotat MS Fit Tour. Very comfy and lots of pockets.
I only use mine when paddling in
big water. I find it too big/bulky for flat/calm water. Normally quite happy with my Lotus Rio Grande. However in aerated water and at 240 lbs, the standard 17 or so lbs of floatation doesn’t cut it for me.
So if the river has a lot of risk, I always take the Big Buoy. If a lake or slow stream, I don’t find it comfortable enough.
Extrasport Sabre
I’ll second the Extrasport Retroglide Sabre. I have an XXL and it is so adjustable that it fits just fine. I had seen it on sale very cheap at Sierratradingpost, but they seem to have sold out.
Could you swim…
…with a 200 pound PFD or a 200 pound anything?
That’s a lot of PFD.
do you sink or does it keep yr head up
Like one of the other posters - I have a Lotus in adult xx or whichever is their larger size. Also I too have a body with lots of natural floatation.
I like my Lotus so much I wear it even when I’m in situations where the law says it just has to be on board with me but not necessarily worn. The mesh back is very comfortable.
It took some hunting through stores and some purchase mistakes before I found my Lotus.
My first pfd was from Cabelas. What I ordered on line ended up being a pfd designed for extraordinarly large people. It had plenty of floatation and lots of bulk as well. I felt like a giant blueberry or a big blue pumpkin in it. It was not all that expensive but I hated wearing it.
Be prepared to shell out close to a hundred bucks or twice that and be patient, keep looking until you find one that you like and will actually not mind wearing. Think of it as how much wear you will get out of it per dollar. (This used to be my excuse for buying shoes at Jacobson’s - I still mourn the loss of Jacobson’s for shoe shopping)
Are you one of those people who sink like a stone? I honestly don’t know if I’d feel as comfortable in the water as I do if I had to work to stay afloat. I’m trying to remember being thin and treading water to stay afloat, but that was forty years ago and I’m not sure that I had to work at it even then.
I fear things like getting my feet caught in the weeds and being dragged down by some unseen thing below the surface. This is why I prefer to paddle on lakes where I can see through the water at least as far down as my feet dangle.
Good luck in your quest for the perfect for you pfd.
Lotus Sea Sherman
Most comfortable pfd I have used.
I was gonna say that …
… a 200-pound PFD would take a person right to the bottom, but you beat me to it 