Some PFD’s are particularly well-designed for paddling in a decked boat with a sprayskirt. For example, some have the rear flotation high up on your back so it doesn’t get between your back and the seatback or cockpit rim.
I recently dropped $170 or so on an NRS Odyssey PFD because it got good reviews and was supposedly designed for kayak touring. It’s a really nice PFD…but it has one irritating aspect (for me anyway), which is that it has a “full front” that tends to ride up, because when you’re in a sea kayak with a sprayskirt, the front of the PDF is a little too tall (so the bottom gets pushed up a bit by the sprayskirt). This is really annoying because I can’t stand it when a PFD feels like it’s sliding up to my chin.
Any recommendations for PFD’s that won’t do this? (Where the front is shorter and stays lower down with no riding up.)
It would be really great if manufacturers had a good photo of an average-height person sitting in a kayak with a sprayskirt on wearing the PDF.
I use the Kokatat MsFit as it was designed for women, hence, shorter waist. I think that I still have a women’s Lotus vest in the garage. Maybe called the Mocean? It was also short and didn’t ride up. I owned a Maximus Centurion and a Neptune. Both were long and rode up. I’m on my second MsFit and will probably always choose a women’s vest from here on out to counter the riding up thing.
Thanks! I have an old Lotus vest (like 15 years old) I used for whitewater paddling, and it’s pretty good because the flotation in front is relatively compact and positioned down lower on the chest. I hadn’t thought of looking at women’s vests but that’s a good idea.
Designs like this Kokatat Hustle seem best (and this is similar to my old Lotus)…so maybe I should be looking at whitewater vests and not touring vests (which often seem to be taller). The only downside to the whitewater vests is…not enough cupholders! (I mean not enough nice zippered pockets to put stuff in.) But I could live without that. (Alas, this one is $300…I’m not forking out that much!)
Something that was also of concern for me pockets. I carry a lot of stuff when I am on a trip. The Maximus Centurion and the Neptune profess to carry lots but they really don’t. I had the Maximus Centurion with the Belly Pocket and it didn’t carry as much as the MsFit. Ditto for the Neptune. It was very disappointing. Lots of pockets but little volume.
For every day paddling volume doesn’t matter and my only issue was the length. However, my usual trip stuff didn’t come close to fitting. I liked the way the Maximus Centurian allowed torso rotation but it isn’t a serious caostal touring vest IMO. The Neptune looks great and has lots of pockets but they are all low volume to look good but not really work.
I do keep my PDF pretty tight. Part of my challenge is that I tend to sit lower in the boat than some, which is because I have wide hips and cyclist’s thighs…so I usually try to lower my seat so my thighs and knees have more room under the deck…which means the “deck” of my skirt sits a bit higher on my torso than if I were sitting higher.
(I mean not enough nice zippered pockets to put stuff in.) But I could live without that. (Alas, this one is $300…I’m not forking out that much!)
