Everyone is a bad swimmer in fast cold water.
That is the kind of water I paddle and row most.
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Valid points. You have a right to be defensive. That’s why I pointed out that you can make decisions about your own life. A comparison would be shopping between nearby stores, and moving the car a short distance, maybe a block. At some point you need a judgement call. How far before buckling the seat belt - open lot, slow street traffic . . . The distance is your call - nobody has to jump in to save you. My “decision” affects me. Just me. “My” decision is to buckle by rote, always because it protects “me” from my distraction. My son-in-law regularly gets in a car, as a driver or passenger, and “automatocally” does not buckle his belt until the bell chimes for blocks. Its “automatic,” for him to neglect the seat belt.
OK. Maybe poor comparison. It’s the same in a boat. It became a habit for me to check my son-in-law. I do a long boat prep and other paddlers may be a mile away before I catch up. On one occasion, I caught up as the group approached open water. I see he was sitting on his vest. He ended up getting vertigo as we entered the open water with 18 inch waves. He couldn’t safely put the jacket on so we curtailed the trip. It wasn’t pleasant. He didn’t mean to interfere with the trip, but he bloody well did.
This is an extreme example. Years ago, a friend was using a nail gun; a crazy nail glanced off and punctured his eye. The clear gel leaked out and the optic nerve got infected. He almost lost his other eye. He now wears a pirate patch and safety glasses automatically before he touches a tool.
It is your call on the vest. Just realize that people are passionate about some things and don’t want bad things to happen. For example, the forum just had a tragic post about a health incident on the water. Some topics are vivid reminders of automatic, conditioned acts that require no judgement. Like what day should a cop wear body armor - granted, maybe not to the mailbox. Your call on the vest. Sit on it. Strap it to the bungee cords. Put it in a hatch. Tow it behind on a string. Its all cool to me unless we go out together, because my life could depend on it. Just as cool as if drinking a beer together, no offense or bitterness intended, I’d let you know with a grin: if you’re on the water without a PDF and call for help, I’ll come to assist. But I won’t risk my life to safe you. As long as you respect that. We just have a better chance if we both prepared for the worse. Automatically. That all I’m saying.
Agreed, and when in those conditions, I would wear a PFD.
“Prepared for the worst” isn’t a bad way to start a paddling trip. It is just that not all paddling trips nor “the worst” are the same.
I debated whether to take the bait on this, but why not. It’s a long tread, so I’m sure all of this has been said before but:
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I ALWAYS wear my PFD. Everyone I paddle with ALWAYS wears a PFD. In 20-years I can think of one instance when someone didn’t wear a PFD. I never paddled with them again. I didn’t lose any sleep over it, and they probably didn’t either.
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You don’t wear a PFD to help you swim. You wear a PFD to keep your head above water when you can no longer swim. Might be exertion, cold water or some other physical impairment that you weren’t planning for. We all do our best to manage risk, but bad things can happen even in low risk conditions.
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PFD is only part of a good risk management plan, but it is the part that keeps you alive until other measures can kick in.
Putting on a PFD is something that I can do every time I get on the water to reduce my risk and hopefully get me home safely. I’m OK with you making your own decision. I won’t change your mind, and you won’t change mine, and that’s OK.
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On a perfectly normal day on the water The unexpected can and does happen. I posted this last summer.
You can argue the risks are low and that is true. That becomes a moot point when something does happen. You talk about the risk on the HWY, but left out that cars have air bags and seat belts to help prevent fatal outcomes when things go bad.
Runaway speed boat, Man overboard, and Sailboat rescue! - Paddlers’ Place - Paddling.com
Air bags inflate once then disappear and you have nothing. I was in a strip mall where you park perpendicular to the stores yesterday. Started to back up person came by so fast I thought coos were chasing him. I mean he had to be doing 40 or near it. No clue how he made the turn in the road. Lucky I always back up slow. Anything is possible. If he hit me with no belt in I could care less.
I would never paddle with someone not wearing a PFD. I have enough problems without adding them. They put me at risk. So what ever direction they went I’d be heading in the opposite. Same goes for drysuit and the rest.
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Thanks, one and all for your input. My intent was not to change anyone’s mind, but perhaps change how you think about these “musts”, not necessarily your conclusion.
That said, everyone have addressed the “always PFD”, but very few have said anything about “never alone”. I find it interesting that the one seems more acceptable than the other, but I could see in some situations paddling alone could get you in more trouble than being sans PFD in other situations.
I paddle in groups, I paddle alone, but I always wear a PFD. You need to manage the risk in each situation. To me, these are two very different issues.
A lot of people couldn’t paddle very much if they followed the “never alone” rule; in contrast always following the “wear a PFD” rule would not ever prevent them from paddling.
We all take calculated risks. We all want to paddle. You do what you can to make the activity safe enough for your own risk level.
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Our local paddling groups instituted a PFD required rule at least a few years ago, because it is impossible to vet 20 or 30 paddlers who come on an as they wish basis. Many for the first time.
The most interesting part of those first couple of paddles after the rule was who found it upsetting. Not a single kayaker in the bunch was on the water without a PFD, on and zipped, on those first couple of paddles after the policy was announced. For the kayakers this was normal practice. But the canoeists in the group were making a huge deal of it.
Those of us in kayaks found it a bit funny.
Not all open boaters feel that way 
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Eckilson, I do know that. Sorry if that was too broad.
Might be a regional thing - around here (southern New England) you just don’t find experienced paddlers (except maybe for racers and paddle boarders) that don’t wear PFDs. I paddle with lots of groups both formal and informal, and it just never happens.
All true. My bottom line is I feel more in control, because it puts me in control. I look at those troop in Afghanistan with that gear and that body armor in devastating heat. A PDF is simil
ar in bulk but better fitting and a feather in comparison. If you can paddle a cross wind course or maximize wind exposure, the cooling is a welcome relief.
Nobody on this forum will tell you when it’s Ok NOT to wear a vest. That’s professionalism. - it’s the difference between a rec pastime and a serious boater.
I learned about bike helmet. I went on a nearby back road to test a new derailleur set up on my kid’s bike. The bike was undersized and I was load testing it on a short incline. The chain slipped on a short shift and I rolled like a weeble. I read that your head is 10 lbs and the g-force from a fall is “x”, so a fall from 4 ft means you have to hold “y” lbs with your neck muscles. Ahhh! What do they know - that my head would hit the ground and that I’d say “whoa”, didn’t think I’d need a helmet at 4 mph. Ironically, the only person who would be safe is an airhead. OK, not funny. A few years later, I came off the bike years later. I knew the speed was 20 mph because I had just looked up after accelerating and saw a squirrel jumping through the front spokes. Wouldn’t you know my head hit the only rock in that area and it ruined my favorite helmet.
You’re a new member. People are genuinely concerned. You just got to get used to that. It happens here. Stay safe.
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It can be variable around here, for both kayakers and canoeists. But in this evening paddle groups used to be more so with canoeists.
That said, it only took a couple of paddles before the complaints stopped. Hasn’t been questioned for a long time in this group.
I found the analogy to wearing safety glasses, safety shoes, ear protection, no jewelry, etc normal industrial safety practices quite good in the PFD discussion. I went thru a tool & die apprentice program for a major company between the age of 17 and 21 and safety was drilled into us constantly. Even before that my dad got me steel toe shoes and made me wear them for grass cutting. Something I’m willing to bet no one here does. As a kid in school we wore safety glasses in shop class so it was a natural progression to industry. The one exception to the above was hearing protection was introduced about 25 years into my career and damage was done to my ears by then.
As I progressed in industry it took me to many different locations in the country and around the world and I got to see a lot of places didn’t adhere to the strict rules I learned as a young man. People doing assembly work didn’t wear safety glasses but they may when doing higher risk tasks. It was kind of left up to the person. I found it very odd and when in these settings I would put mine on out of habit.
A lot of this is about forming a good habit and not needing to debate a gray area with yourself when they come up.
I agree with the OP solo paddling can have the unknown risk potential greater than not wearing a PFD depending on conditions. I also agree the habit of wearing a PFD does not have any overlap with paddling alone. The overlap is in risk assessment and if you assume risk is higher solo then you would be more likely to PFD when alone. But if you have formed the good habit to always PFD then it is a non factor. Just like I will wear steel toe shoes and eye protection when mowing with someone watching and also when alone.
In short almost all of life is safer if people are around you to react in the event you have a mishap.
I don’t make any separation between canoes, rec-kayaks, kayaks, jon boats, sail boats, small power boats, etc. I have never been on a cruise ship but I have to think I wouldn’t wear a PFD when having dinner with the captain or even walking around the deck looking at the ocean. It would be pier pressure likely.
So I would like to ask everyone to conceder getting a pair of high top leather work boots with steel toes, safety glasses with side shields and ear plugs to be used for grass mowing. Long paints and long sleeve shirts are also a good idea. It only takes a second to slip on grass and pull that mower onto your foot. Likewise quite a few of us work on our boats grinding and drilling and cutting this and that. Use those same safety glasses when working on the boat. Also with any chemicals and glues and such. Even when making a GL paddle. Safety First as they say.
Paddling alone is a personal choice. You live with the consequences and endanger no one else.
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I would also hold then that paddling alone without a PFD will endanger no one else. I’m not saying it is smart to do but when alone the only life in danger is your own.
I guess if someone paddling with me or I encounter in trouble without a PFD is in trouble I can become in danger trying to help them. As others here have posted I have also seen what someone struggling unable to swim can do to a rescuer in the water or in a boat. I suppose I can just sit and watch them drown or maybe toss them a life ring PFD or seat cushion if I had one with me and still be in no danger myself.
Maybe that’s another thread if you find someone capsized struggling in the water without a PFD on what would you do?