Life Jacket Question

Advice
#1

Anyone have a suggestion on a comfortable life jacket?



I will be purchasing a sit on top kayak sometime within the next week and plan on doing some fishing as well as recreation paddling.



I was thinking about getting a manual or automatic inflatable life jacket. Here is an example of what I am looking at. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/270022/377%20710%201218/0/Life%20Jackets/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710%201218&Ne=0&Ntt=Life%20Jackets&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=8&subdeptNum=106&classNum=12387



Does anyone have one? Any advise on if I should get one like this?

#2

Not an automatic!
The first wave and…Poof you blow up like a big balloon.



I saw it happen to a sailing buddy. You don’t want to be doing a lot of swimming in it once it is blown up it is very large.



The best deal I’ve seen for a fishing vest is at Cabelas:



http://www.cabelas.com/



They have some great store brand vests and carry the MTI Calcutta vest at a great price.



I’m thinking about getting it from a more local store that does price matching.

#3

If your nom de p.nut is any indication
of where you live,look at an Astral V-8. Very comfortable and reportedly as cool as a PFD can be in hot weather.I tested the comfort;not the hot weather.

I have a Lotus Mildwater and it is perfect for my SOT or canoe.

#4

Astral LDB (nm)

#5

I use 'em
for sailing bigger boats they’re great. However, the ones I own, and others I have used are not at all comfortable without a t-shirt on underneath. They are designed to be worn over a jacket, and so are not very skin-friendly.



For kayaking, I’d probably get a manual inflatable. The self-inflating (auto or manual) vests are much heavier than a foam vest. I’m very aware of when I’m wearing one while sailing. In my mind, the main advantage of these inflatables is that they provide much better flotation and visibility in big seas. Those are considerations on an offshore sailboat, but not so much for a kayaker. One of the hybrid foam/mouth-inflatable kayak vests would probably be a much better choice for a kayaker.

#6

Astral V-8
Take a look at the reviews on this site. I’ve had mine for several months, many trips, and it is especially appreciated in hot weather.