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Life jacket, life preserver, vest, buoyancy aid – they’re all different names for the most essential piece of individual safety equipment on a boat: the wearable personal flotation device (PFD). PFDs come in a wide range of configurations and styles, so it can be difficult to wade through all the options and arrive at the right buying decision. To that end, we've prepared this PFD buying guide which we hope will answer your questions and aid you in selecting the right PFDs for your needs.
By federal law, recreational boats must have one wearable PFD correctly sized for each person onboard. We offer infant, child, youth and adult sizes based on weight and/or chest circumference. A loose or ill-fitting PFD may not perform as expected or, worse, may not be worn at all, so we strongly recommend you test the fit – especially for infants, children and non-swimmers. To test, grasp the the wearer’s PFD at the shoulders and pull upward. If it rises above the wearer’s chin or ears, it’s too loose or too big. Either tighten the straps or go down one size.
Wearable PFDs for recreational boating can be divided into two categories: general boating, worn when the wearer does not expect to get wet, and water sports, worn when contact with the water will most likely occur. Inflatable PFDs, which inflate automatically when submerged, belong in the first category, as do most inherently buoyant PFDs (vests filled with buoyant foam panels). Multi-sport and ski PFDs feature several adjustment points for a snug fit that won’t shift or ride up in the event of high-speed impact with the water.
It may seem obvious, but it’s still true: An unworn PFD will be useless in an emergency. Half of all boating fatalities due to drowning occur close to shore in calm waters; in most cases the life jackets were stowed, not worn. So don’t just bring your PFD onboard, wear it!