The best life jackets and life vests

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• Whether you're headed out for a paddling trip on a placid lake or a deep sea fishing adventure on heaving swells, if you're not wearing a good life jacket, you're doing it wrong.
• The Astral BlueJacket Kayak Life Vest is our top pick because it fits securely yet comfortably and doesn't limit your range of motion while ensuring your buoyancy if you end up in the drink.

Let's get one thing crystal clear here: If you're going out on the water, whether in a kayak or canoe, on a jet ski or wakeboard, or aboard a fishing trawler, if there's any chance you are going to end up in the water, you should be wearing a life jacket, live vest, or personal flotation device, AKA a PFD.

Maybe you think you're a great swimmer and you don't need a life jacket? Well Michael Phelps is a pretty terrible swimmer when he has been knocked unconscious by a wayward paddle or a slip on a slick boat deck. Are you a better swimmer than 23-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps? So yeah, flotation devices: wear one.

Before you choose a specific best life jacket for yourself, you need to understand the various types of personal flotation devices available. They are generally sorted into four categories, with Type I PFDs being those intended for use during longer emergency periods in the water, such as after a seaman falls overboard and cannot be immediately retrieved. They are often bulky, but they can keep even an unconscious person above the water and alive.

Type II life jackets are the kind commonly stocked on commercial vessels (like cruise ships) and while they are not that comfortable and tend to limit range of motion, they can keep a person's head above the waves. Type III PFDs are life jackets designed for extended wear during all sorts of aquatic activities, such as fishing, paddling, water skiing, or boating generally. Type III PFDs are generally comfortable and won't limit your movement or activities, and they are our focus today.

This list includes PFDs that are perfect for all sorts of activities, from paddling to fishing to watersports to general use, and we have included options suitable for everyone in the family, too. Even the four-legged, tail-wagging family members. Take a minute to choose which PFD is the best fit for your needs, and then spend the cash to get it. Safety first, folks. Safety first.

Here are the best life jackets, life vests, and PFDs:

• Best life jacket overall: Astral BlueJacket Kayak Life Vest
• Best for fishing: NRS Chinook Fishing PFD
• Best for small children: O'Neill Wake USCG Vest
• Best inflatable vest: Onyx M-24 Manual Inflatable Vest
• Best affordable vest: Stearns Adult Classic Series Vest
• Best for dogs: Outward Hound Granby Dog Life Jacket

Updated on 10/29/2019 by Owen Burke: Updated formatting, links, and copy.

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