A friend of a friends Dad was a policeman in a major metropolitan area for many years. He remarked that he had never responded to a major traffic accident in which a fatality had happened where the victim had been wearing a seatbelt. I suspect (and I bet statistics will bear this out) that a similar comparison can be made with PFD's. How many drowning victims had a PFD on? Not many I suspect.

Is there a more inherently dangerous watercraft than a canoe? ( yea I know, the Titanic and rafts put together with vines come to mind) But you get my drift. I know many of you are very experienced and feel confident of evaluating risk. There is always the unexpected though. I have occasionally wondered how many drowning are as a result of a medical condition? Vertigo, fainting, heart attack or stroke (God Forbid) to name a few. These can come on suddenly and if you or your partner find yourself far from shore, capsized as a direct result of the body giving out.......Unlikely perhaps. But I suspect it happens more often than anyone would think and the ability to determine wether the condition happened before or after the drowning would be difficult or impossible to ascertain. This is just one way a boat could conceivably go over. Of course there are the usual suspects. Big waves and throw in a little "side current" and bingo. I had not intended to get morbid but rather make a point. As Snow Dog has already pointed out the consequences are potentially catastrophic for you and loved ones.

My little boat handles rough water amazingly well. It just bobs right along. I have skirted the shores of Bayley while tandems stacked up waiting for the evening calm. I have had big following seas push me the entire length of Argo. But my wake up call came on a perfectly flat portage landing. A rounded rock had caught my boat amidship and gave a false sense of security. I was completely stunned at how quickly I was in the water. I know this isn't a very good example but that feeling of being stunned and surprised at being in the water would probably be a shared trait among those that find themselves in H2O.

Earlier I had said I was not an advocate of an inflatable. I will be one now to those of you that for various reasons choose not to wear a PFD. You REALLY don't even know you have the thing on. It will be there for you when you need it. If you can swing it I suggest the higher quality. I like the self inflating hydrostatic model I have. Water pressure is required to activate it. There is a clear window with a color code. Green is go. With 35lbs of flotation (you need at least 8 to stay afloat) you are good to go even offshore in the salty stuff. The Coast Guard wears them so I think if you get a quality brand you would be hard pressed to go wrong. Think about it. Snow Dog put it best.