Ahhh, the pot calling the kettle some derogatory term. Gotta love it!  ;D

Just like MM's example that most of us flat water paddlers wouldn't even think to mention unless you summarily ignore warning signs at dams or enjoy crawling into into washing machines for a little spin.

My only point was that if someone relies on a piece of safety equipment to the point they demands everyone else should too, maybe that person shouldn't venture out in a unpredictably, "tippy" thing like a canoe in the first place.

It never ceases to amaze me that people call certain canoes stable fishing platforms and describe solo canoes as "tipsy' or not while I'd don a PFD in any tandem long before I would in a solo - depending on the company and circumstances...

There was one woman I remember specifically who simply refused to wear her seatbelt in my car on a return drive. We had a short but serious back and forth. I had been a little maniac in my younger days and my high risk insurance rate reflected that fact. A loved one was in the passenger front bucket seat. We found middle ground when Chris agreed to sit on the hump. I didn't care one whit whether she wore a PFD at any time on that trip or not. I have no clue but I doubt anyone ever did. I just remember her and the guy who sprung her on us at the last minute got really, really lost the second last day going back to a site we had all been to before. Still good people. We all pick our battles on things we haven't quite gotten over yet.