because I have a bunch of expiring LL Bean coupons so among what they have, I like the Astral Camino.  I sit on a seat with no back and canoe in Q mostly - know kayaks and no kneeling and no seat backs to deal with.  Also looking at the Kokatat Orbit Tour - seems too "small" but I want light and airy - and the Astral V-Eight.  Opinions welcomed - especially if you have worn one of these.

If I were in your shoes, if I may; Check with the LLbean folks and see if you couldn't get an extension, they are so agreeable in general they might just allow that.  Second; given that most of us see a PFD as a pretty serious piece of equipment I'd look for the one that fit and suited me the best, no matter where it came from. Judging from your title, "..a PFD I might wear.." it sounds like you have had a less than satisfactory one in the past. Our body types and range of motion all vary person to person so any recommendation you might get will only be valid if he is a near clone of you. Besides, getting dressed as you normally canoe and trying on all the types of PFDs that you can, sounds like fun! And you would sure learn a bunch about the various types you did try, maybe something useful even if you wound up buying on line or from a catalog.
Just my two cents.
Best Wishes, Rob

Thanks.  They are sending me two - a Astaral V Eight and a Kokatat Bahai Tour - and I can return them.  I kind of think one of these will probably be a good fit and I don't have to travel to Maine - as much as i would like  to.

The thing that everybody tells you about buying a PFD turned out to be exactly true for me, namely, you've got to try it on.  I was sure after doing all the research and seeing what other people liked and looking at the pictures, that I was going to buy a Kokatat Bahia.  Absolutely positive, no doubt in my mind.  I was just about to order one on-line because it was cheaper that way but decided I would, reluctantly, go and try a few on.  Sure enough the Bahia wasn't for me.  I ended up with the Orbit which was perfect.  For my wife, on the other hand, the Orbit didn't work at all.  So I'm glad to hear you're trying at least a couple on.  But if you live in the Chicago suburbs why not take an afternoon and go down to your friendly neighbourhood outfitter and try on a bunch.  Its a pretty important purchase and it's like everyone says, you're not going to wear it if it isn't comfortable.
Good hunting.

I liked the looks af that v8 - designed for ventilation is interesting.  while I normally wear my pfd all the time, this year was so hot and relatively calm on the lakes, I didn't wear it half the time - so the ventilation features sound pretty good.  also, it seems to have a full back panel which allows for a thinner front (less bulky in front) - the Bahai on the other hand, seems to be designed for kayaks, which generally means a thin back, so most of the flotation is in the fron, making for a bulky front.  I have a Patagonia pfd like that, and it is maybe 3" thick or more in the front before putting anything in the pockets, which I find to be a bit of an inconvenience, though not an overwhelmnig one.

If those vest don't work out, you might consider giving these a look see?

I get hot easily and these were what I was looking for. Rougher water, I zip and use the buckles. Calmer water/ hot days, I just leave unzipped and use the buckles.

That mesh construction across the back/shoulders really helps a lot.

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I'm not familiar with those, but they look nice. Have you gotten to try one on yet?

I use these for work:   (You need to Login or Register (often on barges in the Hudson). In winter I've got this to put over the rest of my work garb:   (You need to Login or Register

Yeah, they're pricey, but they are compact. My experience w/ PPE is that the more I'm wearing, the bulkier my profile, the clumsier I get and the LESS safe I am. So, I've gotten in the habit of paying for competently functioning minimalism.

I have Extrasport Osprey that I started using 4 years ago. It is designed for kayak fishing.  Because of the pockets and d rings etc I use it as my ditch kit.  It ships with a whistle. It stays in  my truck for the same reason. If your survival gear is in it you may tend to wear it. If you don't wear it and you get wet at least you can swim to your life jacket which is floating. Nothing is better than wearing it of course.

Sierra Trading post has them on sale for 60.00 I paid 99.00 for mine and my sons 4 years ago.

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I have sung the praises of the Mustang PFD inflatable before and am somewhat surprised they are not a more common option with the paddling community. Standard fare for the sailing community as well as fish and game officials. Throw in the Coast Guard for good measure.

I only speak for myself............but I would have a hard time not bursting into flames wearing a traditional pfd. I get overheated while paddling or hiking when I have to much stuff on.

The initial cost can be high........especially with the hydrostatic models (automatic). I was also concerned about the additional cost and weight of a re-arm kit. But having had the idignity of rolling my boat while connected to the pike of my life (of course it was  ;) ) and causing my vest to inflate (nothing quite like 35lbs of bouyancy) I became familiar with the blow tube option. I was fairly astonished at just how few breaths it took to pump up the bladders and now I don't even think of a re-arm kit.

Anyway, the thing is so comfy you literally don't even realize you have it on.

mastertangler wrote on Jul 4^th, 2012 at 2:40am:

... But having had the indignity of rolling my boat ...

Yeah, I had the indignity of tripping on some lumber which destabilized more and sent me off a pier -- right in front of the safety officer! At least the write-up for the records had me 'clear' due to having all my ppe on at the time, mustang stole included. Just had to nurse my bruises and my pride.

I just bought a new pfd this year and absolutely love the stearns paddling vest I picked up at Cabelas. I guess its made for fly fishing in mind, but with the design basically a paddling vest with a ton of useful pockets it fits my use perfectly
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A near miss for a couple of outdoorsmen.  Received this email from a paddling partner this morning.

"The article that is at this link   (You need to Login or Register is about a friend of mine, Rick Merizon. Rick is a wildlife biologist with the Alaskan fish and game. Rick is married with 3 kids. He is an EXCEEDINGLY experienced hunter and outdoorsman. What happened to him could happen to any of us and it VERY, VERY nearly cost him his life. His brother told me he’s still in rough shape and they are concerned about organ damage since his temp when they first took it was 85."

-YB

experience is no bar to stupidity    a pfd might have kept them warmer, but wouldn't have gotten them to shore in apparantly very strong tides.  even if they hadn't flipped the canoe over, they might still have gotten washed out to sea ?  so underestimating the force/power of the tides was thier biggest mistake.

flat water canoeing / kayaking i wear a self inflating pfd, the kind with the co2 cartridge. i find it very comfortable and often times still have it on many hours after paddling. Everything else i've tried so far, i make up excuses to take it off.