20 Best Life Vest For Snorkeling (2023 Updated)

Bought this to go fishing/kayaking. Lots of freedom for the arms to cast/row. I never use the pockets on the front, not useful for fishing. The foam in the PFD is thicker than I expected in the front, and the back ventilation is decent.

If you’re only fishing (meaning you’ll probably never be in the water), might be better to buy those CO2 cartridge inflatable PFDs because they’re less bulky. The fit (size S) was good, and the polyester is more comfortable against the skin compared to other cheap PFDs.

This PFD is the best I have ever owned. It is very well designed, very well made, and super-comfortable. What I love about it is the fact that it does not impede my paddling strokes whatsoever, as it allows my arms the freedom of movement that my old jacket didn’t.

The flotation is placed low so as to keep the upper body high in the water, and the straps are perfectly positioned to keep the jacket close to the torso without riding-up. The fact that it is so comfortable makes it more likely that I will actually wear it, even on easy flat-water paddles, rather than just throw it in the bottom of my canoe (like I often did with my old PFD.

) It has lots of flotation that is well-placed, yet it is not bulky at all. Very well designed, and high-quality construction. I love the small zip-pocket for holding car keys, etc. I purchased one for my wife’s birthday as well, and she loves hers as much as I do.

You won’t be disappointed!.

I needed a PFD for paddleboarding. This jacket fits well and doesn’t seem to bulky for movement. It’s also a very attractive life jacket. I bought a women’s size small. I am 5’7″ with a 34 inch chest and it fits well.

I decided for this stylish vest instead of a cheaper more standard one and I’m really loving it. It fits well and is adjustable, is comfortable and I still feel fashionable. The material is soft and shapes great around my body, really glad to have it.

I additionally picked a cheaper product from a different company as a backup for a second person and the material is not half as nice, makes plasticky sounds and doesn’t have a good shape or fit. Highly recommend this one and will try similar products from O’Neill in the future.

Really comfortable / quality jacket for someone that really hates wearing one this one is great. As always Moosejaw delivered the item ahead of schedule,,, being by Chicago I must be pretty close to one of there warehouse’s.

I highly recommend this life jacket. There are so many these days to choose from and when it comes to one that is both functional and comfortable on 3-4 hour kayak trips, this is the life-jacket I choose.

Primarily because it is nicely padded in case I every really needed security, and secondly, there is a clasp in the lower front that I latch up. There is also a zipper in front, however, I do not zip it up.

The padded back also adds a little extra seat back cushion on my kayak. For the sale price, I highly recommend this life vest to anyone in need of one.

I bought one of each size for each family member. The largest person (height and weight) complained about the life vest riding up to his ears while kayaking and looked a bit uncomfortable. The smallest person, this did not appear to be a problem.

I wonder if the largest size would be improved if the vest were longer as it fell at an odd place on his body. We have only used them once and I cannot comment on longevity. Product recommendation depends on body shape and there is no depends to click on below.

Worked great for my teenage son who is 6ft and 160 lbs, tall and skinny. Definitely more of a medium than large. I tried it on and I’m a medium 5’6 female. It was too big in the shoulders for me but he is broad and fit well.

I purchased it because other reviews said was more of a medium. We had tried on other brands at other stores and my son is a true Men’s medium. Hope this helps.

The item is made well, looks great, but A dual size Medium/Large is really a medium. At the largest adjustment I felt like I was in a straight jacket. tight around the chest. My wife also thought it was restraining.

If you like a real snug fit this is a great item. I had to return them both. I was a little leary about exchangeing for the XL/XXL so I ordered a different product.

Well made jackets, but I had to return them due to the fact that I had hoped the they would work for kayaking. They are well made jackets, just not for Kayaking!

As we just bought an inflatable kayak and have only gone out in in once, and used our new life vests, we don’t have a lot of experience to relate. However, we bought these vests because they had pockets (for kleenex, not fishing gear!) and zipper fronts and so are satisfied with them so far.

The foam is a little stiff but I suppose all vests use the same type of life saving foam inside. We hope never to find out if they are truly life savers though! All in all, the vests are pretty much what we expected.

Love this Buoyancy Aid fits well and is easy to use. Only recommendation I would make is the sizing needs to take into account people of Athletic build. I had to buy two sizes up if the large had a bit more room that would have been ideal.

Definitely need more physical stock in stores and colours. On the whole very happy. Got me on the water.

Jobe womens neoprene life vest It’s very comfortable to wear and doesn’t interfere with my movement at all (I use it for paddle boarding)……It’s very close fitting, which is brilliant, many others that I’ve tried were just to wide and wouldn’t have been right for that reason.

It also looks great.

The life jacket itself is likely fine, but fair warning to anyone buying it online, if, like me, the size you get is wrong or you don’t like the fit etc, good luck returning it. I took mine back to a store where they said they dont accept returns on life jackets, I showed the screenshot of the order explaining that I could, I also explained they arent actually allowed to refuse based on distance selling regs.

The staff were helpful to be fair but just confused about the store policy. Eventually they took it back for a refund.

I put on the vest, and my chest fit great. but my six pac was 7 inches from the jacket. this jacket seems to make sure you have plenty of room in the midsection with out giving proper adjustment to tighten for athletic persons.

really sucks that i have to pay to return it when i would have just wanted to exchange for something smaller.

The neck opening was too large for me and the inflation valve was poorly designed. I prefer the valves that twist to open and shut and are metal. This valve’s closing was a plastic flip cap tethered by a small strand of plastic which would be susceptible to breakage and loss of cap.

Also not as effective for keeping out sand and debris out. The valve was more difficult to open to blow air in. The fabric construction seemed durable, but because of the poor, cheap design of the air valve, I would not recommend the vest.

The vest was returned.

The snorkel vest is great quality and perfect fit. Thoroughly recommend

Our 7-year old daughter enjoyed hours of safe snorkelling with this brilliant piece of kit. No tired legs and her water confidence has grown immensely.

This vest was purchased for a child, 9 yrs old. It fit. Its an XXL. Sizing is way off. The foam blocks inside are ridiculous. They will never stay down in the water. So this vest runs very small and is too buoyant.

I got this for my two children. One is 13 , 114 lbs. , it fits him great. The other is 11, 91lbs, it is a little big on her. They have plenty of room to grow with these. Very happy with the quality and price.

They will be used often.

It is a good value for the money. However, it is rather small. I am 5’10” and 185 lbs. It is an uncomfortable fit and I can barely fasten the top clip. Not a huge concern since I’m just carrying them to meet the Coast Guard requirements.

One would think that adjusting the life vest would be universally trivial right? But no, these guys made it convoluted. The topmost strap is OK. Not much range, but just enough. The bottom two straps are a mess.

How can I describe. There’s three ‘macro-level’ range adjustments. After selecting one, you can fine tune the adjustment for that range. The first range is too small. Useless. The 2nd and 3rd ranges are ok.

The 2nd range is ok if you weight 90lbs and measure 5″. Other than that, you need to select the 3rd range, and then the strap is awkwardly long, and very awkward to adjust. I managed to adjust it somewhat ok, but.

Don’t know why they had to complicate things like that with these 3 ranges. First one of which is useless, except for storing the life vest. (Too small for any human being). Disappointing.

I bought a SUP as birthday present to myself. Absolutely had to have life vest considering that everybody wanted to SUP: kids and grandparents 12 70. So I looked all over the Internet at all different life vests, and found my Perfect Vest.

1. Has open sides so it fits everyone. 2. Bright red color, easy to see even half lake distance. 3. Feels professional so no one objects to wear it.

Nice fit and not bulky at all. This is thin and will allow you plenty of motion while in your boat. The neck opening is big and there is no rubbing on your neck or limiting your head and neck movements.

The arm openings are big as well and allows you to move freely. Adjust your straps and slde right into this vest. It is so lightweight that you hardly no you’ve put it on. Love the American flag theme and is a great purchase for the American Patriots.

I had used Stohlquist vests for years and when it was time to replace my Brik and Rescue vests, their new offerings were just not as good in my opinion. Astral just doesn’t fit me right, so I thought I would try Kokatat since I’ve loved their drysuits over the years.

This vest did not disappoint. Quality materials, and great design with the totally removable rescue belt, and a flap that covers my folding resue knife to help keep it secure on it’s lash tab, and prevent snagging.

Brilliant! One PFD to cover playboating and creeking! The vest is comfortable and does not ride up like the others I tried. Great job Kokatat and Outdoorplay!.

Fantastic vest. Very comfortable to wear all day without any restrictions, a little on the heavy side when the pocket is full of the necessities. My only struggle bus is the number of straps on each side especially when I’m in my drysuit.

It’s a sight! It could be that it’s because I have short arms and can’t reach to undo them. Imagine a dog chasing its tail, that me trying to undo the straps! But! It does not in any way negate its ability to do the job it’s made for.

While I have not used it very much yet (swimming in the reservoir), it is very comfortable, it sits low on my chest, and securely stays there when swimming. It floated my head very well (I’m 160#). It holds my knife, 3 biners, chapstick, a couple prusiks, a webbing tether and a web sling reasonably well.

I also like that the knife is low on the PFD and sheltered, hoping it doesn’t snag when entering/exiting a boat. I plan to use it for hardside kayaking and IKing, up to class IV, and am really happy so far.

Cons: it is a little challenging to get on and off.

I regularly fly fish in the surf in Monterey Bay and there is always the possibility of being hit by an unexpected large wave or stepping in a hole and getting caught in a rip current while wearing bulky chest waders.

While there is no substitute for staying aware of your surrounding and avoiding taking unnecessary risks, this belt provides an additional measure of safety should all else fail. It is not bulky and does not infringe on my casting and other fishing activities.

In fact, I hang my stripping basket attachment flange over the front left web portion of the belt instead of having to use another belt. Should I get in a situation where I need to use the belt, the stripping basket will simply lift off the belt and be fully detached.

I have tried several other life vest alternatives for fly fishing in the surf but I find that I often decide not to wear them because they are too warm, bulky, and/or impede my activities etc. However, having used this belt on several outings now, I am now pretty confident that I will use it consistently in the future.

Paddleboards being used outside the surf zone are considered small vessels by the coast guard, so each passenger must have a life vest and an auditory hailing system, so I wear one of these life vests.

It is small and out of the way, and not very heavy, but it isn’t really made very ruggedly. I’m not even asking for bomb proof, just not falling out all over the place all the would be cool. The pull tag is constantly dangling no matter how many times I tuck it in, and it has this flappy construction that just doesn’t hold together well.

Probably because it’s made to pop open when triggered.

In the Ventura Harbor or on Shaver lake you need a PFD to take your SUP out. You don’t even need to wear it, you just need to have it on board. A vest is big and bulky to strap to the board. This thing goes around your waist.

I dont even notice it while I’m paddling. Once it’s inflated, by pulling the cord, it is like a pillow full of air. So you need to hug it. It’s not a vest. The vest type are bigger on your waist. This is the smallest and least bulky waist mounted PFD.

Not only does the MTI Moxie fit me well, the company was fast in delivery and great in answering questions! Their sale was also super. no doubt they do what’s possible to get us out on the water. Thanks!!.

This sits comfortably over the seat of our kayak and adjusts at several points for optimal fit. The whistle and pockets are great.

Comfortable to wear in the kayak and doesn’t hinder movement or paddling at all.

I adore this life jacket, it is comfortable, secure, and there are no straps sticking out that could get hung up on anything. it has good lift in the water, and nice big armholes to allow full movement.

the cropped design means it doesn’t interfere with my trapeze harness while sailing hobies, and it is very adjustable. I wear it cinched down when sailing my laser and loosened up over my trapeze harness (the Zhik T2, which is also wonderful!) to sail my cat.

the front pocket is quite secure and low profile, but useful for storing my phone (in its waterproof case). I got the blue and it is bright and cheerful!.

Bought these for our SB20 race team. The design is great, as it allows free movement of the arms and is comfortable with the neoprene shoulder straps. Good reverse zip doesn’t come undone and front pocket is handy for small items.

Very well designed and a good fit. The pocket could have been bigger and a key clip would have been a good idea.