20 Best Type 1 Life Jacket (2023 Updated)

If you boat off shore, you need some of these preservers. They keep your head out of the water even if you get knocked out. Save yourself and your fishing buddy when things go horribly wrong. Cannot be too safe, they take up a little more storage room than a std preserver.

Would buy again.

My 12 year old is not quite a child, nor a teenager, but this Life Vest has armholes and is perfect for her, because she’s a 78 pounds, tall, slim, young lady. Wholesale Marine accepted PayPal and shipped this well packed product out very quickly.

Thank you for a smooth transaction. AAA+++.

Actually one of these PFD’s arrived damaged. West Marine replaced it immediately. No questions asked. Good product. Great company.

High quality vest. Reflecting stripes clearly visible. I will buy again when needed.

I am a plus sized gal who loves to paddle a canoe. My old life vest was big and bulky and made paddling tough. This life vest is the perfect solution. It is very thin and light when paddling, but inflates instantaneously when you hit the water.

How do I know that? I got to see it in action when my husband and I accidentally flipped our canoe. Fortunately we were near shore, but this thing inflated within seconds. I was very impressed with how much buoyancy it had.

Luckily you can purchase rearming kits, too, so I will be able to reset the vest for our next trip out. I love this life vest and have purchased another one for my husband.

Shipping took less than a week, ****** responded to my only question which was regarding whether the cylinder is included or not, and YES IT IS INCLUDED. I would definitely repeat buying from this ******.

As for the PFD it self: – IMPORTANT: This PFD is US coast guard approved. There are other quality and good reviewed Inflatable PFDs out there, that have different certifications, but are not US Coast guard approved.

So keep this in mind. – I have not tried it on the water yet. But I did a lot of research online about different types of Inflatable PFDs and their firing mechanism. If this is your 1ST inflatable PFD like me, it can be a bit confusing.

-So here is the summary: There are two main types of inflatable PFDs: Auto and Manual only. This ONYX PFD has an option to switch from Auto to Manual only mode. All inflatable PFDs (including Auto) can be inflated by pulling the jerk to inflate handle and or by plowing air into the mouth piece.

There are different types of firing mechanisms. This specific PFD gets inflated when the yellow bobbin gets wet then it triggers the firing pin which then pierce the CO2 cylinder causing the PFD to inflate.

If you switch it to the manual only mode, it will not get inflated unless you pull the jerk to inflate handle. The manual only PFDs are ideal for when you are worried about accidental firing/inflating.

For my fishing and boating needs the automatic mode is recommended. If however, i wear this while skiing or with similar activities, I will have to switch it to manual only mode to prevent it from accidental inflating.

– Important: The PFD gets delivered unarmed. You must arm it by installing the CO2 cylinder before putting it on. Doing so is easy enough, yet its a bit intimidating if its you first ever inflatable PFD and if you are trying to rely only on the text manual.

Watch these YouTube manuals and you will find it so easy to setup and arm. 1) Rearming and repacking instruction video:youtu. be/Wy6aEZxJsnA 2) Switching from Auto to Manual only mode video:youtu. be/gMFGwHZyp1A – Its also recommended to buy and carry a rearming kit which you need to rearm the PFD and to replace the CO2 cylinder each time you inflate the PFD.

Make sure its the compatible rearming Kit Onyx A/M-24 Rearming Kit for Automatic/Manual Models ONYX KIT ITEM#K320 or part #1002295. Sold on walmart /ip/Onyx-A-M-24-Rearming-Kit-for-Automatic-Manual-Models/21439606 for $19.

– Rearming kit should include: (1) 24-gram CO2 cylinder with a 1/2-inch thread (2) yellow water-soluble bobbin for automatic activation – this should not be older older than 3 years from the production date and some recommended that it should be replaced at least once a year (3) green indicator clip – Fit is nice and its very light weight.

– Appearance is very basic but I dont care much – It comes with a mesh carrying bag which is nice.

While I like to wear a foam life jacket when paddling, when fishing I very much appreciate inflatables. I have had several over the years, and found this to be really comfortable and affordable. Yes, inflatables require a little maintenance occasionally, but the benefit of staying cool and comfortable (and SAFE) is worth it.

My wife insists I wear it when fishing alone, and I actually do! I haven’t had to use it in the water thankfully, but love the confidence it provides on the water. The folks at Onyx provided product for me to test, and it performs great.

I may do a swim test and jump in when the weather warms up. it only costs a small amount to rearm and is easy to repack.

Tried this vest on locally at a national chain-but they wanted over 100$ for the vest. Tackledirect had the same vest for under 30$, even including the shipping. It’s a no-brainer!

We bought this in blue last year. Same vest. Infant size with the back headrest floaty and a STRAP ON TOP. It’s been fabulous. Especially that handle. Haha! We bought this last year and go out on our boat nearly every weekend.

It’s still holding up great! I would buy this again in a heartbeat. Great deal for a low price!.

Very inexpensive and work great! Bought for our twins to go on the lazy river at a resort in Jamaica. Weren’t too big to pack in the suitcase. Unfortunately our kids freaked out when I let them float on their own, so I can’t comment on how well they floated, but their heads were above water for the few moments I let them loose.

Secures pretty well to the kids and with a rash guard on, they did’t get any abrasions in the armpits. Our kids were 24 mos (30-ish lbs) when they wore them and it was still a bit large, not huge, but I pulled the buckles tight and the vest touched edges in the middle, however, it was secure and gave us peace of mind.

I figure they can wear this for another year or two – perhaps more.

Good fit and comfortable. Works for men and women due to the thinner foam on top of chest – at least it works well for me, a smaller breasted woman. I don’t fish but all the pockets are still handy – I can carry a folding knife, compass, sunscreen, and snacks.

A phone fits also. No good spot for a ready-to-grab sheath knife but I don’t plan to wear this PFD where I might need one. I have 2 other PFDs but picked this one up for the times I end up paddling a kayak with a tall seat back – though I’m using it more often than that.

The soft foam that Kokatat uses is a plus, and the ability to add their hydration pack to the back. I find it a bit difficult to start the zipper as it requires loosening the side straps and aligning the foam carefully (I’m at the small end of the small size range).

I have swum in this and it stays in place very well.

This is the best Life Vest I have ever owned. Most importantly, it makes you one of the more fashionable kayakers on the water. I might not be very graceful, but people look up to me just because of how I look wearing this.

Often, I just have my wife push me out into the water and I just drift posing for pictures. The features are well placed and useful. Easy access to the tools and items I need while fishing. It is extremely well made and adjustable.

Also, it “breathes very well on those hot afternoons.

I bought this with the intent of using it packrafting. I need a lifejacket hat is light weight yet durable. I would be hesitant to use this in big water and/or class IV-V water as I would want a rescue vest with more bouyancy.

In moving water without huge rapids or large sucking whirlpools I believe I have found a great lifejacket.

Love the colour (Glacier Ice). The mesh back is great for sitting and breathability. Nice big arm holes to allow easy paddle movement. The pockets could be a bit bigger for putting your hand into, so I only use mine to carry my water licence.

Service & Delivery was great and very quick. I would buy again.

It floats! It’s breathable! It’s comfortable! The orange color is very visible! Do yourself a favor and make the commitment. It could save your life!

This vest works. Saved my life on June 14 2022 after me and my wheelchair went overboard into tibbee creek until I could get to safety. I am a paraplegic man bound to a manual wheelchair

Very comfortable. Wore it during a recent kayak trip. Enjoyed how minimal it was, didn’t restrict motion, and is cooler than other jackets.

It took a little longer to sip then expected but the customer service at L&M where absolutely great with helping me track my shipment. Even called me the day of delivery to make sure it was at my front door when I returned home.

That is excellent old fashioned customer service!!.

The large size didnt fit properly. Do not buy it if you have big boobs. I got my refund back but it was a bad purchased. I used the same box for the return, however there were charges for return the product and the mail cost was a lot.

Purchased 4 for our yacht. Fit adjusts easily. Haven’t used yet, thank God! Great piece of mind knowing they’re onboard!

I am so styling and comfortable in all my water activities! U.S. coast guard approved. I love it! Thanks Moosejaw. You are too cool also! I will be buying more life jackets from you.

Would recommend the CGA Wakeboard Vest because it is lightweight, easily secures when worn & appears to provide quality for the price.

My granddaughter loves her new live vest. I highly recommend 88 Gear for your water sports needs because of excellent pricing, service and very fast free shipping.

This is a great rescue vest. I’ve had mine for a few seasons of commercial guiding now and it still holds up. Pros: Extraordinarily comfortable. Lots of internal pockets for storing sunscreen, carabiners, rescue gear etc.

The fuzzy lined main pouch pocket is great especially on cold days. The best part is the side entry – compared to the Astral Greenjacket, the Zen is really easy to take on and off. Cons: Some of the zipper pull tabs have failed, and some of the internal pocket zippers have become stuck.

I’ve had this jacket for a while now and desert rivers tend to chew through gear quicker than other places with all the silt and sun, so this seems like pretty normal wear. Don’t forget to lube your zippers if you raft in silty rivers like the Colorado/Green.

The biggest con, and the reason this jacket only received four stars, is the knife placement. The only option for the holster is smack-dab in the center of the fattest part of the jacket. This jacket is pretty fat to begin with, like most rescue vests with clamshell pockets, and the knife sticks out quite a bit.

Carrying things, getting back into the boat, squeezing though small spaces – all of these things are made more difficult through the knife placement. I’ve ripped off a few knives from them getting caught because the handle sticks out so much.

Suggestions to mitigate this problem: place the knife horizontally on the patch of fabric to the wearer’s left of the safety strap buckle, below the clamshell pocket. This will keep the profile slim and keep the front of the jacket clean and crisp.

OR, if you must keep the knife on the clamshell, give the wearer the option to place it horizontally, to prevent the handle from catching on the OS line when you are launching yourself back into the boat.

Overall, great jacket, especially for guiding, just please please figure out a better knife placement, and it would be the perfect PFD.

Agree with the bulk of the reviewers with regard to knife placement, but ranked lower because the NRS Pilot knife is particularly incompatible. I realized the NRS Pilot river knife has an insanely sharp handle once I started catching my hand on it with every other oar stroke.

OUCH! Why is the butt of that knife so freaking sharp?! That’s a different review though. Tried to swap out the knife, but ended up breaking the sheath of the knife trying to get it out of the PFD knife mount.

Now I have a useless knife. Seriously. There has got to be a better system for attaching knives by now. Otherwise this is a super solid PFD. Key keeper does get stuck in inner zipper. The outer zipper seems like it’s going to fail prematurely.

Side pockets for pullies and carabiners would nice. It is comfortable and I do like the front pocket.

I love the vest but my issue was with sizing. The description says 55-75lbs. My two kids 4-6years old and 45. 5-47. 5 inches tall and are 57-59lbs so I thought it would fit both with no problem as they are on the lower end of the weight range listed.

It fit my son who is my older but smaller child snuggly, (like a life vest should fit not to ride up their back/neck when they are in the water). It did not fit my daughter at all. We could barely zip and and the poor child couldn’t breathe in it.

She’s only 2 lbs more then my son, again on the lower end of the listed weight range. It came down to chest size. He’s 25 inch chest and she’s broader 26-27 inch chest. We ended up returning hers for the Youth Large which is 64+ lbs.

that fit her well. I wish OBrien would include chest size ranges in addition to weight for kids, it would make it a lot easier to buy and less returns/exchanges when buying online. If your child is broader I would suggest the Youth large not small.

The jackets are pretty comfortable according to my kids, the v-back design help the comfort and they love the colors.

My 52lb son just outgrew his Child (30-50lb) PFD. it was way too tight when zipping it. The next size up in PFD’s is a Youth(55-95lb) We tried the Youth size but it was dangerously loose and would easily pull up over his head.

There has always been a lack of options for kids who didn’t fit into the Child PFD’s but were too small for the Youth size. This is the first time I’ve seen options for kids that fall in between these sizes.

We purchased this Youth Small(55-75lb) PFD and it fit great! Although, I have purchased NRS leg straps to attach to this for added safety. This vest is also available in Youth Large(64-88lb) but not from Target.

When it’s time to upgrade though, I believe our next PFD will be the NRS Big Water V. This is used primarily for kayaking and I would recommend.

I bought two of these, one for my 6 year old and one for my 3 year old. I was kind of skeptical considering they both would need the same size but I went through with the purchase. They shipped right away and were delivered in less than a week.

When I tried the vests on the girls I thought that maybe they would be too tight but I tried them on over their clothes, not their swimsuits. The next day I put them on over their swimsuits and they fit perfectly.

My 6 year old who cannot swim, was comfortable in the pool by herself with the vest because she couldn’t sink. My 3 year old would’ve been able to float freely but she was scared. The vests are USCG approved which was very important to me because those are the only ones allowed at our theme parks and they are the only ones I trust.

Overall this was a great purchase and I’m so glad I bought them!.

I’ve been patiently, (No, really!), waiting for REI to get this PFD in, for some time now. I lost about 120 pounds, and needed to replace my NRS Ninja, as it no longer fits. My kayak has one of those lawn chair style seats, and, I wanted a vest with a high back, which would ride above the seat back, and wouldn’t be constantly pushing me forward.

From the pictures, this one seemed to fit the bill. I tried it on, at REI, and the fit was wonderful. I can see many future miles ahead of me, paddling with this vest.

Just enough storage without getting in the way while paddling or hauling bags. The large pocket fits my mid-sized iPhone with case and the smaller one takes random items I might need on me. The thin back makes shouldering a pack easy but is less than ideal when using a seat with a back.

Great overall fit and adjustability without too many extra straps in the way.

This is one of the best life jackets I’ve ever owned. This PFD is a Type III with intended uses for paddling and sailing, and I use it for both purposes. It is very comfortable and the sizing is forgiving.

It doesn’t ride up when you’re sitting down, which is a huge plus for paddling especially. I will be purchasing extras to keep in my sailboat for guests. I ordered M/L and I’m 5’4’’ and about 170 lbs.

I got this to be lake compliant on my sup. Its four layers of 1sheets. I never actually put it on all summer. Makes for a nice pillow. Lol I dont know if I would count on this to save my life if I were unconscious.

Just got these for our new (to us) boat. As expected, they are great quality and we are glad to have them – although we hope not to need them! Thanks Wholesale Marine!

Was informed by law enforcement that our 4yr old needed a type 1 or type 2 pfd to go in the boat. We had him in a nice neoprene type 3 with handle and leg strap at the time. Couldn’t find a type 2 in a zip up jacket style for over 30lbs.

Ran up to west marine and picked this up. At first glance we thought we would have gotten the typical 4 yr old push back about a different kind of pfd but it was easy to put on (probably easier than the nice neoprene one) and he could still move around freely in it to fish and play at the sand bar.

He now loves his “new orange life jacket” and we are in compliance with MI watercraft laws.

With the life jacket closed properly, there is a maximum girth measurement. You should tell the shoppers this. Our little girl of age 10 is skinny. Her breasts are small. She weighs 80 lbs. We could not close the clasp.

The floatation rectangles were not aligned. Too small for her. We are going with the adult size though this might be too big. There isn’t a medium size on the market. As a commercial type 1, they should have that size.

I needed some better jackets for the offshore conditions I encounter, although hopefully I will never have to use them in a real emergency! These jackets go on sale at least once a year from WM, so take advantage of this 40% off sale.

My only gripe is the metal clip for the strap is not stainless and WILL rust.

Safety is very important when crossing the bar. fishing off shore,whether one mile or ten. It’s not good enough to just be legal, to be safe in all conditions is of utmost importance. These type 1 PFD ‘s do the job well.

The price is awesome. extremely affordable.

It is well made and well priced. Too bulky to swim in but that is the fault of the new regulations. I preferred their pre regulation model PFD1 by far, they could be worn all day in comfort. I will keep this one for a spare.

I have since purchased a green inflatable Watersnake jacket which is far more comfortable for extended use and excellent value. The inflatable is highly recommended. David B.

Great life jacket. But be aware not to buy from Hooked online. They will rip you off big time. Best price and service form Dinga-fishing.

Fits perfectly and will be used for a number of years.

Looks nice.

TranslateShow in original languageHieman kevyempää odotin, mutta ei ole aiempaa kokemusta paukkuliiveistä. Remmien säätäminen hieman työlästä, mutta jos koko ajan saman henkilän käytössä ja remmejä ei tarvitse säätää, on päälle pukeminen helppoa.

TranslateShow in original languageDen ser ut att passa personen i fråga. Han är runt 180 cm lång. Han har inte haft anledning att använda den ännu. Därför kan jag inte recensera produkten. Vänliga hälsningar, Birgitta WH.