We carry lifejackets
(a.k.a. "pfd's") from MTI,
NRS, Stohlquist, Safegard, and
occasionally Palm. We can
special-order other models
from these companies as well
with a few extra days delivery
time. This section was updated
March, 2010.
Before you buy a lifejacket
- or "pfd" - you need to be
clear not only on what type of
boat you'll be piloting, but
also how much whitewater, if
any, you are going to run.
There is much confusion
about the numbered
designations of lifejackets,
specifically a lot of would-be
paddlers thinking a "type V"
(that's a roman numeral "5")
vest is for class V whitewater
and a type III for class III
rivers, etc. Although paddlers
of inflatable boats generally
use type V's for harder
rivers, this is only
coincidence and not what the
Coast Guard had in mind. If,
for example, you tried to use
a type IV floatation device
for a class IV river, you
would find yourself at the
bottom of the river in quick
order. That's because a type
IV device is a throw cushion!
The Coast Guard came up with
these category designations
for floatation devices decades
ago. So let's quickly review
the types, and then go on to
the details of what might be
practical for your purposes.
Use the following as a rough
guide only-
A watersports Type I jacket
is usually a high-floatation
"May West" model, tending to
have straps that move around
and which often do a poor job
of securing the bulbous jacket
very well to your bod. That's
bothersome enough in
whitewater. It is even worse
if it's an old fashioned
kapok-filled model (where the
kapok, a raw cotton-like
substance that grows in
coconut type tree pods, is
sealed in easily punctured
vinyl pouches inside the
vest), because anyone using
the May West for a cushion can
unknowingly pop one or more
pouches. Next time this vest
is in the water, any punctured
pouch will suck up water like
a shopvac, and you will sink
like a stone. All this said,
most newer type I's have
closed cell foam inserts and
somewhat better systems for
the cinch straps. If you work
at really tightening the waist
strap these improved May
West's could be used for
moderate whitewater though
they are not ideal. Their bulk
makes them uncomfortable and
they tend to ride up in swims.
A Type II "jacket" is
nothing more than a horseshoe
collar, and these should be
only used by good swimmers on
flat water. It's worth noting
that a few type II's are also
loaded with kapok. Inflatable
lifejackets fall in between
type II and type III and may
be designated either way
depending on the whims of the
Coast Guard and whether there
is a backside to the vest.
Type II's are often used by
canoe liveries, but it's easy
to misuse one.
Common type III pfd's are
what many of you will end up
with. These are
canoe/kayak/waterski vests
with floatation ratings (in
the adult sizes anyway) of
15.5 to 19 pounds, which is
okay for easy rivers, ocean
use, or for hardshell river
kayakers who rely on their
boat's own buoyancy for
floatation. There are some
oddball vests like the MTI Big
Buoy & Patriot that have much
higher floatation in the range
of the type V's, but because
they lack the collar or type V
test requirements, are rated
at type III.
Type IV floatation devices
are the afforementioned throw
cushions and other non-worn
floats - not a lifejacket at
all. This group can include
the familiar O-ring lifesavers
that cartoon characters toss
around.
A Type five (or "V") jacket
usually has at least as much
floatation as a Type I, and
more than any of the other
categories. Type V's are
specialized vests that almost
always have a floatation
collar if they are intended
for river use. There are
oddball inflatable,
spelunking, and special
military lifejackets that may
also be rated type V but you
won't see them on paddling
websites. NRS's Astral vest
and one or two other kayak
jackets are exceptions to the
"high floatation" rule, though
we are not sure how these got
the type V Coast Guard stamp
as they are configured. And if
you show up wearing one like
this at Lee's Ferry for a
Canyon raft trip, you may have
problems.
The purpose of the type V's
floatation collar is a) to
protect your un-helmeted
noggin from rocks, assuming
your are floating on your back
as you should be when you fall
from a raft, and b) to float
said noggin should you be
rendered unconscious. It would
be hard to find actual
examples where "b" really
saved someone's life though.
However, there is grim video
footage of the opposite
seeming to happen to a swimmer
in Idaho back in the 90's. He
was wearing what appeared to
be an Extrasport HiFloat (no
collar) and may have been
knocked unconscious. He did
not survive.
The buoyancy rating, which
is the downward force in
pounds that it takes to
submerge a jacket, is usually
a minimum of 22 pounds on a
type V, though most range
closer to the 25 - 28 pound
range regardless of what the
Coast Guard labeling may
state. Some like the basic
Stearns type V are barely 22
pounds though in the
small/medium size. Also, a few
jackets may have dual type
III/V ratings just to confuse
us.
If your paddling includes
moderate or advanced
whitewater, or heavy seas, and
you are not a hardshell
boater, the clear choice is a
type V. We hear one question
over and over again: "If I'm
paddling an inflatable kayak,
shouldn't I wear a type III
kayaker's vest?" Well, that
depends. Any of you who paddle
only mild water shouldn't wear
anything bulky, so a comfy
type 3 is the only real
choice. However, if you are a
whitewater inflatable kayaker
who paddles medium or high
flows, then you need a type V,
or one of the Patriot/Big Buoy
style vests with a type III
rating but type V floatation.
If you wear a normal type III
and swim rapids at higher
flows, you will be underwater
most of the time. Hardshell
kayakers wear type III's on
rivers because they plan on
staying in their boats, not
swimming. When your inflatable
upsets, you won't have that
option. If you are one of
those rare people whose sole
category of paddling involves
tiny low-flow class II and III
streams, then a type III vest
could be considered, assuming
you aren't overly heavy.
