PFD or Lifejackets

[ldmrt]

I've grown up in a canoe and in the river. I think I'm pretty adept at handling one and our rivers up here are pretty tame. I never wear a life jacket or PFD, never did as a child either. My dad always said that if we fell out of the boat, he'd pick us out at the back.

As I get older and wiser(? maybe), I think that I should maybe start to wear one. I usually use it for a pillow as we float along.

So, what brand does everyone use? I guess partially the reason I don't like to wear one is that I've always found them uncomfortable and akward to wear. And they interfere with my tan

[ryanward10]

WOW! I could not be any farther at the opposite end of the spectrum. It's interesting to read a polar opposite view for me. I always wear a PFD and am hesitant to paddle with anyone who refuses to wear their PFD. I also always wear long sleeves and a broad rim hat to avoid sun exposure (so I guess I don't get tan lines either). I like the PFD because I know that if I get tired, cold or bump my head on a rock or something I won't drown in a foot of water (nobody wants to win the annual Darwinism prize). I've flipped in relatively calm as well as fast water, and I'm always instantly grateful to have some buoyancy while i figure out what the hell happened, and how to get back in the boat or to shore. I wear a Stohlquist Wedge, it has generous room for arm movement, and is cut high enough that I can wear my spray skirt under the PFD without pushing down on the skirt, or have my backrest pushing up on the jacket. My wife has a Kokatat Bahia, a very adjustable jacket. We keep matches, magnesium firestarter, 4"knife, small container of bugspray, and sometimes a GPS attached or in pockets of our PFDs. That way if one of us lose a boat and/or end up stranded alone on shore, we stand a chance. We spent 80-120 each for a nice, comfortable, properly fitting PFD, I'm so used to mine I'd feel naked without it.

Anybody have a story about getting stranded on shore, or falling in and wishing they had their PFD?

[mitchell]

Salus Marine makes a very comfortable PFD as well and they are Canadian made. They start around $90 and can get as high as $200. Even the cheapest ones are lightweight and have pockets.

[ldmrt]

I've never flipped or even come close to swamping in a canoe ever. And since I've been canoeing since I was 1 and pretty much every weekend in the summer until I was 10. My parents didn't own lifejackets for us and never even thought of putting them on us. We always had a 20 ft. wooden canoe and I remember my sister and I dancing on the gunwales and running up and down them(no fear!). That's why my dad always made the comment about just picking us up at the back if we fell out in the front.

I guess back in the late 70s early 80s safety just wasn't the same as it is now. I used to ride my horses bareback with no bridle and no helmet when I was a teenager too.... now after a few falls as an adult, you would never catch me without a helmet, I value my brains too much!

[tickles]

Call me vain but I always wear one, It hides the start of my small belly that is growing to complement my getting old... Now if I did have something to show off I might for go the PFD once in awhile..:0

[tgneal]

Check this out;

www.myccr.com/SectionForums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=33606

[Ken Corbett]

Linda,

I'm not knocking your beautiful and serene Upsalquitch, but if you try some of the steeper streams in the Nepisiguit or Miramichi basins, you will appreciate the need for a PFD.

I just wear the el cheapo Canadian Tire Brand. It's saved my life on a few occasions, on the Tay, Penobscot, Nepisiguit, and others. You can fork out big bucks for a stylish PFD, but the key is to wear it.

[drideough]

I grew up going fishing with my Dad in the Passamaquoddy Bay and various lakes and then later we took up sailing and we never wore PFDs either, but things were a bit different way back then. Nowadays, I spend my spring/summer/fall in a sea kayak and I would never dream of paddling without a PFD. The club I'm with requires it as well. A PFD lashed to your deck or stashed behind your seat does nothing for you if you've capsized in wind or currents and gotten separated from your boat. And even if you grab the PFD, I defy anyone to get into it while in the water (my kayak instructor made us try to do it once!) But no matter how good a swimmer you may be, if you're 10 km offshore, you're going to have a tough time making it, especially in rough or cold water. I've gotten dunked a couple of times in cold water (like the Passamaquoddy) and I know from painful experience that after about 10 minutes, you're going to lose the ability to swim at all.
If you don't want to wear a PFD, that's your choice, but the law says you have to carry one. There's PFDs designed for specific activities, PFDs designed for women, PFDs designed to be non-interfering, etc, so there's really no excuse unless you want someone to collect on your life insurance.

[ldmrt]

Oh, if I was on any other river than the Upsalquitch and Restigouche, I would definately wear one. I go whitewater rafting every fall in Maine and don't even question that I have to wear one and that it is strapped on so tightly I can hardly breathe.