How To Wear A Kayak Life Vest

Every kayaker who heads out on the water must know how to wear a kayak life vest. Luckily, today's life vests re not the big, bulky orange beasts from years gone by. Although far from sexy, a kayak life vest will be designed with smaller shoulder straps and larger arm holes to allow for freedom of the arms while paddling. There will be a breaking in period for any kayak life vest but, the right vest for you should feel good the very first time you put it on.

1. The very first step in wearing a kayak life vest is to select the right one. The personal floatation device (PFD) should fit snugly but allow for ease of movement. Select a PFD which goes to the waist to allow for the kayak sprayskirt. Put the life vest on and twist and turn to either side to make sure that there is not impeding the movements. Select a life vest with a few pockets for stowing of a few dollars, your keys, or sunscreen.
2. Zip or buckle the front of the life vest. Most kayak life vests will probably have snap buckles, like those on a typical dog collar. If there is a zipper up the front, make sure to zip the life jacket before buckling those snap buckles.
3. Tighten up the buckles so that you're snug in the life jacket. Pull the straps on the snap buckles to snug them for your body. You should only have to do this once if no one else wears your vest although they may slightly stretch out with wear. Check the fit every single time you put on your kayak life vest.