Recommended PFD for solo canoeing and fishing

I fish still waters from a solo canoe and looking for recommendations for a PFD.

Thanks

I wear a PFD that I won from NRS. The model is no longer available but it's very comfortable and easy to paddle & cast while wearing it. It has a side zipper instead of one on the front of the jacket but it's not a problem. I do like the front pocket on the chest where a small box of lures or flies will fit comfortably. While my PFD is no longer made, NRS has models now that are designed specifically for fishing so you might want to check them out.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

Not going to try to recommend a specific brand or model, but make sure that you try on a multitude of styles. Some things to consider:

• Are you likely to be a 100% wear-time user, or are you someone who will have it on and off? I personally ended up with a "Class V" that doesn't open at all - it pulls over the head, and then the chest and abdomen are adjusted by straps. It is comfortable for me, but only counts toward the legal PFD requirement if I'm wearing it. Since I don't float well enough to rely on even in good conditions, I consider that a reasonable restriction.
• Every body is unique. Don't get caught up in the gendered labeling that some variants have - sure, they're targeted toward the average build, but you are you. I'm a slender-built guy, but the vest that actually fit me when I was shopping was an Astra labeled as a womens' vest. Slight differences in how the foam was cut and assembled, a little more room at chest level. I noticed that most of the "women's" vests that I tried on at the time had more flex in the torso than the "Men's" versions.
• #1 thing that a PFD must do is provide enough buoyancy to keep you from drowning. #1.5 is that it must stay in place so that that buoyancy can be applied to your person. Check this. Have someone brace you up by the front of the PFD. Does it slip? I recently considered using one of the cheap buckle-front vests that are popular with entry-level fishermen and pleasure boaters for a day out on the family boat. I put it on, and was shocked by how much the thing would ride up with absolutely no effort. I went back to the paddling vest, even though it is a little bulkier and less wieldy around boat seats.

I’ve gone through a few PFDs. My current one has a flat back to accommodate my backrest. I’m not in love with the zipper location, nor how my PLB fits on the shoulder strap. It does the trick I suppose, although I’ve never dumped in the middle of a windy lake in it.

No inflatable fans?

The NRS Chinook is a popular fishing PFD. The NRS site has the 2019 model on sale for $80.

The front zip on the Chinook will make it convenient and probably comfy but I doubt it would be as good (snug) for swimming as something that uses straps to adjust the fit.

I have an NRS Ninja that I like a lot. I value the lack of arm restriction when paddling and don't care about pockets since I carry a day pack for "stuff".

I agree that in general it's best to try on a bunch of PFD's if you can. I got lucky with my NRS Ninja that I bought online on sale without trying.

NRS.com has sales periodically and a clearance section for bargains. Outdoorplay.com is another good site to check for sales.

billconner said:

No inflatable fans?

Click to expand...

In MN an inflatable is only legal if you wear it 100% of the time.

I would go and try a bunch of different ones on and buy the one you will actually wear.

I'd replace my Salus Angler with another if I had to.

For the first 35 years of its running, the Adirondack 90 mile canoe race required a PFD to be on board as a legal requirement, but actually wearing it was optional unless the race director required it be worn due to weather conditions. Now that the NFCT has taken over running the event, insurance requires 100% wearing of a PFD. I think most every other race or official event I have seen now has the same requirement.

For many years I have used a Kokotat Orbit, which has two pockets to hold the minimal on-person mandatory survival gear required on Yukon races. Closer to home in normally calmer waters, many of us have gone to wearing inflatables. The NRS inflatable in particular has found its way to my crew due to a substantial discount by one of my paddling partners being a NRS employee.

Thanks for all the input!!

For a fishing expedition that doesn't involve serious whitewater, I like my Stohlquist Piseas. It's an older model but still in production. I see that they have a newer model "Fisherman" that I would consider if buying now.

I am not against wearing an inflatable if on flat water, but I don't like how they feel when paddling. AFAIK, if you only have the inflatable with you, you are required to wear it under USCG regulations.

I have two.

The one I use most often is a West Marine inflatable. Light, doesn't interfere with my back rest, not hot (this was more an issue when I lived in LA), fairly comfortable neoprene neck liner, and for short portages (1/4 mile or less), I can stand wearing it with my backpack and canoe overhead (still prefer to single-carry most of the time.)

The other one is a cheap Stearns I bought at WalMart about 2007/8ish. It's just foam filled, couple straps, nothing fancy, no pockets. Where it excels is in the colder months of Early April and October... there, I can wear a rainjacket over it with no puffy layer and stay warm. I can spread it open and sit or lay on it around the fire. I can spread it out under my sleeping pad for extra warmth (using my Crazy Creek chair, spread open, for the other half. Usually use the CC for the head to butt part, and the Stearns for the legs.) This one is bulkier and I can't wear my pack with it, but if I do have to double a portage, it softens the load with its padded shoulders.

I keep seeing PFDs I like in people's paddling videos... plenty of pockets, or have an integrated fishing vest... but then I look at the prices, and become very happy with what I already have.

I went with the NRS Chinook and it seems to fit the bill. More pockets than I need but it does have a nicely sized pocket for a cell phone for quick access to take pictures of fish I catch, along with bald eagles and beavers and fighting turkeys and such.