What’s The Best Life Jacket? ----- Over The Many Decades As One Of Milwaukee's Wisconsin's Major Boat Dealers, We Often Heard The Question, “What’s The Best Life Jacket?”. The Best Answer We Can Give Is, “The One You Are Wearing, When Disaster Happens And Saves Your Life!”.

You Are More Likely To Be Wearing A PFD If It Fits Well And Is Comfortable Enough To Wear All Day While On The Water.

Complete Range Supply ----- We Supply A Wide Array Of Models To Ensure There Is A Good Fit For All Body Types, And, On-Water Activities And Applications.

Everyone, Including Good Swimmers Need A PFD ----- Even If You Are An Good Swimmer, A Personal Flotation Device (PFD) Provides Safety From Unforeseen Accidents While Near Or On Bodies Of Water; Such As Frigid Water Body Seizure, Bodily Injury Preventing Swimming, Fatigued Person, Passing-Out Knocked-Out During Accident, Heart Attack Or Other Medical Issues.

A Properly Chosen And Fitted PFD Can Literally Be The Factor Between Your Life Or Your Death!

Floatation, How Much? ----- Typical Adults Wearing Just A Bathing Suit Need 7 To 12 Pounds Of Extra Flotation To Keep Their Head Out Of Flat Water. The US Coast Guard Specifies A Minimum Of 15.5 Pounds Flotation In An Adult PFD. If A Person Is Comfortable When In The Body Of Water, A Jacket With 16-18 Pounds Of Design Flotation Should Be Fine. If The Person If A Non-Swimmer, The Person May Feel More Secure In A Higher Flotation Rated PFD; In The 22-27 Pound Range. The More Muscle Mass A Person Has, The More Flotation The Person Needs.

More Flotation Better? ----- The More Flotation In A PFD, The Faster The Wearer Floats To The Surface. However, The Additional Flotation Makes The PFD Bulkier And Possibly Less Comfortable. Finding a PFD With Good Head-Up Positioning While Floating Is The Most Important Criteria, Then Comes Comfortable Functional Fit. What Good Is A PFD Or Life Jacket If It Floats You Face Down, Causing You To Drawn?

Only Saves Life If Wore On Or Near Water ----- The Highest Flotation PFD Or Life-Jacket, And The Best Fit And Make, In The World, Cannot Save Your Life Unless You Are Wearing It, When It Is Needed! Accidents, Disasters, Medical Emergencies Just Happen - Suddenly - Without Warning - JUST WEAR IT!

Considerations When Choosing Your PFD:

In Addition To Flotation, The Following Items Should Be Considered When Choosing A PFD:

	Multiple Adjustment-Points	Helps Obtain A Comfortable And Correct Fit For Your Body Shape. A Close Fit Is Required To Prevent The PFD From Slipping Over Head When Impacting The Water And While In Waves, Etc.
	Large Armholes	Enables Active Movement In Rowing; Kayak Paddling; Waterskiing, Wakeboarding, etc..
	Lash Tabs/Anchor Points	For Securing Personal Rescue Aids: Personal Rescue Strobe Minimal, A Webbing Cutting Personal Rescue Knife, Signaling Mirror, Submersible Flash Light, Personal Satellite Rescue Beacon, Other Personal Rescue Devices.
	Pockets	For Stowing Easy Access Items.
	Light And Radar Reflectors	Reflective Tape Or Piping; Radar Reflective Patches/Tape To Be Seen While On The Water! It's extremely Difficult To See A Person Floating On Water, Make Sure To Make Yourself Highly Visible To Watercraft, Ships And Aircraft!
	Kayakers, Beware Of Seat-Back Interference	Look For A PFD Designed Properly For Kayaking In A Kayak With A Seat. To Avoid Interference With The Seat-Back In The Kayak, Fine A PFD With Reduced Foam Thickness, Or, With Mesh In The Lower Back Of It.
	Bright, Vivid Color	Choose Bright Brilliant Vivid Color For Higher Visibility! Darker Colors, Navy Blue, Camos Are Not Good Colors To Wear On The Water! They Are Very Hard To Detect And See From Faraway And Up-Close Against The Background Color Of Water! Yellow Has Proven To Be The Best High-Contrasting Color Against A Dark Blue Water Background.

Children Fitting PFD:

Children’s Bodies Are Difficult To Fit With A PFD; To Work Right It Must Fit Snugly! To Check For A Good Fit, SLOWLY CAREFULLY Pick The Child Up By The Shoulders Of The PFD. If The PFD fits right, the child's chin and ears will not slip through. A jacket with leg straps helps prevent ride-up, giving an extra measure of safety.

U.S. COAST GUARD PFD RATINGS:

	TYPE I	Provides Most Buoyancy. Effective For All Waters, Especially Open, Rough Or Remote Waters Where Rescue May Be Delayed. It Is Designed To Turn Most Unconscious Wearers In The Water To A Face-Up Position.
	TYPE II	Intended For CALM, Inland Water Or Where There Is A Good Chance Of Quick Rescue. Inherent Buoyant PFDs Of This Type Will Turn Some Unconscious Wearers To A Face-Up Position In The Water, BUT The Turning Is Not As Pronounced As A TYPE I. A TYPE-II Inflatable Turns As Well As A Type I Foam PFD.
	TYPE III	Good For CONSCIOUS Wearer In CALM, Inland Water, Or Where There Is A Good Chance Of Quick Rescue. It Is Designed So Wearers can place themselves in a face-up position in the water. The wearer may have to tilt their head back to avoid turning face-down in the water. The Type III foam vest has the same minimum buoyancy as a Type II PFD. It comes in many styles, colors, and sizes and is generally the most comfortable type for continuous wear. Float coats, fishing vests, and vests designed with features suitable for various sports activities are examples of this type PFD. This type inflatable turns as well as a Type II foam PFD
	TYPE IV	Intended For CALM, Inland Water With Heavy Boat Traffic, Where Help Is Always Present. Designed To Be Thrown To A Person In The Water And Grasped-And-Held By The Person Until Rescued ----- It Is NOT DESINED TO BE WORN. Type IV Devices Include Buoyant Cushions, Ring Buoys, And Horseshoe Buoys. There Are No Inflatable Type IV Devices.
	TYPE V	Intended For Specific Activities And May Be Carried Instead Of Another PFD, Only If Used According To The Approval Conditions On Its Label. A Type-V PFD Provides Performance Of Either A Type I, II, or III PFD (As Marked On Its Label). If The Label Says The PFD Is "Approved Only When Worn" The PFD MUST BE WORN, Except For Persons In Enclosed Spaces And Used In Accordance With The Approval Label, To Meet Carriage Requirements. Some Type-V Devices Provide Significant Hypothermia Protection. Varieties Include Deck-Suits, Work Vests, And Board Sailing Vests.
	TYPE III/V	Multi-Purpose Commercial Vests

CASANOVA'S TIP: Webbing Cargo/Cinch Straps Are For Holding/Cinching Objects And Will Not Stand Up To The Forces Of Crushing, Abrasion And Cutting When A Boat Hull Is Placed On Them! Properly Position Straps So No Object Rests On Them.