When it comes to kayaking or any other water sports, you should always be wearing a life jacket. Generally speaking, kayaking is normally done alone as there is only one seat. With that being said, you never know if and when an emergency should come up so stay protected with a life jacket. Kayaks can go far, and sometimes you may not even recognize how quick the distance of the shoreline disappears.

When you’re going fishing, your life vest isn’t just a life preserver or personal flotation device – it’s also portable gear storage. When you buy a life jacket for fishing, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the best buy for your buck. And, when you’re fishing, that means pockets.

Practicality and safety should blend seamlessly to create the perfect fishing life jacket.

Depending on the type of fishing you do, there are also other considerations to take into account. If you’re a fly-fisher, you’ll want a life vest that’s not too tight around the arms. If you fish from a boat, you don’t want your life jacket to feel uncomfortable when you sit down on a box seat.

A boating life jacket needs to be comfortable, as you’ll be wearing it for long periods. You need a life vest that is thick enough to provide suitable warmth, without being so bulky as to become cumbersome.

Ideally, you want an auto-inflate life jacket (one that will inflate upon immersion, without any action needed from yourself). This is down to the fact that, in the shock of going overboard, you may struggle to remember quickly enough how to activate a manual life jacket.

If you are not a strong swimmer, you’ll need to invest in a life vest that will automatically turn you onto your back should you land face down in the water.

Another thing is that it should have strong straps so that you can easily be hauled back to your boat by someone reaching down and grabbing your life jacket.

Sailing is generally more physically demanding than regular boating, and, as such, there’s a higher risk that you’ll end up in the water at some point.

Raising and lowering jibs in a small, shallow craft isn’t the easiest situation in which to keep your balance! Bearing this in mind, if you’re looking to start sailing, rather than simple boating, your needs from a life jacket will be slightly different.

Sailing calls for lightweight life vests that are easy to move around in. Warmth also becomes very important, as there’s usually no “below decks” on a sailboat – it’s just you and your jib against the elements.