C-Forum

Going through my gear I've come to the concluding that it wouldn't be stupid to finally replace my old Lotus Sherman PFD.

I'm looking for something comfortable for WW and flatwater canoeing (this one I'll use for both; I'll use my Extrasport Swiftwater rescue vest (22 lbs flotation) for pushing rubber).

That said, I'm almost inclined to get a rescue vest but with less floatation that what I have now (such as the Astral Green Jacket with 16.5 lbs flotation), but that's partially as I'm paddling with he kids most of the time these days.

Any thoughts on recent PFDs that are comfortable, durable, and just generally awesome?

I have had the Green jacket, Zen, and Kokatat pfd. I just went back to the Green jacket for the lower profile and excellent pockets for organization as well as comfort on a short torso.

I went with the green jacket. I'm pretty happy with it.

i prefer my astral jacket over anything i have worn in the past.
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Your torso shape will matter a lot on which one feels best on you. I tried on a bunch and ended up with a Ronin Pro that I use when on harder rivers - it just fit my body much better than the other options.

I still use my old Lotus on easier rivers. I figured if I was on water that was challenging to me it might be appropriate to have a jacket that was not 20 years old, which equals thousands of days of use (mainly from wildwater training 10+ years back now - 20 days a year is good for me now)

Went with green since the fit was better and I wanted a high end safety jacket. Not perfect (for me) but was the best choice for me!

You might check out the Kokatat Maximus, or Maximus Prime. I got one, its very comfortable, lots of float, I really like it for river trips. Its a little bulky in the chest, so I'll be using my old vest for racing as the Maximus rubs on my shaft arm when I go for an extreme cross-bow stroke (which you do a lot racing) but for general use, its pretty sweet.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major brands. I'm really digging the stohlquist descent. But the greenjacket and kokatat's offerings look just as good.