Hey Everyone,
I'm looking for some life jackets to paddle in. I've recently started paddling concrete canoes at school and the competition rules dictate that you're team must wear life jackets during the races. I'm open to any style, whether it be the ones that inflate automatically or not, the main issue is that it isn't motion restrictive. We've done fine in our races wearing out old crappy ones but now we're looking to upgrade them a bit. We've saved up a bit of money for these but we are definitely not looking for the most expensive, top of the line pfd's out there.
Appreciate it,
Gavin
Submitted by nb1376 on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 6:58am
Chafing is the big problem with PFDs or lifejackets, so you got to test them out yourself and see what works for you. It may be comfortable for some paddlers, but not for you, since we all come in different sizes and shapes. Check out REI, LL Bean Outlet, or West Marine for the widest assortment of vests. I personally have bought quite a few "seasonally stocked" vests from Sam's Club for under $30.00.
#1 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 8:04am
Definitely need to try different ones that work for you and your team. Try checking out what the other schools/teams are using to get an idea of what works for that type of paddling and go from there. Google Image Search "concrete canoes" to see what types of PFD/life jackets are worn by others as well.
As for it would be for a team, see if some of the places offer team/bulk sale discount pricing if you are low on funding.
#2 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 10:18am
What's up fellow civil engineer? For those wondering why a concrete canoe you can check out the contest website here: http://content.asce.org/conferences/nccc2010/
If you're school has an outdoor program check and see if they have an NRS account. They make and sell some nice PFDs which you should be able to get at a discount. If you're allowed to wear inflatable PFDs, one of my club's members got this one and I liked it a lot. It seems to stay in its packaged form better than the one I have (made by Mustang Survival I think).
#3 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 10:29am
Search Amazon for pfd
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keyw...
#4 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 11:42am
Thanks for the responses so far, hopefully some more helpful information comes up as well.
For reference here's what we're wearing now. (us going into a turn, I'm in the front) http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/June/concrete.html
and this page shows what the other teams who made it to nationals are using
http://content.asce.org/conferences/nccc2010/gallery.html
@Koacanoe, chafing shouldn't be much of an issue as the longest race is about 800m, I would like to walk into a store but up here in SLO there aren't as many stores that would carry a decent selection unfortunately.
@E7M, I've been to a few of the competitions and know what most the other teams wear. Most of them have similar ones to the ones we wear now and some have even worse ones, will search and see if I didn't miss anything new though.
@Anowara, whatsup, this concrete canoe definitely has me sold on choosing CE as a major, NRS came up in an earlier search but I got so many options I thought I would post up here and see if anyone had a model or brand they liked, our school may have an NRS account but I'm not sure. Either way the time we would waste going through the school directly to get them would probably offset any savings unfortunately. That Onyx one looks nice but not sure about how sitting would be with it in your lap as you sit lower and with your legs more up than in an outrigger. Did your buddy use it in a concrete canoe or in the outriggers?
@NoviceB 08, looked through amazon but again got so many options thought I would see if anyone on here had first hand experience with one.
Thanks again
#5 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 1:22pm
As a civil engineer you always have employment. There are few things civil engineers do that aren't fairly essential to modern living. If you're not sold on civil entirely, my other recommendation would be mechanical as they tend to get a similar broad engineering background.
The waist belt one I usually flip around so it's behind me. I do find them kind of annoying when in front in an outrigger. They would probably be more annoying if you're sitting lower.
I've never liked the side entry ones like you guys are wearing in the photo, sort of a pain to put on and I've never gotten them to fit snug enough to not move around. I personally like front entry vests and find them more comfortable to wear. My typical need for one outside of paddling is hauling stuff in and out the water on a small boat and I've always found front zips are easier to work in.
I would mainly look for something with good adjustments on the side so you can get a snug fit. The bulk on the foam shouldn't interfere with paddling. Brands I've liked are Stohlquist, NRS, and Extrasport.
#6 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 3:16pm
Spent many hours in cold water, canoeing with the jacket on and I found for me the Stohlquist wedge type or even for limited bulk the Kokatat Orbit works well and they dry relatively quickly....
#7 Mon, 09/20/2010 - 5:04pm
Before you choose to be an engineer:
Understanding Engineers - One
Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, 'Take what you want'."
The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fitted you anyway."
Understanding Engineers - Two
To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
Understanding Engineers - Three
A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!" The priest said, "Here comes the green-keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello George, what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The green-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime." The group fell silent for a moment. The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight." The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them." The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"
Understanding Engineers - Four
What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?
Mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.
Understanding Engineers - Five
The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"
Understanding Engineers - Six
Three engineering students were gathered together discussing who must have designed the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints." Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections." The last one said, "No, actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"
Understanding Engineers - Seven
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Software Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.
Understanding Engineers - Eight
An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me I'll turn back into a beautiful princess and stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do ANYTHING you want." Again, the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess and that I'll stay with you for one week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."
#8 Wed, 09/22/2010 - 12:34am
The Mocke Paddling vest is the best I've seen, developed specifically for Ocean Racing. All the World champs use them and the guy's tell me nothing else comes close for comfort in long distance ocean racing. They are currently being certified, but will be back in stock soon. http://www.thepaddlingcentre.com/product_detail.php?product=23
Rambo
#9 Wed, 09/22/2010 - 2:19pm
I personally use the "Coastal Manual Inflatable Life Vest" from West Marine. I use it more as a security blanket honestly. I'm not a great swimmer ( learned to swim after I learned to paddle). I wear it for the situation where I'm "over my head" metaphorically and literally. Usually in case of a late race huli, or any situation where I'm too tired to safely handle myself in the water. I've huli'd three times with it on, if I only needed to inflate it once.
As for comfort while paddling, it does take some getting used to. I came from using a full life jacket, so this was much lighter didn't constrict me near as much. Originally I was worried about it chafing at the neck. After two to three practices it seems have settled and doesn't rub against my neck ( though it does seem to wear out my jerseys near the left collar bone). Of course your body type and stroke will be different so this may not be the case for you.
Link:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?produ...
I decided against a "fanny pack" style pfd because I reasoned that if I'm in a situation where I can't keep myself afloat, I'm not going to have enough energy/clarity of mind to put a vest on from the hip.
#10 Mon, 10/04/2010 - 1:01pm
Here ya go, fits on the back and no chafing! (hope this link works)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/crystalclear_2122_13621956
#11 Tue, 10/05/2010 - 11:04am