Watersports Life Jackets

Watersports participants typically play hard and fall harder. Because of this, they demand a life jacket that moves with their body, protects them upon impact with the water, and offers some degree of flotation. In the United States, the typical life jacket for this type of activity is a Coast Guard-approved Type III life jacket. The Coast Guard label on the inside of the jacket will typically specify if a life jacket is intended for this activity.

As the popularity of watersports has grown, manufacturers have responded with specialty jackets suited for aggressive riders. While some of these jackets are Coast Guard-approved, many lack the required flotation for Coast Guard-approval. Retailers of non Coast Guard-approved (non-CGA) jackets are careful to specify that these jackets are only permissible for use on a private body of water or for use by riders at sanctioned competitions. Outside of those two exceptions, non-CGA jacket will not meet the wear or carriage requirements in the United States.

Liquid Force Cardigan

An extreme example of a non-CGA jacket is the Liquid Force Cardigan ($109.00) competition vest. Our testers noted that it was essentially a wetsuit top, though in fairness, it is marketed as such and makes no promise of flotation whatsoever. It is designed without straps, buckles or zippers, and has just enough padding to take the sting out of an unexpected spill. Our testers could not recommend this vest for any activity where flotation is desired or required.

O'Neil Outlaw Comp and Law

The O’Neill Outlaw Comp ($130.00) is also not Coast Guard-approved, but it offers substantially more flotation than the Cardigan. At first glance, you might even guess it is Coast Guard-approved. That is, until you compare it side by side to the O’Neill Law ($130.00). The Law is essentially the same design, with thicker panels to provide the flotation needed to secure Coast Guard approval. Both jackets fit well, but testers favored the Outlaw over the Law because it was less bulky and hot.

Ski Pro Impact Vest

The first thing that struck us about the Coast Guard-approved Ski Pro Impact Vest ($49.99), was the label on the outside that stated “Impact Tested to 100mph.” To make such a claim, the vest must use oversized components and extra stitching to prevent the jacket from disintegrating upon impact with the water. Although speeding at 100 mph is highly unlikely for most recreational boaters, 50 mph+ isn’t out of the question. The Ski Pro was the “Staff Pick” in this category because it had a snug yet comfortable fit. Testers did comment that the jacket gets hot after awhile, but you could wear this jacket for hours provided you were getting wet periodically.

Baltic Rekord

We included the European marketed Baltic Rekord ($122.63) 50N device in this category even though it is not designed for aggressive watersports performance.  It looks somewhat similar to a US Coast Guard-approved Type III but is more suitable for lounging around the boat due to the fact it lacks buckles. Even though the Rekord had a drawstring to cinch the bottom of the jacket, without buckles, it rode up easily when in the water. Swimming in this jacket was challenging, and the metal zipper concerned us when we realized it could hit your teeth, if your head snapped forward.

Above: Yamaha Ski Pro Impact Vest, O'neil Law, Liquid Force Cardigan, and Baltic Rekord.