Clothing Style Life Jackets

We often hear complaints that life jackets are too hot to wear for an extended period of time. However, the life jackets in this category were designed to provide warmth, which was certainly of great benefit, especially for those who boat in colder weather.

Stearns Float Coat

The Stearns Float Coat ($165.00) is every bit of a coat by definition. It has a full length front zipper, comfortable quilted interior and large fleece-lined pockets. To any casual observer, it looks like your typical waist length winter jacket, but sewn inside is enough flotation to be approved as a Type III life jacket, offering a full 15.5 lbs of buoyancy. It was a favorite of the men testers since it was so simple to wear. It wasn’t tight or restrictive. However, the loose fit was somewhat problematic when attempting to swim in the jacket.

Stormy Seas Newport, North Pacific and Alaskan Sweater

The Stormy Seas line of jackets, created by an Alaskan fisherman, was designed specifically for recreational and working waterman. Each design in the Stormy Seas line is a functional piece of clothing, designed to be warm and wearble with an inflatable bladder sewn in to provide buoyancy when manually deployed. Despite not being Coast Guard-approved, these jackets all have 35lbs of buoyancy, the most of any of the jackets we tested, but testers found they needed to top off the jackets using the manual inflation tube.

The Stormy Seas Newport ($149) is a vest style life jacket that is very comfortable out of the water. It was stylish and hard to differentiate from a typical fleece-lined nylon vest. It had no substantial adjustments so it is not restrictive and inflates easily with a pull of a lanyard. However, when fully inflated the zipper tended to come down which made testers nervous that they would eventually slip out of the vest.

None of the Stormy Seas jackets were auto-inflatable or Coast Guard-approved. All were difficult to swim in while wearing. However, in colder water it is best to conserve energy and draw your legs and arms to your core, and await rescue.

Baltic Surf & Turf

A final product in this category, and a hands-down “Staff Pick”, was the Baltic Surf & Turf ($112.13). The Surf & Turf is a refreshing new design that looked like a down vest and was almost as feather-light. This jacket was easily the most stylish in our line-up and was envied by all, especially the ladies. You could wear it around town as a late fall or early spring jacket and its comfort range could be extended with proper layering. Its in-water performance was good too. Because this 50N rated device provided the least amount of flotation of any in this category it was not very bulky and swimming short distances was relatively easy. An optional crotch strap kept the jacket low and in place. The Surf and Turf was a “Staff Pick” due to its comfort on land and in the water, and its fashionable styling.

 

Above: Stearns Float Coat, Stormy Seas Newport, Stormy Seas Alaskan Sweater, Stormy Seas North Pacific, Baltic Surf & Turf.