West Marine offers two store-brand dog life jackets at a good value. The bright yellow West Marine Pet Flotation Device, cleverly abbreviated (PFD), is a fairly straight forward option ($29.99). Dogs swam well in this jacket and had ample flotation. However, on land the slab sides made a bit of a tee-pee down the dog's spine, especially for the small dogs. Also of note, this jacket has two narrow straps that go under the dog's belly which was uncomfortable for the dogs when they were lifted.

The royal blue West Marine Neoprene Pet Vest ($24.99) is a tighter fitting jacket, but the dogs were comfortable both in the water and on land. Some of the pet owners were concerned that the tight fitting jacket would retain heat and would be uncomfortable after a period of time. The neoprene material generously covers the dog but it isn't as thick as the other West Marine model. The adjustment straps also don't come in direct contact with the dogs' belly.

The West Marine Neoprene Pet Vest was rated the best jacket for small dogs by our testers because of its good, secure fit. However, lifting large dogs out of the water was very difficult because the neoprene stretched like a rubber band. Lifting the extra large dogs was impossible. In comparison, the West Marine Pet Flotation Device was better for large and extra large dogs.