The best life jackets according to a Coast Guard veteran

Keep your head above water during work and play.
best life jackets
Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven Filgo of Coast Guard Station Port Huron, Mich., tosses a life jacket to a man who was swimming without one in the St. Clair River, Aug. 16, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen)

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Life jackets, or personal flotation devices, used to be bulky, ugly, and fatiguing to wear. Now they’re fashionable, high-performance, and better than ever — and with more people choosing to beat the heat out on the water, they’re also more necessary than ever before.

I spent four years as an active-duty Coast Guard small boat crewman, so suffice it to say, I know a little more than the average bear about what makes for a quality life-saving product and what will turn a potentially deadly accident into just another fun story to tell at parties. With that knowledge and experience in mind, here’s your guide to the best life jackets worth wearing.

Best Overall

O’Neill Superlite

Pros

  • Versatile
  • Simple to use
  • Four adjustment straps
  • Comfortable anatomical cut

Cons

  • Best for nearshore activities
  • No pockets
  • Make sure to use O’Neill’s sizing chart for correct fit

Product Specs

Sizing: Small – 6XL
Materials: Nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Type III

Why It Made The Cut

A versatile all-rounder with lots of adjustments and ergonomic features, the Superlite has all the features of what a Type III life jacket should be in an attractive package at a good price point.

Best Budget

Airhead Universal Type II

Pros

  • Type II safety at an incredible price
  • As easy to use as it gets
  • Compact for easy storage

Cons

  • Very basic design
  • Less suited for long-term wear
  • Not designed for high-speed impacts

Product Specs

Sizing: Child, Youth, Adult, Adult Oversized
Materials: Nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Type II

Why It Made The CUt

Basic yet effective, the Airhead Universal is affordable and great for short outings, and stows easily for a handy backup life jacket.

Best for Women

Mustang Destiny

Pros

  • Specifically designed for women, not an afterthought
  • Fantastic range of adjustments
  • Easy to use
  • Versatile and mobile

Cons

  • Higher-end price
  • Only one color option

Product Specs

Sizing: Small/Medium, Large/XL
Materials: 200D Nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Harmonized Level 70 (equivalent to Type III)

Why It Made The Cut

The Destiny was designed for women from the start, and it’s not just a resized men’s life jacket. Great durability and thoughtful features make for a competent general-purpose women’s life jacket.

Best for Fishing

Kokatat Leviathan

Pros

  • Excellent working space and pocket layout
  • Durable yet breathable
  • Contoured foam feels like a custom vest
  • Adjustable everywhere
  • Unisex that properly fits women, too
  • Dual certification in both U.S. and Canada

Cons

  • Professional-grade means professional price

Product Specs

Sizing: XS/Small, Medium/Large, XL/2XL
Materials: 210 High Tenacity ripstop nylon, Ariaprene mesh, Gaia® PVC-free foam
Life jacket type: Type III

Why It Made The Cut

Kokatat already has a reputation for making top-end equipment, and it brought in professional fishermen for consultation when it designed the Leviathan, making for an intuitive and reliable fishing life jacket.

Best Inflatable

Mustang HIT

Pros

  • Legendary durability
  • Easy to use and won’t activate prematurely
  • Lots of visibility and safety features
  • Lays flat when uninflated for fantastic mobility
  • Easy to maintain with kit
  • Good modularity options

Cons

  • Quite pricey
  • Only for adults or teens aged 16-plus
  • Inflatable PFDs naturally more complex to maintain
  • Not suitable for aviators as auto-inflation can’t be disabled on this model

Product Specs

Sizing: Inflatable, one size fits all adults (belt extensions available)
Materials: 500D Cordura, neoprene collar
Life jacket type: Recreational Type II, Commercial Type V (Type II performance when worn)

Why It Made The Cut

I trusted the Mustang HIT with my life for four years, and it never let me down. With lots of personal experience, this was an easy recommendation.

Best for Kids

NRS Crew Child

Pros

  • Great adjustability for proper fit
  • Kid-specific ergonomic features
  • Adjustable leg strap
  • Durable and safe
  • Front zipper design very easy to put on

Cons

  • No pockets
  • Light on features
  • Make sure to get the right weight range for best results

Product Specs

Sizing: Child (33-55 lbs), Youth (55-88 lbs)
Materials: 200D nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Harmonized Level 70 (equivalent to Type III)

Why It Made The Cut

The Crew Child has some of the best adjustability for a kid’s life jacket, while keeping a straightforward and comfortable design philosophy.

Best for Infants and Toddlers

Mustang Infant Lil’ Legends

Pros

  • Type II safety with extra head support
  • Moisture-wicking liner and mesh combat swampy interiors
  • Large reflective grab handle
  • Adjustable leg strap

Cons

  • Zipper can be opened by fidgeting (though not required for flotation)
  • No dedicated tether attachment points

Product Specs

Sizing: Infant (up to 30 pounds), Child (33-55 pounds), Youth (55-88 pounds)
Material: Fabric, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Type II

Why It Made The Cut

Even with lessons, infants and toddlers are very weak swimmers and need extra buoyancy in an emergency. The Infant Lil’ Legends provides face-up flotation in one of the most comfortable Type II life jackets around.

Best for Paddleboarding

Onyx MoveVent Dynamic

Pros

  • Purpose-built for paddlesports
  • Outstanding ventilation e
  • Articulated foam panels for great paddling range of motion
  • Won’t ride up during long paddles
  • Unisex sizing that actually works for everyone

Cons

  • Hard to tuck away lower back mesh panel when paddleboarding
  • Extra safety buckle near belly would be nice
  • Selfie stick not included

Product Specs

Sizing: XS/Small, Medium/Large, XL/2XL
Materials: 200D Ripstop nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Type III

Why It Made The Cut

A paddlesport life jacket’s focused design with amazing ventilation means wearers stay cool and fatigue-free when out of the water and stay afloat in case of a tumble.

Best for Kayaking

NRS Odyssey

Pros

  • All-day comfort
  • Zippered pockets big enough for compact binoculars
  • Lots of attachment points and lash tabs
  • Great flexibility
  • Stays cool with CFS ventilation
  • Adjustable waist strap for extra secure fit
  • 400D Ripstop nylon is extra-tough

Cons

  • Premium price
  • Full back design can be a pro or a con depending on preference
  • Open water design focus means not great for whitewater kayakers, consider the NRS Ninja for more adrenaline-fueled kayaking

Product Specs

Sizing: XS/Small, Medium/Large, XL/2XL
Material: 400D Ripstop nylon, closed-cell foam
Life jacket type: Type III

Why It Made The Cut

Designed as a touring kayak PFD, the Odyssey is built to be comfortable on all-day open-water kayaking trips. Easily accessible storage and 400D Ripstop nylon make this PFD as convenient as it is durable.

Things to consider before buying a life jacket

Purpose

Besides just keeping your head above water, life jackets can have a lot of specialized features. Consider what waterborne activity you’ll be doing the most and see if just a general Type III PFD works or if you might need something more purpose-built. For example, sea kayaking and whitewater kayaking have very different aspects and are best served by different types of PFDs. 

Comfort

An uncomfortable life jacket doesn’t get used nearly as much as the one you forget you’re even wearing. And with a lifesaving device, you never know when you’re going to need that PFD. A comfortable PFD will also make for a more enjoyable experience on the water overall, which is the whole point of recreational aquatics in the first place, isn’t it?

Longevity

One of the main drivers of the price will be how often a PFD is designed to be used. If you’re the type to go boating or paddleboarding just a few times every summer, then a budget-friendly choice will be right for you. If you’re a dedicated kayaker or boater who’s out on the water once or twice a week, then springing for a more durable vest is a more prudent choice. Chances are they’ll be more comfortable too.

Type

You’ve probably heard by now references to Type II or Type III PFDs, which are the most common you’ll encounter in the recreational boating world. 

A Type II PFD has most of the buoyancy at the front and neck so you float face-up in the water. It’s very useful for sailing, where a swinging boom is very likely to knock you overboard and knock you unconscious. 

A Type III PFD has the same minimum buoyancy requirement as Type II, but is more of a jacket or vest design. This means Type III PFDs are more comfortable and flexible. With a Type III, you get more comfort instead of more safety. 

Lastly, high-quality inflatable PFDs will often be categorized as Type V and have a second type listed after, which just means they’re a special use device to note they only provide the listed flotation when inflated. Note that I will always recommend a Type II PFD for infants or small children. 

FAQ about life jackets

Q: Do life jackets expire?

A: Most life jackets don’t have an expiration date. Over time, the outer shell or straps may get frayed or damaged, so if there are any rips or tears, the life jacket is no longer considered approved. Inflatable life jackets do have an expiration date, however, often printed on the inflation device or gas cylinder (often five years from date of manufacture). Replace or send in the vest for qualified maintenance before this date to ensure the vest will inflate properly when needed.

Q: How many life jackets are required on a boat?

A: There should be at least one life jacket for each person aboard, and they need to be the right size (adult, child, etc) as well as readily accessible. Children under 13 must always be wearing their life jackets unless they’re below deck or in an enclosed cabin. Any vessel over 16 feet in length must also have a throwable Type IV PFD (e.g., life ring).

Q: Can you drown with a life jacket on?

A: It is an unfortunate fact of life that no waterborne activity is absolutely safe, even with a life jacket on. Type II and Type III life jackets (the most common) are designed to keep the wearer floating in nearshore, relatively calm waters where rescue is likely to come soon, but there are many factors that can shorten that time period from cold to heavy surf. That said, 90 percent of drownings happen to boaters without their life jackets on, so life jackets save many lives each year.

Q: How do I know if my life jacket fits correctly?

A: A properly fitting Type III life jacket should be snug, but not so tight that it impedes breathing or normal motion. It should stay in place if you fall overboard even with your arms above your head (a little shifting is okay but not so much it falls off, covers your face, or chokes you). A Type II PFD will naturally be more snug around the neck and typically only has adjustment around the waist. The waist strap should be tight enough to prevent slipping out from under the PFD in the event of a rough water entry.

Final thoughts

Finding a good life jacket is mostly about finding the right fit and lining up your waterborne interests with your budget. The O’Neill Superlite provides one of the most versatile vests with great adjustment options at a very reasonable price. There are cheaper life jackets on the market and definitely some more expensive ones, but the Superlite really hit that sweet spot of price-to-performance ratio. Unless you need something more specialized like all-day kayaking comfort or an inflatable vest, the Superlite from O’Neill will keep you safe and secure while out on the water.

Methodology

As a former Coast Guard small boat crewman and a lifelong aquatics enthusiast, I relied on a great deal of past experience when making my choices for this list. I’ve personally used a variety of PFD types from many different brands, including more specialized devices like float coats and dry suits in about every kind of sea state there is and while performing complex tasks like law enforcement or search and rescue. This is why I harp on proper fit so much throughout my review, because it really does make a difference. Adjustability is the name of the game, so a generous range of adjustments is one of the top things I looked for. Brand reputation is another big one, so I only selected brands I personally trust to have great durability and consistently provide the safety they’re rated for.

For child and infant life jackets, leg or crotch straps were a major factor as it’s very easy for scrawny and squirmy youngsters to slip out of their PFDs without them. A Type II PFD was also a must for infants and toddlers, so that narrowed the field quite a bit in that category. For the best women’s life jacket category, I know a lot of women boaters and aquatic adventurers out there, so it was a simple matter of surveying them for their favorite and least favorite features.

Diego Aceituno Avatar

Diego Aceituno

Contributing Writer

Diego Aceituno served as a Coast Guard gunner’s mate from 2009 to 2013, serving on a Maritime Safety and Security Team as boat crewman, armorer, and boarding team member. He now spends much of his time looking below the waves as a Marine Biologist and avid scuba diver.