Look at getting my first impact vest that fits with my waist harness.

Any particular brands and model that stand out to get?

Impact vest, or lifejacket/floaty impact vest?
if purely impact vest then i would be searching for a hard type that'll fit better with a waist harness, if you want the floaty type then its going to be a compromise between having it cover the surface area to to give you the protection, and not having it turn you into tommy turtle whilst hooked in.


i'm a waist harness wearer as well, and i haven't been able to find anything to date that i'm truly happy to wear whilst sailing. Things go better for the seat harness people i suspect. its particularly annoying in WA (i think its Australia wide?) since we are technically required to wear a pfd pretty much everywhere once over 400m from shore.



i currently use a forward whip (latest model) pfd when i absolutely have to. its probably the closest ive been to happy. I see vakobi have a new much higher slim pfd that might be better

Subsonic said..
Impact vest, or lifejacket/floaty impact vest?
if purely impact vest then i would be searching for a hard type that'll fit better with a waist harness, if you want the floaty type then its going to be a compromise between having it cover the surface area to to give you the protection, and not having it turn you into tommy turtle whilst hooked in.


i'm a waist harness wearer as well, and i haven't been able to find anything to date that i'm truly happy to wear whilst sailing. Things go better for the seat harness people i suspect. its particularly annoying in WA (i think its Australia wide?) since we are technically required to wear a pfd pretty much everywhere once over 400m from shore.



i currently use a forward whip (latest model) pfd when i absolutely have to. its probably the closest ive been to happy. I see vakobi have a new much higher slim pfd that might be better

I'm am after more on the flotation side of things, we all end up in the water at some time

Maybe not the floatiest but I am very impressed with the longevity of my NP
about 5 seasons now and only needs replacing the little Velcro tab that stops the zip moving. Rest is fine

I have the Ion Vector too, and it works fine with a waist harness. They are a bit small in their size, so I had to go one size larger than usual in order to breath normally. It is comfortable to wear and feels like it gives some protection, but I have never hit anything hard enough to tell. It gives some extra floatation when waterstarting, which is nice in the winter when one doesn't want to put the head under water.

Mark _australia said..
Maybe not the floatiest but I am very impressed with the longevity of my NP
about 5 seasons now and only needs replacing the little Velcro tab that stops the zip moving. Rest is fine

Agree with Mark, NP about 7 years old now good as new. There a shook cut out so should be fine with a high hook. Wish their board bags lasted as well!

Maba said..
I'm am after more on the flotation side of things, we all end up in the water at some time

We all end up in the water at some point. The question was more of ... do you need an "official vest" (say a real life-jacket or other high-buoyancy vest) or just some extra flotation.

All vests give flotation - you will be surprised how little extra you need so that you float higher in the water. It isn't unusual for people to float (in ocean water) even without any extra floatation, and for those people that sink most only need to hold their breath to float. As such, you only need a few litres of extra floatation to make a significant difference.

If you sail with other people, and if they are using a vest, ask them for a try with their vest.

I’m happy with my Ion booster x. For a few years I wasn’t, as it would ride up around my ears. But then I got a Liberty harness which stays down almost like a seat, so when I tried the Ion again (which i think is very similar to NP high hook vest) it felt great as it was held down by the strap under harness hook, no longer slipping up my skinny torso.

if I was always sailing well powered and proper stance hanging in harness, waist harness would still work for me, but often sailing light wind sub planing waist harness (and whatever jacket) rides up before hanging out on it.


I always use it now. Spare line in the side pockets, camel back in the back even though I never use it I think good to have.
Muesli bars in the front for energy to get home again. They taste better if been catapult mooshed and mixed with salt water.

I’ve had a couple of rib hits where an impact vest might have helped with side padding.

Vest lasting well.