Pfd recommendations?

[FishnDive]

Mocke PFD is the best by far I've ever tried.

It's predominently used for surf skiers, but I find it a brilliant fishing kayak pfd as well.

x2
Super comfortable, awesome piece of kit. I got rid of my stolquist when I bought this.

[scottski]

I'm shopping for offshore PFD and like the look of those Mocke ones but don't think they are Australian Standard approved?

[Jamie D]

ultratrek pfd.png

the Ultratrek pfd's are weapons , I've had mine for years and the ultra trek before that I had for years and I think Dennis T now uses it he bought it off me second hand, they have plenty fishing tools space , a radio pocket for your vhf and a pocket at the back for a hydration bladder, but I carry my personal locator beacon in the back pocket , weapon !!! Love them ,cannot recommend them highly enough

[sid_fishes]

ultratrek pfd.png

the Ultratrek pfd's are weapons , I've had mine for years and the ultra trek before that I had for years and I think Dennis T now uses it he bought it off me second hand, they have plenty fishing tools space , a radio pocket for your vhf and a pocket at the back for a hydration bladder, but I carry my personal locator beacon in the back pocket , weapon !!! Love them ,cannot recommend them highly enough

yep , i had 1 sold it with my yak but when i blacked out due to a heart attack it saved my fat butt

[rocketV]

I wear my Ultra Trek PFD on salt and fresh, I never use my kayak without it.
It has served me well for many years now (bought 2011) and I find it very comfortable for paddling and pedaling.
The pockets at the front are very handy for pliers, scissors, camera etc.

If you use a kayak seat, I would suggest thinking about how the PFD will effect your sitting position and comfort.
I found I needed to adjust my seat to allow for the added thickness at the back of the PFD.
It took some getting used to and fine tuning over a few sessions to get it right.
Now I am so used to it that sometimes I get in the car after a session only to find that I still have it on!

I chose this type of PFD over a manual inflatable for a few reasons, one being the handy storage they offer.
I also didn't want to have to worry about checking and changing the canisters in an inflatable.
However the main factor was because I figured that if I need the assistance of a PFD, I may not be physically able to activate an inflatable.

Hope this helps.

[scottski]

Thanks guys since this is for offshore use I'm definitely not going inflatable and that's a good point about the PFD affecting your seat, but no worries with that on the stealth!

I quite like the looks of the watersnake by Jarvis walker too. Looks like good arm and neck clearance similar to the Ultra's (and bit cheaper), as I hate something rubbing when paddling.

Going to ring around and see what I can try on and where.

[yaqdoq]

ultratrek pfd.png

the Ultratrek pfd's are weapons , I've had mine for years and the ultra trek before that I had for years and I think Dennis T now uses it he bought it off me second hand, they have plenty fishing tools space , a radio pocket for your vhf and a pocket at the back for a hydration bladder, but I carry my personal locator beacon in the back pocket , weapon !!! Love them ,cannot recommend them highly enough

x2 ( I know many who use this pfd ) the other may be cheaper but saving aprox $40 on such an essential piece of kit ......

[pavo]

X3 the ultratrek

[kneighbour]

I have a cheap chinese PFD (I guess,I am not sure as it came with an previous kayak as a package). The PFD is fine, fits well, is comfortable and has a heap of pockets - except I have a Pedalfish 13 kayak. This means I have to pedal it - and that changes everything. I am not a slim fellow, so my big hairy gut, plus a thick PFD makes pedalling quite a chore. It is almost to the point I feel like taking the PFD off.

What I need I am thinking is an inflatable PFD. These are very thin, so should allow for easier pedalling. But they generally are not much good for fishing as they have no pockets or any other attachments generally specific to fishing type PFDs.

There is the "Stormrider Angler Yoke" Inflatable from http://www.pfdsales.com.au/product/storm-rider-angler-yoke/ that looks pretty good. Not too many around like this though, so if anyone can recommend anything?