STEARNS Adult USCG Type III Life Vest

Stearn’s sells three very similar vests in their nylon covered foam “Classic” series, this one is both my favorite and cheapest of the three.

1) This “Boating” series, model. usually $25 but Amazon seems to be higher at the moment.

2) THe “Watersport” series”, usually $35

Both these two are open sided, adult sizes come in “Universal” and “Oversize”, The Classic Series has three buckles and comes in solid colors, the “Watersports Series” comes in two toned colors and has four buckles. The Classic series the front foam panels are thinner and wrap around your side more.

3) The “Infinity Series “, were around $50 but prices seem to be going down, closed sides and thus comes in Men’s and Women’s and a wider variety of sizes since adjustability is more limited. The youth model comes in a bright yellow that’s easy to see, but the Men’s models are a dark grey..

Stearns is a bit unclear as to the allowed and intended uses. For all of them waterskiing is neither prohibited nor listed. I think that this means that they are suitible for that purpose or they would be clearly listed as not (as my paddle vest does), but that Stearns really wants to encourage you to buy one of their higher end Neoprene “ski” vests for that purpose. The label on the Boating and Infinity Series both state “All purpose vest for boating, swimming, or tubing”. The Watersporst series doesn’t say anything, but has a picture of jet skiers on it with the note “developed for the freedom and comfort of the waterport adventurer.”

I think reasonable summary is that any of these vests are OK for any of the normal activities you do during a day at the lake- motorboating, canoeing, waterskiing, tubing, and swimming, even if there might be a better choice specific to one of these activities.

Now as to why I like these particular vests:

1) They’re the cheapest vs the Infinity series both because the cost of each vest is cheaper and because unlike the Inifinity model two sizes cover virtually all the adults, so you have to stock fewer sizes on your boat and at your cabin.

2) The thinner front panel design I find more comfortable than the “Watersport” model.

3) They’re available in bright red, which along with orange and yellow is the best color to get since it makes swimmers and shaken-off tubers easily visible to you and other boaters.

For non-swimmers, an orange Type II “horsecoller” life vest is probably better. But these are still enough to make non-swimmers like my timid 13-year-old niece to feel safe and secure on a boat or even jumping off the dock into the water.

I have an inflatable stand up paddle board and wanted a life vest for extra security. I don’t paddle board frequently. So, I don’t need a very expensive life vest. This vest is perfect for my needs. It fits well and does not ride up on my body when I am in the water. I also like the bright color to make me easy to see. I also use it in the pool as a floatation device to exercise my legs and torso. It fits well under my arms and paddling is a breeze. Also, it’s not so thick that it prevents me from hoisting myself back up on to the board if I fall off.

Very basic, mid grade vest. There are better options if you are interested in good mobility when wearing a life jacket and I would recommend getting something cut differently if you always wear it for the entirety of your boating trip. These are of average comfort. They are a big step up from the cheap orange life jackets you see people buy simply to be in compliance with the law, but are no where near the comfort of an automatic inflatable that can cost as much as 5 times the price. To be honest, for another 10$ you can probably find a more comfortable vest than this, just by finding a different low profile cut. The fit is small, though they do take some adjustment. If you are over 200 pounds, buy the oversized vest. I am 250 pounds and had to adjust the straps by 2/3 of their total allowable length to be comfortable. The cut of the vest is short, and sits above your belly button, which is probably intentional so as to make you float with your head up, but it does feel strange. I opted to buy these because i have used this brand in the past and had no problem getting 10 plus years out of them. These are not going to be my primary vest and are meant to keep with the boat in the storage bin for compliance in case I forget to pack my expensive one. They were also the lowest cost brand named oversized vests that I could find. While I could have purchased the cheap orange vests at half the cost, the state I live in has requirements that the vest be physically worn during winter months, and while these are a bit bulky, in the off chance that these will be the only vest on the boat, you can actually wear these for the entire day, unlike those cheap orange ones that are so uncomfortable you only want to wear it if you are actually sinking. So my final assessment is that they are average, better than cheap orange vests, but not as good as high cost vests. Id buy the best vest that you can afford. They only save your life if you wear them. If the fit is uncomfortable you will opt to leave it off. You would be best served to visit a real store and try them on in person before you commit to something. Find what works for you best and buy it even if it costs a small amount more. Never buy a cheap orange vest as your primary. You will absolutely regret it, and will never wear it. They are literally for a ship sinking type of emergency and are not reasonable for daily wear. These are the best option for not wanting to spend a ton of money, but also getting a vest that you can wear without terrible inconvenience, and they do hold up well over the years.

very comfortable

El chaleco cumple y se ve de muy buena calidad. Peso 65Kg y sin problemas, se nota que soporta a personas de mayor talla. El volumen del chaleco es óptimo, lo recomiendo.

We’ve used this vest for over a year and it’s held up to many weekends out on the water. The price, material, and comfort are on the money.