Rated 5 out of 5 by purplecrone Best ever
I've owned many brands of PFDs over the years, and this is the most comfortable I've ever worn. Even more important, the flotation is excellent.
April 10, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by DairyLandGirl VERY COOL PFD
I bought this for kayaking and found it
was very cool in warm weather and easy
to move around in. The only thing is that
when you sit back in the kayak the back
of the PFD kinda gets in the way. Other
than that I love it.
October 2, 2012
Rated 3 out of 5 by birdwatcher58 Just too bulky
Very bulky, feels like you are wearing chunks of Styrofoam, something was very scratchy in the back made it very uncomfortable, the pockets were inaccessible off or on.
September 12, 2012
Rated 3 out of 5 by RMCO Could be better
When I received this pfd my husband, who has been an Outdoor Recreation Director and Kayak instructor for over 30 years, noticed a few things that prompted us to return it. The first is that the straps are attached at the shoulders and do not run down the length of the vest. A well made vest has the straps sewn inside the vest all the way down to the waist making them solidly attached. When someone is pulling you out of the water, they usually grab you by the straps and if they are not very firmly anchored, they can just rip out.
Second is that there is no waist belt making it possible for the vest to go right off over your head if you fall into rough water.
The padding also seemed to be very rigid. This pfd is fine if you only need it for light recreational, calm water paddling, but probably not the best if you plan to do any white water paddling.
March 7, 2012
Rated 4 out of 5 by Yacker A woman & her new PDF
Design:
Allows arm range of motion necessary for kyaking.
Zipper provides easy on/off.
Shorter length does prevent "ride up"
Padding is a bit bulky, esp. the front ... may be an issue for women who are larger busted than avg.
Do like it alot & believe it is well constructed for many yrs of use.
August 9, 2011
Rated 4 out of 5 by goingforarow Great pfd for the $$
I have now used the vest twice and the interesting thing is I wear it (unzipped due to heat) more for the added comfort that it gives my back during extended kayaking trips, than b/c of its intended purpose! Even unzipped I have plenty of room to manuver my paddle.
June 1, 2011
Rated 3 out of 5 by snakefarmer Comfortable & Cool
Nice PFD....comfortable, relatively cool, but the snaps on the 2 pockets are difficult to open and close while wear ing the PFD.
February 17, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by HappyPaddler PFD
I've worn my new Astral Camino PFD on five paddles each over 10 miles in Florida. I'm very happy with it. The only negative is the tight snaps on the pockets.
July 31, 2010
Rated 5 out of 5 by canoechic Great PFD
We just purchased 2 new PFD's...what a great decision this was! The one's we were using were purchased before we bought kayaks. These PFD's are great! They are very light and breathable...look good and arm area is made to be very roomy for paddling. At first I was concerned about them being bulky in the front...NOT a problem! Because of the way these are made the bulkier front does not even come into contact with your arms rotating...so it makes no difference! And, they have pockets for packing more stuff!!! Like keys, etc! These are definitely cooler than our old PFD's...and we would NEVER kayak without a PFD....if you are going to play, you need the right equipment...and this is definitely the right equipment! Thanks again LLBean...we knew we could count on you....yeah!!! Keep on paddling! :)
July 5, 2010