STEARNSAdult Life Vest, USCG Approved Type III Life Jacket, PFD for Boating, Swimming, Watersports, & More, Standard & Oversized Fits

A little Small but works ok.

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 $35Both 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.

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.

Fits well. Straps are easy to adjust.

Safe my life.

I'm giving five stars for the price. But when I open up the box from shipping on one of the cards that was on the life vest it says Made in China. And the box it came in has Made in China on it.

Bought for nephew who can’t swim. Fits great and he’s excited to get in our pool.

It is an OK vest for everything except kayaking because when you sit on the kayak, the lower part of the vest bumps with your legs and the vest rides up as a consequence --very uncomfortable near your neck. Also, the back part of the life vest meets with the backing of the kayak's seat). Maybe the first problem does not happen to tall people (I am 5' 4"). It does not have any pockets, that's a con too. I am going to return it and replace it with one of those life vests that are shorter on the front and also have the back float part really high and not on your actual back. Hopefully, that will solve both problems.