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[West]

As we know, our selection of life jackets suitable for fly or shore fishing is pretty dismal up here north of the 49th.
So, I though to remind folks that there are some great deals through the US that are still reasonable even with the exchange.  I just picked up this PFD at Point Roberts for $24.77 US (on sale) great quality.

[typhoon]

Remember to be legal in Canada the PFD must be approved by one of:
Transport Canada;
Canadian Coast Guard;
Fisheries and Oceans Canada;

The Bass Pro Shops vest is marked as approved by USCG-approved Type III, so it's great for shore fishing but not legal in a boat in Canada.

[dufflayer]

Think it's bad north of 49°?
Try north of 55°!!
I could drive two hours and  buy something for 79.99 at crappy tire... Instead I ordered a Stohlquist rescue PFD from steepandcheap.com for 75% off. Even with $40 shipping and the exchange rate it was still cheaper and better than most of the vests I was finding in town.

[West]

Remember to be legal in Canada the PFD must be approved by one of:
Transport Canada;
Canadian Coast Guard;
Fisheries and Oceans Canada;

The Bass Pro Shops vest is marked as approved by USCG-approved Type III, so it's great for shore fishing but not legal in a boat in Canada.

Yes, you are correct, hence the mention of "shore fishing".  Although I'm not sure if those government restrictions only apply to motorized vessels, and are OK to wear on kayaks and small inflatables.

[Tex]

Remember to be legal in Canada the PFD must be approved by one of:
Transport Canada;
Canadian Coast Guard;
Fisheries and Oceans Canada;

The Bass Pro Shops vest is marked as approved by USCG-approved Type III, so it's great for shore fishing but not legal in a boat in Canada.

Good reminder, and I think it's a good point to point out... but I don't wear my PFD to avoid the ticket, I wear it to avoid dying.

Better to buy a non-Cdn approved vest and wear it than keep an approved vest on your boat and not wear it because it's crappy and old.

Good thread and reminder, regardless!

[mcallagan]

Picked up 1 of these a couple of years ago.
Thankfully I've never had to rely on it.
Automatic because if you hit your head and are unconscious you cannot pull a cord.
Lots of room to swing the arms.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mustang-m-i-t-100-automatic-inflatable-pfd-0791861p.html#.VuSZo-bh270

Sold at other places than CDN Tire and I believe than Sterns has one like it.

Mustang is a Canadian company.
Canadian Coast Guard approved

[Speyfitter]

You couldn't pay me enough money to wear an inflatable PFD. I guess it's better than nothing but when you fall in the river/lake/ocean the last thing on your mind is having to inflate a PFD or rely on a PFD to inflate for me if it's an auto (and haven't some of the autos had trouble in our wet west coast weather inflating when they're not supposed to?). And if it doesn't inflate? Oh and you can't swim very good in it because of how/where it inflates relative to your arms?

There are some GREAT inflatable PFD's now a days that are super comfortable and have ample pockets for fishing. My brother picked up an Astral Ronny fisher inflatable PFD in grey and I've used it a few times myself and it's very comfortable and has ample pockets for most anglers gear. http://www.nrs.com/product/40090.01/astral-ronny-fisher-fishing-pfd

For those concerned about how they "look" on the river, the grey Astral PFD linked matches or is close in shade & hue to many colours of breathable waders too! Can't go out if you don't look good right? LOL
Nothing to rearm and you can swim in it.

Before you make a judgement on what PFD to get - if you fish rivers and are pondering something, swim a river or any body of water for that matter (preferably in a controlled environment like a swift water course or something like that) in an inflatable and get back to me. I'm sure you'll come over to the dark side (non-inflatable).

[firstlight]

I really like my auto inflatable Mustang too.
Once it is on for a minute you forget its even there.
I don't do whitewater or swim with it and the wet days out there haven't seen it inflate yet.
If all you have in the boat is an inflatable then you must be wearing it.
I also carry a conventional foam type in the boat just in case and also allows me to take my inflatable off on them warm days if I choose to.
The one thing I don't like about inflatables is the question I allways have in the back of my mind.``Will it inflate when I need it to.``

[Knnn]

Has anyone experience/recommendations for non-inflatable products similar to the Astral or NRS products (see below), that are Canadian certified and can therefore be used on rivers and in boats?

[skitterbug]

Yes they are designed for river use. Any PFD that is Type III or Type III/V has been designed for river, and can be used for lakes aswell.

The Stohlquist Fisherman PFD is another option. Western Canoe and Kayak sell them.

[skaha]

--For myself I use fladen rescue system... suite and jacket approved for use in the North Sea.. but not in Canada.
--I have universal key hole jackets on board to be legal. Actually I think the key hole universal fit jackets are required for use on commercial boats ie guided boats.
--And approved jackets must fit and be in good condition... approval is not the only criteria.

--The approval of life jackets in Canada is not done by government any more it was jobbered out to private so due to our population it is unreasonable expensive to get a life jacket approved. When government did the approval they would look at things like if the criteria used by USCG or Euro was similar they would only test for items that may be unique to Canada. In some instances the only issue was having a label with instruction in French and English.

[West]

In some instances the only issue was having a label with instruction in French and English.

The Coast Guard guys must have a good laugh when writing tickets based on that criteria.

[armytruck]

What gets me is these PFD gear in earth tone colors , mossy oak , realtree etc . The ones I looked at have no relective materials on them . If you get yourself in a pickle and get stranded of worse , it would be hard for a search party to find you at low light or in the dark . How they are deamed Coast Guard approved , I don't see it !!! . You would look like a piece of driftwood caught in a log jam or a dead head in the lake . I wear brighter colored PFD so rescue can at least spot me in a bad situation . I love all these choices of PFD shown here but would like it even beter if they had reflective strips or material .

[clarkii]

What gets me is these PFD gear in earth tone colors , mossy oak , realtree etc . The ones I looked at have no relective materials on them . If you get yourself in a pickle and get stranded of worse , it would be hard for a search party to find you at low light or in the dark . How they are deamed Coast Guard approved , I don't see it !!! . You would look like a piece of driftwood caught in a log jam or a dead head in the lake . I wear brighter colored PFD so rescue can at least spot me in a bad situation . I love all these choices of PFD shown here but would like it even beter if they had reflective strips or material .

How is it any different from the vests waders etc which are earth tone?

I understand your point but at the same time all the vests chestpacks etc. are not exactly easy to spot if something goes wrong.

[Knnn]

This is a similar product available from Mustang that is Transport Canada approved .... label in English and French .




Currently on sale at Cabela's for $99.