AN ESSENTIAL CHOICE: CHOOSING THE PFD THAT BEST SUITS YOUR NEEDS

The PFD wall at the River Store

First things first. If you know you're going out on the water, whether in a kayak, canoe, or SUP you should already know you you need a life jacket or personal flotation device, AKA a PFD.
According to the World Health Organization, Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. Children, males, and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning. 
So think safety folks. As the saying goes, "The best lifejacket is the one you will wear." 
Personal flotation devices (PFD) have come along way since you buckled on that dingy orange big and bulky lifejacket at summer camp for your first canoe trip. Today's PFDs are more comfortable and available in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.

Kristin Kettenhofen

But with so many styles and features, how do you choose a PFD that is just right for you?
We floated a few questions to The River Store manager Kristin Kettenhofen to help us out with some expert advice on selecting a PFD.

OAM: What are people looking for in a PFD when they come into The River Store?
KK: We get a wide variety of people coming into the store looking to purchase a PFD from long time river guides to people up for the day wanting to go inner-tubing. Most people I would say are looking for the best "bang for their buck" so to speak.

OAM: There are a lot of PFDs on the wall. How do you break it down to the customer to the one that works best?
KK: They don't make just one style of PFD for a reason! There are so many different body types, personal needs, and overall comfort that are to be considered when getting a PFD. What one of us at the shop may view as the best fitting and most comfortable PFD may not be how the next customer feels when they try it on.
I break it down by first asking what they are going to be doing on the water and if they need a rescue PFD of non-rescue PFD. From there, I will talk to them about pocket space and any other features on the PFD they may be looking for.
Pocket space is usually the make it or break it point on a PFD purchase for a lot of people. From there, I will have them try on a few different styles that hit most of their wants/needs and we try to narrow it down to the perfect PFD for them.

OAM: They all seem to have some great features. What are some of your favorite in today's PFDs?
KK: I personally own an Astral Green Jacket and a Stohlquist Rocker. Both are big sellers here at the shop. I find them both equally comfortable, useful, and stylish. Because let's be honest, looking good on the river is important too! 

The Green Jacket is a big seller because of its large clamshell pocket, which can hold almost everything you want to put in it!

OAM: Describe the perfect fit for a PFD.
KK: I like to describe the perfect fit for a PFD like a nice hug. Not too tight but not too loose! That guideline is easy for people to understand and has helped get a lot of people into the best fit PFD for them.

OAM: Everyone knows men and women have different bodies. Tell us how the PFD makers accommodate their women customers?
KK: There are a handful of women's specific PFDs on the market like the Stohlquist Betsea, Astral Layla, Kokatat Naiad. What makes them different from a unisex PFD is they typically have thinner foam in the chest and for some, they have a shorter torso cut as most women do not have a long torso.

OAM: What's the difference between regular PFDs and rescue PFDs? 
KK: The most obvious difference between a rescue PFD and a non-rescue PFD is the quick release safety belt that is on every rescue PFD. This belt is a webbing strap with a high visibility quick release buckle and a metal O-ring that is secured to the PFD and wraps around the wearer's midsection.
Rescue PFDs are designed for special use and it is highly recommended that you only use a rescue PFD once you have taken swift water rescue training to learn how to use the rescue PFD among other valuable things that are taught in those courses.
The not an obvious difference between a rescue PFD and a non-rescue PFD is the USCG rating. A non-rescue PFD rated for use on the river is a Type III PFD. The USCG defines a Type III PFD as follows: For general boating or the specialized activity that is marked on the device such as water skiing, hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and others. Good for calm, inland waters, or where there is a good chance for fast rescue.
A rescue PFD also known as a Type V PFD is defined by the USCG as: Only for special uses or conditions.
It is important to know that a Type V PFD is everything that a Type III PFD is just with some additional features including the quick release belt and typically more pocket space.

OAM: The customer says they may want to rescue vest, but do they really need one?
KK: There are pros to having a rescue PFD if you know how to use all the features the jacket may have.

But, when people are looking at buying a rescue PFD, I will always ask if they have taken a swift rescue course. If they haven't, I encourage them to take one within the year, if they do purchase the rescue PFD. 

At the end of the day, if someone does want to purchase a rescue PFD, it's up to them. We are here to educate everyone as best we can on what gear will be best for them.

OAM: Does the customer need a new one? How do you school-up a customer that it might be time to update their PFD?
KK: If their PFD is as old or older than me then it is FOR SURE time to get a new one. Many people come by the shop with PFDs that are over 10 years old, which we recommend that they replace.
For your average boater, the PFDs have a lifespan of around 5 years, give or take. For your above average boater, someone who is on the water 200+ days out of the year, replacing your PFD every few years isn't abnormal
A good way to judge if your PFD needs to be replaced is to take a look at how the sun faded the fabric is and if there are any stitches that have busted or broken buckles.

Another way to tell if your PFD needs to be replaced and the most important function of a PFD is how well it floats in you flat water, let alone on whitewater. 

If you wear your PFD in a pool and it's barely floating you above the water, it won't float you in whitewater the way that it should. That is a good indication that the PFD needs to be replaced.

Today’s PFDs are comfortable and versatile. Finding the right one for you and your paddling style is essential when getting out on to the water. Choose the PFD that best fits your needs. If it's comfortable and well fitted you’ll actually enjoy wearing and never want to leave the shore without wearing it.


If you want more information about Kristin Kettenhofen recommendations for PFDs, you can contact her at The River Store at info@TheRiverStore.com

We are always looking for guest bloggers to share the stories and pictures of their adventure.

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

COVID SUMMER

Believe in them, for they are the mountain-principles and alter-piles of life. Breathe the air that is freshened on their heights. Drink of the streams that flow fresh from the channels in their sides. And in every season of doubt, temptation, or despair, lift up thine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh thy help. --- Thomas Starr King

A week after my from returned from my annual week-long trip to a rugged Sierra Nevada mountain lake east of Lake Tahoe, I'm still in a bit of haze, if not a funk. The kayaking and campout trek to Loon Lake's pristine cobalt-blue waters, textured granite shores, and awe-inspiring views was my most anticipated trip of the summer. Who wouldn't feel a post-trip blues leaving such a place of beauty and tranquility?

Scott MacGregor called it a happy-sad period. "Happy because dreams came true," he wrote in Paddling Magazine, "Horizons were broadened. Challenges crushed. Confidence boosted. Friendship strengthed. But sad because it is suddenly over."

Lingering at the boat access looking over the lake last week, I relived the highlights of the trips through my mind. Our first-class steak dinner, those amazing sunsets, those pesky bees, one awesome hike, and a spectacular view of the Perseid Meteor Shower while lounged along the rocky beach looking towards the heavens.
Packing up the boats and driving away, it was time to slip back to reality. My escape had only been short-lived. And while the trip might have changed and recharged me, I'd still be returning to all the real-life pressures and stresses the world has to offer, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic.

In truth, I didn't even escape the effects of the pandemic while on the trip into the wilderness area. I was greeted by mask-wearing hikers and witnessed people camping, where in the past years those camping spots were always vacated.
"It's COVID," said a member of my group, "Simply put, there is not much to do this summer, except go camping."

Since early summer when many of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were eased the great outdoors has been attracting people who are out using the beaches, forests, and mountains in unprecedented numbers. Experts say if proper guidelines are implemented the risk of exposure can be reduced.
“The risk is definitely lower outdoors,” says Kimberly Prather, Ph.D., an atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told Elemental, “The primary reason is there’s just such a large volume of clean air.”

Camping and dispersed camping is all the rage this summer as folks attempt to hunker down in the quest to flee COVID-19. Campgrounds have been full throughout the summer including even remote sites normally overlooked.
"We’re seeing a level of use well beyond a normal year,” Oregon Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Chris Havel told the Salem Statesman Journal, “It’s like having the crowds you see for a holiday weekend, except all the time.”
With no amenities, the National Forest Service in some areas is struggling this summer to keep up trash removal when the campers don’t pick up after themselves.

Public officials have also expressed frustration with people who aren't social distancing amid the pandemic who are overcrowding California's beaches and riverways. Last month, After 313 vehicles were counted along a road that had space for 12 cars, an Auburn area swimming hole has been made off-limits to motorists while several beaches around the Monterey Bay Area will be closing this weekend to reinforce social distancing and reduce large public gatherings, as cities anticipate large influxes of visitors.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said, "We're not minimizing mixing. It throws shivers up my spine. Here we are making all this progress, and it can be done away," during a press conference after mentioning the crowds along the Lower American River in Sacramento recently made it look like "spring break."

My thoughts at the boat access persisted even into the next day while working at the boathouse at Sly Park. The summer season is slowly winding down. Autumn comes without warning even when the days are at their warmest. There’s something about the fall season that signifies all things new and a fresh start. But this year, as I all suffer the symptoms of COVID-fatigue, all I really want is for things to get back to normal.

It's a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the mountain lake. Hopefully, I can pack away enough memories to get me by until next time.

We are always looking for guest bloggers to share the stories and pictures of their adventure.

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

OVER THE BOW: LAKE TAHOE

"When quietly floating upon the placid surface of Lake Tahoe, the largest of the "gems of the Sierra - nestled as it is, amidst a huge amphitheater of mountain peaks - it is difficult to say whether we are more powerfully impressed with the genuine child-like awe and wonder inspired by the noble grandeur of nature, or with the calmer and more gentle sense of the beautiful produced by the less imposing aspects of the surrounding scenery."  John Le Conte  

I have kayaked bigger lakes by far. Under Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, Lake of the Wood on the border of U.S. and Canada and into sea caves along Lake Michigan in Door County Wisconsin.  All of those lakes are massive in size.  At their edge, you look out into a sea swell as far as you can see. The horizon falls off into waves. However, at Lake Tahoe, you look across to see the gleaming Sierra Nevada Mountains rising from its blue depths and feel the majesty of the place. American writer, Mark Twain described the thoughts we all must experience when seeing the lake for the first time or one hundredth.

"...at last the Lake burst upon us—a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft full three thousand feet higher still! ... As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords."

You will need waterproof pocket Thesaurus to come up with all the different types of color blue you will see when paddling around the lake. Its cobalt color was long credited to the unusual clarity of the water, however surprising new research suggests that the real explanation lies with algae that live in the lake.

“The result was totally unexpected, since we all expected that clarity and blueness of the lake is correlated,” Dr. Shohei Watanabe, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, told The Huffington Post, “Clarity is mainly controlled by fine inorganic sediments but blueness is mainly controlled by algal populations.”
Using help from NASA, Wantanabe, measured the lake’s blueness and then combined this “blueness index” with measurements of a Secchi disk, a white disk commonly used to measure its transparency of water that remains visible when it's lowered into it. His results showed that the bluer the lake, the lower the clarity of its water, and the lake is actually bluest when algae concentration is low, suggesting a possible need to change in conservation efforts, which traditionally have focused on controlling sediment to keep the lake water clear.

The blueness of the lake is extraordinary along the massive granite walls of D.L. Bliss State Park's Rubicon Point. There it is hard for me to take my eyes off the water as it changes in hues blues as I paddle along with my son Taylor. Under the point, it is the most stunning shade of indigo I think I have ever seen. North of fabled Emerald Bay, this area is a  popular spot for boaters as well as swimmers, who brave the cool waters. Kayaks and speedboats rock along in the waves along the shoreline. For me, finally paddling towards the horizon of mountains proves to be an exhilarating experience.

"This place is spectacular because it is one of the highest, deepest, oldest and purest lakes in the world." said President Barack Obama told a crowd of about 9,000 at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit,  "It’s no wonder that for thousands of years, this place has been a spiritual one. For the Washoe people, it is the center of their world. And just as this space is sacred to Native Americans, it should be sacred to all Americans."

He challenged all of us, to keep the lake's spirit alive through conservation and combating climate change to protect its pristine views, keep its air pure, and most certainly its waters clear and blue.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

This article was originally published Outside Adventure to the Max on September 9, 2016.

 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.