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.

 

This article was originally published Outside Adventure to the Max on June 26, 2020

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

 

RESERVOIR LOGS

A popular question I get while running the Sly Park Park Boat Rentals boathouse on Lake Jenkinson is just how deep is the lake? My standard answer is, I don't know. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Pollack Pines, California, the lake is the centerpiece for Sly Park Recreation Area. Formed as a result of Sly Park Dam, built in the 1950s, the reservoir covers some 650 acres and can hold a lot of water. The lake is divided into two parts. The lower lake is the round bigger portion of the lake, while the upper part is much narrower. While offering relaxing summer weekends of camping, fishing, and recreation a the park, the reservoir, was also constructed to provide irrigation and drinking water to the area.

So just how deep is it? Well, this year, as the lake keeps dropping and dropping, I might find out.

California is once again facing another season of drought. Its parched reservoirs and rivers are reaching record lows this summer. The state's two largest reservoirs, Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville are on track for potential record lows this summer, now at 35 percent and 31 percent of their total capacities, respectively. Climate and water experts are growing increasingly worried about California's shrinking reservoirs.

Lake Jenkinson

“The reservoir levels in the second year of this drought are what they were during the third or fourth year of the previous drought,” said Jay Lund, a professor, and water resources expert at the University of California at Davis told The Washington Post, "Certainly, many reservoirs in the state will see levels lower than they’ve seen since 1976-77, maybe even lower.” A reference to California’s driest water year on record.

Down the road, at Folsom Lake, the water has receded to levels rarely seen. Remnants of a flooded away Gold Rush town have reemerged. Hikers can now see building foundations, bricks that were all once a part of the community of Mormon Island. The village was abandoned and covered with lake water after the Folsom Dam was constructed in the 1950s. While still not at a record low, the water has receded so much that a plane that crashed in 1986 was now visible from the bottom of the lake.

For paddlers, it's good news and bad news. Boat ramps on Folsom Lake are high dry for motorboats, and there is a 5-mph maximum speed limit established for the entire lake. Still, the water does offer some natural wonders to seek out. Paddlers can explore the lake and its rock formations without having to struggle in the wake of powerboats or listen to the whine of jet skis.

Lake Jenkinson is marked by large a bathtub ring around the lake. It's a barren and growing shoreline between the water and the shoreline of trees. It's a martian-like bone-dry landscape of rock, sandstone and ancient mangled decaying tree stumps of trees cut down to make way for the water. Bit by bit, the formerly submerged stumps have reappeared on the surface. Fishing lines and lures once thought lost have now reappeared. The park's jewel, Sly Park Falls a favorite hiking and paddling spot for many, is now a disappointing trickle. No water has cascaded down its green slope since early this summer. It is another reminder that each day the drought tightens its grip on the region and continues to shrink the lake day by day.

Due to lackluster rain, and snow combined with increasing temperatures due to climate change this summer, the question on just how deep is the lake? I might be reluctantly answering.

 

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

 

SUMMER NIGHTS

The moon is Swimming naked, and the summer night is fragrant with a expectation of relief. ---Leonard Cohen

Summertime comes in June to places like Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is not in hurry to get there. Sometimes as cool temperatures can linger for a while. In California, summer can seem almost endless. As the western states sizzle again in another historic drought, we continue to watch our reservoirs drop to all-time lows and unprecedented heat. We dream that next winter will longer and bring in more snow and rain.
Short winters or extended ones are a matter of seasonal and climatic change. And as the old saying says, you can talk about the weather, but not much you can do about it.

Length of winters aside, it's those long summer days that I have come to love. Starting in late May and lasting through August, I have spent many paddling evenings exploring and revisiting my area's lakes and rivers. A couple of weeks before the summer solstice through mid-July seem to be my favorite time of year. When it is the peak of summer when the sun is beaming at its brightest into the evening. Most of the sun-worshipers have already exited the lake leaving it in relaxing and lonely bliss.

Paddling out across Lake Natoma, last week with my wife Debbie, it is easy to why poet William Wordsworth penned, “A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.” We have the lake all to ourselves. But meandering through the back channels of the lake, we discover we are not alone. Not at all. A much too friendly duck approaches looking for any kind of handout. Sorry duck, we have no food to give. It shuffles off disappointed with us as paddlers who did not offer something tasty.

Around we soon catch sight of three bobbing beaver heads foraging the aquatic vegetation. Excellent swimmers, the beavers are nocturnal creatures who remain partially submerged as we quietly paddle toward them. Sensing our presents, they scoot away before using their flat, scaly tail to signal danger with a giant slap of the water.
Otters are a common sight while on the Lower American River in the evening. Known for a renowned sense of play, the semiaquatic mammals seemed to be more curious than scared as they circled around our kayaks, voicing chirpy barks.
The highlight of our paddle on Lake Natoma, however, was catching sight of small baby deer. It was staring down a flock of geese along the shore. Prancing back and forth, it gave us two paddlers little mind as it challenged the flock of geese. It ran back and forth toward them in a game of tag before seeing that we were only yards away and hopping away.

"It’s good to be lost in this wild land for a while," wrote Minnesota blogger Greg Seitz, "One of the biggest benefits to spending time in nature is how it can pull all your attention toward its wonders and beauty."

My summer evenings can evoke a few memories of days on the Red River and on Minnesota lakes. Paddling into the sloughs, my nose is filled with that same earthy aroma I smelled on those distant nights long ago. It's funny how I can remember that smell. While just around another bend is the sweet smell of riping blackberries. Don't bother with those tempting ones that are bright red. They are still much too tart. I'll have to look for the fat black ones. But how come the sweetest and blackest berries are just out of reach for my reach? I pull myself in close. carefully holding the prickly vines, and reach up and pull down only a couple. I pop them into my mouth for instant deliciousness joy.

"Don't even try to talk to me when I'm watching the moon," wrote children author Wendelin Van Draanen, "That's my moon, baby."

It is no surprise. The full moon can make even the most ordinary spots on the lake beautiful after the sun gave up its bright status in the sky. The glowing orb gives me a rush of adrenaline as I spot it rising out of the trees. Mesmerized by the night sky Debbie and I paddle back to the access as the light of the sunlight fades and the stars appear.

Every paddler I know loves the summer season for their endless opportunities for kayaking adventures. But the long and warm summer days, offer even more bonus time for us to enjoy enormous sunlit sky, balmy breeze, warm fragrance of the air, and lots more while enjoying our favorite waterways.

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