PFDs

Latest PFDs & Life Jackets

salus pfd giveaway

Chance to Win a Pair of Salus PFDs

Please note: To enter the contest, fill out the form above and click “Enter”. Commenting on this post does not provide the commenter with...
Stohlquist enter to win

Enter for a Chance to Win TWO Stohlquist PFDs

Please note: To enter the contest, fill out the form above and click “Enter”. Commenting on this post does not provide the commenter with...
First Look at the NRS Lucid PFD at PTC Colab.

A First Look At The NRS Lucid (Video)

The NRS Lucid PFD is new to the market in Spring 2025, implementing NRS’s new Orbit Fit technology and more variety in sizing. We caught...

First Look: NRS Ninja Pro PFD (Video)

The NRS Ninja Pro got an upgrade in 2024 and the Paddling Mag team got a first look at the redesign of this classic...
Paddling Magazine editor-in-chief Kaydi Pyette holds a canoe paddle while wearing and surrounded by a selection of her picks for best life jackets

Best Life Jackets For 2025

Personal flotation devices are the most crucial safety gear on the water. Each year, close to 200 paddlers die in the United States, and...

Astral Releases 15th Limited Edition PFD In Collaboration With Whitewater Legend Dave Fusilli

Oct. 10, 2024, Seattle, Wash. – Astral is proud to introduce its latest GreenJacket LE in collaboration with whitewater legend Dave Fusilli. This limited...
man immersed in water beside his paddleboard while wearing a Mustang Khimera inflatable PFD

The Mustang Life Jacket Reinventing The Inflatable PFD

For decades, Mustang Survival was the brand of life jacket you’d expect to find hanging in the boathouse at the cottage, stowed on a...
man standup paddleboarding in front of a scenic mountain landscape

How To Standup Paddleboard

Many standup paddleboarders have a vivid memory of their first time encountering the sport. Maybe they witnessed someone gliding across the water at the...
woman poses while sea kayaking in rainy weather

What To Wear Kayaking: The Complete Guide

The world of kayaking is as wild as you choose to make it. My kayak adventures have taken me from Lake Superior to the...
an adult and a child paddle an inflatable kayak together

Fake Life Jackets For Kids Flood Amazon

Looking forward to another season of boating with her young family, Allie Wojciak went online and bought a new life jacket for her son. At...
two women paddle a tandem kayak on a sunny day while wearing Stohlquist PFDs, recently acquired by Sport Dimension

Stohlquist Acquired By Sport Dimension Inc.

After a mere two and a half months out of production, Stohlquist is making a comeback, thanks to being acquired by the watersports company,...

Astral Unveils High-Float Indus Line Of PFDs (Video)

How does Astral evolve on the success of the long-running GreenJacket? By pouring over a decade of development into a freestyle-inspired high-float PFD built...
Photo Courtesy of Regina Nicolardi/Astral

Astral’s 14th Limited Edition PFD Inspired By Pro Kayaker Nouria Newman

June 28, 2023– Asheville, NC – Astral is proud to introduce a limited edition GreenJacket Rescue PFD in collaboration with world-renowned athlete and Astral Archetype Nouria Newman....
two people wearing life jackets in accordance with Rhode Island's new law

New Rhode Island Law Requires Paddlers To Always Wear PFDs

Rhode Island has joined a short list of U.S. states requiring a life jacket be worn by all paddlers at all times. On March 23,...
male kayaker stands on river shore wearing rescue PFD and holding paddle and throw bag

River Safety & Rescue Gear: Your Head-To-Toe Guide

Whether you are brand new to whitewater or are a seasoned paddler, it’s important to know what gear to take along to prepare you...
a whitewater rescuer leaps into the river to save a kayaker using rescue gear

3 Pieces Of Rescue Gear Worth Spending Extra On

Pop quiz. Which three pieces of paddling safety equipment would you choose to spend a little extra on? Take a minute to think about...
When Christian Nelson’s kayak turned turtle 3 miles offshore, a friend’s cell phone was his only way to call for help. | Photo Courtesy Christian Nelson

Who Do You Call When Your Kayak Sinks?

Christian Nelson didn’t know the trouble he was in. He was three miles out from Gulf Shores Alabama when the kayak he was trolling...
Man wearing hat, drysuit, gloves and PFD paddling blue touring kayak

101 Things Every Paddler Should Know

From the archives: this article was first published in the Summer 2007 issue of Rapid Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives. After...

From the new issue

“It was kind of a dream that all fell together,” says photographer Riley Seebeck. Getting this photo was a seven-person, six-hour mission that pushed the limits of technical and...