For this guide, I collected a dozen life jackets for children and youth between 30 and 90 pounds. This range can encompass kids anywhere between the ages of 3 to 12. If you’re looking for a PFD for an even smaller child, see our top picks on toddler life jackets, for 30 pounds and under. If you’re looking for buying advice for teens and adults, visit Paddling Mag’s overall guide to the best life jackets.
The U.S. Coast Guard categorizes children as being from 30 to 60 pounds, and youth from 60 to 90 pounds. So, in order test these life jackets, I divided our paddlers into the two groups. Split between energetic, snack-loving children, and determined, middle-school-aged youth, we buckled up and made our way for the water.
After extensive testing, here are my top picks for child and youth life jackets.
Best life jackets for children and youth: Our top picks
- Best for flotation, child: Mustang Lil’ Legends
- Best for mobility, child: Onyx Child All Adventure
- Most affordable, child: Level Six Stingray
- Best color options, child: Salus Nimbus
- Best for paddling mobility, youth: Stohlquist Drifter Youth
- Best for safety and fit, youth: Astral Otter Youth
- Most affordable, youth: NRS Vista Youth
Wear A Life Jacket
- Everyone, even strong swimmers, needs to wear a life jacket at all times when on the water. It is extremely difficult to put a life jacket on once you fall into the water. Even a light wind can blow any paddlecraft away from you, faster than you can swim.
- Always wear a USCG-approved Level 70 or Type III life jacket designed for paddling.
Best for children (30–60 lbs)
Best children’s life jacket for flotation
Mustang Survival Child Lil’ Legends
Mustang Survival Child Lil’ Legends Specs
Price: $69.99 USD | $89.99 CAD
Material: 100% Nylon, Foam: PVC-free Gaia Foam
License: U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada Approved
Weight Range: 33–59 lbs
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MUSTANG SURVIVAL AMAZON BACKCOUNTRY
The Mustang Child Lil’ Legends is all about keeping your child floating high out of the water. It has lots of foam, making it a little bulky but still very comfortable. The foam collar keeps them face up if they are tossed from a raft. Available in multiple sizes and weight ranges, the infant and toddler life jackets in this model include a crotch strap for extra security, while the child version does not. A big zipper makes it easy for your little one to get the PFD on and off by themselves, and the grab loop allows for quick rescue in case a child ends up capsizing. This is not the sleekest vest, but for flotation and peace of mind, it is hard to beat.
Best PFD for child mobility
Onyx Outdoor Child All Adventure Life Jacket
Onyx Child All Adventure Specs
Price: $64.99 USD
Material: Nylon
License: U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada Approved
Weight Range: 35–55 lbs
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The Onyx Outdoor All Adventure Life Jacket was my six-year-old daughter Piper’s favorite. She wore it everywhere, mostly because she didn’t even feel like she was wearing it. This PFD was easy for her to buckle and unbuckle on her own, which is always a plus for parents.
The All Adventure Life Jacket doesn’t have a float collar to turn a swimmer face-up, which Piper liked. She is a swimmer now and wants to have freedom on the water and swim with her head up. This collarless PFD is good for her growing independence and offers better comfort for her while swimming and playing in the water. The PFD still features a grab handle for easy access for parents.
At this age range and weight range, I find it’s a toss-up whether they need a foam collar and/or a crotch strap on their vest. It depends on the kid and conditions. My preference is for the crotch strap not the collar. For the type of paddling I do with my kids, it’s more likely for me to need to haul them out of the water and back into the boat, versus them being in the water unattended, which is when the collar can really come in handy.
Most affordable child life jacket
Level Six Stringray
Level Six Stringray Specs
Price: $60 USD | $65 CAD
Material: Nylon
License: Canadian Coast Guard Approved
Weight Range: 30–60 lbs
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The Level Six Stingray isn’t flashy, but it gets the job done and is the most budget-friendly youth life jacket we tested. It includes all the safety features parents might want to look for: a crotch strap, float collar, grab loops and an easy on-off design. The lightweight nylon dries quickly, which makes it practical for all-day use.
For a step up, the Level Six Swordtail adds partial neoprene construction, making it more comfortable to put back on when wet, especially on cooler days.
Like the other vests reviewed here, the Stingray checks all the safety boxes. Bright color options improve visibility, and the flat lower back is designed to sit comfortably against kayak seats, which is nod to paddlesports-specific performance.
Best for children’s color options
Salus Nimbus
Salus Nimbus Specs
Price: $120 CAD
License: Transport Canada Approved
Weight Range: 30–60 lbs
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The Salus Nimbus offers one of the best ranges of color styling we’ve seen. With so many cool color options, shopping with your child can be part of the fun and makes this PFD more likely to be something they are excited about wearing.
The outer fabric of the Nimbus feels more abrasion- and UV-resistant than many of the other jackets we tested. My hunch is it will last for many years, making this a PFD that can be handed down to siblings or friends as your little one outgrows it.
Standard safety features include a grab loop and crotch strap, but unique to Salus is the secondary float collar. It adds comfort and neck support, which will be ideal for infants and reassuring for nervous or weaker swimmers, although stronger swimmers may find it unnecessary.
Know The Local Hazards
- Check navigation charts before you launch.
- Check with those who have local knowledge of man-made and natural hazards, e.g. low-head dams; sweepers, strainers and undercuts; tides and currents; and rocks and shoals.
Best for youth (60–90 lbs)
Best youth PFD for paddling mobility
Stohlquist Drifter Youth
Stohlquist Drifter Youth Specs
Price: $149.99 USD
Material: Nylon & 240D ripstop
License: U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada Approved
Weight Range: 50–90 lbs
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Our pick for the best youth PFD for mobility and paddling, the Stohlquist Drifter stands out for basically being a true small paddling PFD. While many youth vests are stripped down to just basic safety features, the Drifter mirrors adult designs with pockets for snacks, the option to attach a river knife and a clip for a whistle.
The durable Drifter has a great range of motion for arms, and I like how short the torso is. The lower cinch strap is right under the rib cage, right where it’s supposed to be. Multiple handy cinch points make this a PFD you can really fit to smaller bodies. It also includes two side cinches, one that tightens over the top of your chest, as well as shoulder strap cinches.
In terms of rescue features, there’s no grab handle, so you would be using the shoulder straps as grab points, as you would to rescue an adult paddling friend. This PFD is also available in a larger size, 75 to 125 pounds, for older teenagers and adults.
Best youth PFD for safety and fit
Astral Otter
Astral Otter Specs
Price: $155 USD
Material: 420 x 220 denier nylon ripstop
License: U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada Approved
Weight Range: 50–90 lbs
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The Otter by Astral has a really great fit and design for a youth paddling jacket, with ample arm space for them to paddle all day long without abrasion, lots of adjustment points with the buckle right under the rib cage, shoulder straps you can make shorter or longer, and bright color options add visibility. It has pockets, though they are quite small, best suited for a small snack, like a pack of Skittles.
The optional leg straps are a standout feature, and what makes it our top pick for safety in a youth jacket. These can be added if you think you might need to pull your child back into the boat or if you’ll be out in rougher conditions. The Otter also has a very cool integrated grab handle on the back of the jacket. It’s so low profile we didn’t even notice it at first. It’s made of fabric instead of the loop of webbing common on kids’ jackets, so it doesn’t stick out, and it’s not flapping around.
Check The Weather
- Plan for changing weather conditions. Prepare for the worst case.
- Don’t forget to check tide, currents, or river levels.
In testing, we found that youth paddlers who are wearing the Otter were happy to wear it for long durations and liked the fit and style. There is also no zipper, just three buckles, so it’s easy for kids to do it up on their own. The Otter is also short on the torso, which is great for paddling if using a sprayskirt or if you have a high back on a kayak seat.
Most affordable youth life jacket
NRS Vista Youth
NRS Vista Youth Specs
Price: $79.95 USD
Material: 400-denier ripstop nylon
License: U.S. Coast Guard Approved
Weight Range: 50–90 lbs
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This was the most affordable paddling-style vest we tested for youth weighing up to 90 pounds. The NRS Vista Youth is a solid life jacket designed with paddlers in mind. It has good adjustment straps for fitting smaller bodies—including three along the side and one on each shoulder—so you can drop it down or hike it up. The bottom buckle hugs under the rib cage, just like you want. However, in testing, we did find this vest rode up a bit when the tester was in the seated position.
It has one big pocket, and you can fit a big granola bar in there, plus anything else a kid might want to carry. Our testers found the vest was comfortable, and I noted the shell felt durable, although less so than on the Astral Otter or Stohlquist Drifter. Being designed with the paddler in mind, plus the budget-friendly price point, bumped this PFD into the best value category. It’s an affordable option for kids who enjoy paddlesports.
What to consider when choosing a life jacket for youth
As a lifetime paddler, I wanted to compare some of the top paddling brands to see which ones worked best for my children and their friends. All of these life jackets listed in this review are well-made and designed, and there isn’t one in this lineup that I wouldn’t want my child to wear.
Some of the things that I look for in a quality youth life jacket are:
- Comfort / fit
- Number of adjustment straps for a snug fit
- Crotch strap to ensure the doesn’t slip over the head
- Material that will not rip easily
- Grab handles in case you need to grab them quickly
- Pockets for collecting things, having snacks, you name it, pockets are useful
Overall fit and function
Fit is the most crucial factor when choosing a life jacket for a child, just as it is the most important factor when choosing the best life jacket for adults. If it doesn’t fit properly, it will not do its job to float your child. And if it is not comfortable, your child or teen will refuse to wear it. The life jackets in this article cover body size from 30 pounds to 90 pounds—that’s a huge variation!
There is no substitute for trying on a life jacket before you purchase it to see what fits best. But if you don’t have that luxury, the reviews above will give you a pretty good idea of the comfort and fit of each one.
Price
This consideration speaks for itself. There are lots of life jackets out there that are even less expensive than the ones I have tested here, but they may fall short on safety, fit or function. A life jacket is a potentially life-saving device. Be cautious when prioritizing budget constraints.
Extra features
Accessible grab handles are great additions and peace of mind for parents of younger paddlers or those who lack strong swimming skills. I can’t say enough about adequate pockets—both for snacks, and so you don’t have to hold the rocks and shells they collect!
Best brands for youth life jackets
How we tested
When testing these life jackets, I divided the testers into two groups, defined by the U.S. Coast Guard’s sizing categories: children from 30 to 60 pounds, and youth from 60 to 90 pounds.
Paddlers between 30 to 60 pounds tend to be early elementary school age. They are energetic, silly, love snacking, love collecting mementos and don’t paddle often. Testing these life jackets involved swimming, playing, running, and playing on kids kayaks and kids paddleboard. I took these lightweights to a small lake with some small kayaks to put some of the top brands life jackets to the test.
Meanwhile, paddlers between 60 to 90 pounds tend to be older elementary school or middle school age. They are still energetic and silly, but they also have stamina and enjoy paddling their own vessel. These pre-teens and teenagers aren’t just in it for the snacks and swimming—they have a bit more focus and determination and enjoy setting goals and achieving them. When we were testing these life jackets, they paddled their own paddleboards and kayaks for long stretches and swam only when taking breaks.
Feature photo: Brenna Kelly
