I need life vests for my drift boat while fishing the river. What do I look for when buying?

Sospender, co2 inflatable vest, manual or automatic, compact and uncumberson.

Ya those are cool but am looking for something less expensive.

i'll be getting some sospenders for christmas..i've been under in waders dozens of times and it still scares the $hit out of me..these will be well worth the high price when it really comes down to it..if you are looking for a value, ebay usually has some decent vests cheap, a friend of mine picked some up for his boat off there last year for about $10 per vest, nice vests to boot

OK a guy at work is giving 2-3 vests for free. Those will work for now, I may look into the OS suspenders later those look like the way to go as far as confort is concerned.

Hate to spend money on life jackets all they do is save your life :p it's not like a good rod that helps you catch fish

FYI. I've had a pair of the auto inflation models for a couple of years now and one problem I've run into is that you have to keep them protected from excessive moisture when not in use. Twice they've inflated while stored in my boat during wet damp weather. If I had to do it again I'd opt for the manuals

I would suggest the use of a Kayaking PFD. Any decent one will have great mobility, good buoyancy, and are generally lightweight.
You can get one at NW Kayaks for under $60.

SkyGuy

I've always gone to a store with many different types of life vests and tried them on. Find one that fits YOU, your body type and common motions well. I also really like many of the float suits and float jackets (especially this time of year).
It never ceases to amaze me that we will spend thousands on our boats, hundreds on our fishing gear, hundreds more on our electronics and shop price on the one item that could be our last and best chance for making it out of a bad spot. Remeber, its a fine line between a great story at the tavern and the lead story on the local news.

One that fits nicely under my front seat.

Mustang company makes a fishing vest that has a built in manual co2 inflater, so mine is on me.

After losing our friend "Craig" last year on the Wynoochee, I and many others in our Gig Harbor PSA club went out and purchased "SOS" PFDs. They are very comfortable and we got a club discount from Sportco and Boaters world.....THANKS GUYS!

Like the others said, if you are a steelheader, get the manual one or you will be blown up at the most inopportune time.

BTW that PFD under the seat if going to be hard to grab as it drifts by you on the Soleduc or some other river!

Keep Safe,

Ng

Do not like the auto inflates, I would think the rain could make them go off. Hopefully the FREE ones the guy is bringing me will work fine for passengers then I can buy a pair of SOS suspenders for me. Something comfortable and less bulky.

A couple things to keep in mind with suspender type floatation devices, 1) if these are the only type on the boat Coast Guard requires them to be worn at all times to be recognized as a pfd 2) if you use a manual and you end up in the water, they are useless if you hit your head and get knocked out.

I use the manual inflate waist pack style. looks like a small fanny pack until you need one. Here in southern Oregon it gets real hot in the summer and the SOS suspenders rub if you are only wearing a T-shirt or tank top. If you are wearing a collared shirt then the suspender type is great. thats what the warden guys wear here. I also keep regular type in the boat for all people so the law about inflatables only counting if worn doesnt applie to me (at least here in Oregon). Bottom line is wear something. Im a good swimmer but no match for 45 degree water in warm clothes. We have places called Rattlesnake, Boat-eater, and Dunn riffle (as in hit a rock here and your dun) in the Rogue and Umpqua and you won't have time to get to something in a dry box. FYI inflatables don't qualify for kids under 12 (at least in Oregon) and they have to wear one any time the boat is underway.