Life vest

[bronze_10]

So another winter has come and yet again my kids have out grown their life jackets.. the ones they have grown out of were from overtons.. they did their job but they were kinda cheep.. the foam in the back was one large strip and would fold inside the fabric.. we need to buy some new ones and we would rather not break the bank doing it... what does the forum say?

 

[Speedling]

I have three kids, a pool, and a boat. We buy a nice jacket for the oldest and it gets handed down to the others. Exception being we bought a nice pink one for my daughter 2 years ago. We get the hyperlite ones from Costco and they are pretty nice especially for kids because some of the kids jackets will get up in their face and stuff and these don't.
My kids are in life jackets more than regular clothes during the summer so we spend the money making sure they are comfortable.

 

[Mainah]

Ditto here. Been buying good neoprene jackets for sometime now. They last and as the kids grow out of them completely we still keep them for guests. I now have an extra for every size from toddler to XXL adult. Hyperlite does fit my kids well and think I got them on a sale online but have noticed them at Big Box stores for cheap from time to time.

The one type not to get is comp vests. They look cool and thin but they have minimal flotation and a pro wakeboarder was recovered off the bottom of a lake still wearing his years ago. I will only buy USCG approved.

 

[bronze_10]

We bought O'Brian last year and they are ok but not the quality I wanted.. all three of my kids are very different in sizes so the handle down thing pron won't work. I will look into hyper lite

 

[4x15mph]

We us a different life jacket than the jacket kids wear when doing sports. For cruising, we use the self inflating vests that are comfortable and safe. We then have a few size sport vests that everyone uses when they are being towed behind the boat. With the self inflators, kids have no problem wearing them.

 

[mrmeaniemeateaterman]

@bronze_10 Do they still have that Overton's store in Raleigh? I take my kids to the Overton's here in greenville, let them figure out which they like, what fits. Make sure they wear a tight swim shirt to store for fitting. Then go buy it online. I often buy it online from my phone while standing in the store. Online price is always cheaper and there always seem to be a coupon code for another 10-20% off.

You can even look at clearance vests online on your phone. Then see how they fit in store. My kids actually liked the fit of the overton's branded stuff the best. Go figure.

 

[bronze_10]

Yes that's what we did last year. I want to go with something other than Obrien this year. Just getting ideas and what's what.