10 Best Life Jackets For Boating In 2023

With its beautiful feminine styling, the O'Brien Impulse Neo life vest is the best life jacket for boating for women. Thanks to a 1.5mm neoprene construction, it provides all-day comfort without sacrificing buoyancy. Plus, the wide armholes and multiple hinge points allow you plenty of maneuvering capabilities. 

Available in XS to XL sizes, the Impulse top rated boat life vest fits ladies of all shapes and sizes from petite to full-busted. To give you a secure custom fit, it’s equipped with a zipper and two adjustable belts. Last but not least, the material and craftsmanship are excellent quality and the D-ring is a nice bonus feature. 

Available in infant, child, youth, adult universal, and adult oversize sizes, the Onyx general-purpose family of lifejackets are the best boating PFDs to outfit the entire family. To provide comfort and freedom of movement, these type III vests have open sides and large armholes.

Made of a combination of 200D nylon shell, lightweight flotation foam that contours to the body, and a soft PolyTwill lining, the vests are highly buoyant, feel great to wear, and hold up well. Finally, three adjustable belts allow you to tighten the fit to keep the vest from moving.

Thanks to its inflatable design, the Absolute Outdoor Onyx life jacket is incredibly comfortable to wear. With almost no bulk, you’ll forget that you even have it on. However, this top rated boat life vest reacts quickly when you need it and inflates automatically upon immersion (or you can activate it manually by pulling a T-cord).

On top of this, the RipStop nylon shell guarantees excellent durability while the reflective piping ensures visibility even in low light. Overall, the combination of reliability, comfort, and excellent material quality makes it the absolute best boating life jacket for strong swimmers aged 16 years and above.

A type II boat life vest, the Flowt AK-1 life jacket is highly buoyant and can turn the person face-up (on their back) so they don’t drown. This makes it the best boating life jacket for non-swimmers and anyone apprehensive about being on the water and wanting something reassuring.

The Flowt is also a great option for staying legal, as it meets recreation vessel requirements in all states. As a bonus, it’s one of the most affordable models in our life jacket for boating reviews. Besides bright orange, the vest also comes in bright yellow and camo hues.

Providing maximum safety without bulk, the Bluestorm Stratus 35 Type II CO2 life jacket is one of the best life jackets for boaters who are also strong swimmers. While on the boat, it’s comfortable to the point of forgetting you have it on. When you need it, it inflates automatically upon immersion or manually via the pull jerk or oral inflation tube and provides an incredible 35lbs. of buoyancy.

The slender design ensures you stay cool and have the freedom to work the boat. The collar is soft and breathable so it doesn’t cause chafing discomfort. As for the fit, the waist belt and adjustment slider allow you to dial in the perfect fit. Finally, the vest has a zippered pocket on the front, a handy place to stow necessities.

The value the Kent Absolute Outdoor boat life vests offer is tough to beat. For a very affordable price, you get a set of four adult-size type II life jackets neatly organized in a clear waterproof vinyl bag. If you need backup PFDs for the guests on your boat, these are the best life jackets to get. The space-efficient storage makes them great for an inflatable boat or runabout where space is a premium.

Filled with a lightweight foam flotation material, these USCG approved vests are inherently buoyant and designed to ensure head out of water flotation in calm, inland waters. As for the wearing experience, these Kent life jackets are lightweight, pleasant to wear, and feature a bright orange shell that is easy to spot.

For the youth and children aboard, the Onyx youth boat life vest is the best PFD boating life jacket to keep them safe while complying with the law. It’s a type two life jacket with 15.5lbs minimum buoyancy and ability to turn an unconscious person face-up in still waters.

Designed to offer reduced bulk, this USCG approved life jacket feels pretty comfortable to wear for a type 2 vest. And, thanks to the bright orange color, visibility is ensured if the person wearing it falls overboard.