Need a new pfd reccommedation

humans are less dense than water. so we float.  generally larger folks moreso.  Wet clothes weigh no more in water than the clothes dry, so luckily that wont make a difference in floating, only pulling yourself back onto the craft. It's the main conflict of the wader argument. Technically waders full of water in water don't have an effect on your buoyancy, but pulling an extra 150lbs of water into the air/onto the kayak makes a difference. Drowning in waders is #1 cause of waterfowl hunter deaths in the midwest because of this phenomenon. people tire themselves out trying to rescue themselves plus all the extra water when they can float just fine and remove the waders before rescuing. but by that time they are too tired and cannot stay afloat if they don't have a PFD.  You would need to be roughly 400lbs to need a 18lb vs 17lb pfd


https://www.boatsafe.com/pounds-buoyancy-mean/#:~:text=You%20only%20have%2010%20pounds,longer%20be%20safe%20to%20use.

Outstanding post! Excellent link! Thanks for putting it out there.

Tried three stores so far, no one has stock on hand to try.  Oh well, guess I'll just order off Amazon... but that makes me sad when I want to spend money locally.

Yeah, high vis is a must for me too.

This is super important - just thinking about a scenario where you capsize and get separated from your kayak.  Hi-viz for the win there.

For pockets, have you thought about molle type attachments?  I haven't seen any paddling PFDs with molle panels/attachment points, but I also haven't looked... seems like an easy way to get the size/number/placement of pockets that you want if such a vest exists.