No matter what you are doing to enjoy your time on the water: boating, paddlesports (like kayaking or stand up paddleboarding), fishing, riding PWC (personal watercraft) and more, there is a life jacket to best fit the situation, your body type and your age.

First of all, there are lots of different words for life jackets. Some people call them life vests or make lifejackets all one word. The proper term is a personal flotation device or PFD. And there are different types of life jackets as well depending on the activity that you will be taking part in while on the water. All of that information is detailed more in another blog post about the new Life Jacket Labels.

While there are hundreds of different styles and types of life jackets, there are essentially two wearable versions to choose from: foam and inflatable. But do you really know what would work best for you? For some insight into the topic of foam v. inflatable life jackets, the Sea Tow Foundation spoke to its partners at Onyx (also known as Absolute Outdoors), who have supplied more than 100,000 life jackets for the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program. A chart is included below with an easy side-by side breakdown of the differences between foam and inflatable life jackets.

No matter what life jacket you buy and wear, storing it properly can make all the difference in terms of how long it will last. Absolute Outdoor recommends storing life jackets in a shaded, indoor location to prevent fading and weakening of material. In addition, life jackets should be thoroughly dried before being stored to prevent mold and mildew. If treated well, a life jacket can last 7-10 years.

The U.S. Coast Guard requires at least one wearable life jacket in the correct size for each person be readily available on a recreational boat meaning that you can get to it quickly without having to dig through boxes and bags. But, if you choose an inflatble life jacket, it must be worn to be counted. Through our Life Jacket Loaner Stations, we work to provide boaters with easy access to foam life jackets in infant, child, youth, adult and adult XL that can be borrowed and returned free of charge.

“We are incredibly pleased to partner with the Sea Tow Foundation in providing life jackets for their nationwide life jacket loaner stations,” said Len Nelson, Director of Sales – Commercial & Industrial at Absolute Outdoor. “Our goal is to see people wearing life jackets – not just having them on the boat, and the Foundation has done a wonderful job providing quality jackets for people to use and enjoy on their day on the water in their nationwide life jacket loaner program.”

No one ever thinks that they will be in a situation where a life jacket is necessary. Being a strong swimmer will not make a difference if you are unexpectedly forced into the water and it is possible that you could get injured and be unable to swim. Rarely will a boating accident allow you the time to put on a life jacket if you were not already wearing one.

Ultimately, the best life jacket is the one that you are going to wear the moment you get on or near the water. Wearing a life jacket can give you and your family the peace of mind for a safe and fun day on the water.

In this chart, you’ll find an easy side-by-side breakdown of the differences between foam and inflatable life jackets. Links to purchase the life jackets are listed below the chart.

Links to Purchase Onyx Life Jackets:

Adult General Purpose Foam Vest

A/M 24 - Suspender-style Inflatable Life Jacket

M16 - Belt pack-style Inflatable Life Jacket

Please note that the Sea Tow Foundation may receive compensation as an affiliate of Amazon’s for purchases made with some of these links.