Stohlquist Edge Personal Flotation Device (PFD) Review

We have competed in many long distance kayak races including 10 1st place finishes in the Everglades Challenge class and 8 1st place finishes among all rowboats. We wore this life jacket during the last 2021 Everglades Challenge. Last year we took another first place overall with the second-best result ever. We have worn the Edge PFD and found it to be the most comfortable and therefore best long range PFD we have ever worn.

I am 5ft 4 inch female and weigh 130lbs and size XS/S fitted perfectly. Last week I swam the threshold and it helped keep me afloat. I don't like the high buoyancy PFDs on the back which makes it harder to keep your toes in choppy water but the buoyancy on them was perfectly balanced. It also looks great (as great as a life jacket can look). The bag isn't big but I had a phone and car keys in a dry bag, they fit fine but it worked!

I bought these to replace my crappy cheap life jackets because it gets flooded every now and then while kayaking. I really like this jacket. I'm a fairly tall guy, around 300 pounds, and this jacket (XXL) fits me. I have to loosen almost all the straps, but I can tighten and then tighten. It's quite comfortable and fits my body and allows movement while paddling.

When I tried on the life jacket at a local store I liked how the Stohlquist jackets fit best. I bought this in size XL and I love it but it just doesn't work with my seat. The back of the Edge falls all the way down and lifts off the backrest on my Dagger axle. It would be better with a backtape. I went back to the store and bought a Trekker (XXL). The Trekker's back only drops halfway down, with mesh for the lower back. Sits perfectly, the backrest does not tilt at all. At 6ft and 240 I bought

I was hesitant to buy this type of life jacket (compared to the standard front and rear cover that you get from West Marine). I wish I had waited that long to buy it. It's great and doesn't interfere with my suspension when I'm stuck on my Hobie 16. In fact, it doesn't bother what I do with the Hobie. I've also been a windsurfer since the late 80s. Windsurfers do not wear PFDs, probably because they limit mobility. For the first time in almost 30 years, I put on a life jacket when I went…