Fit PFD

Not every paddler needs a jacket with pockets and eight adjustment points. The Stohlquist Fit is the honest, inexpensive one: three buckles, side straps, Coast Guard approved, done. It is what we put on rental customers and what a lot of families buy as the spare that lives in the garage.

What the Stohlquist Fit Gives You

A US Coast Guard approved Type III with 16 lb of flotation in the universal adult size, built from polyethylene foam with a 200-denier nylon shell and liner. Stohlquist also tags it Level 70, the performance rating that replaced the old Type codes. Entry is a three-buckle front with adjustment straps at the sides. There are no pockets and no cinch harness, and at this price that is the trade you are making.

If you want a jacket you will wear for six hours on a loaded touring boat, buy up. If you want a legal, comfortable, properly approved jacket for an afternoon on the flats or a boat that needs a spare aboard, this is the sensible answer.

Getting the Stohlquist Fit Size Right

The Stohlquist Fit comes in one universal adult size with a wide adjustment range. Stohlquist's product page and its general size guide give slightly different chest ranges for universal sizing, so rather than print a number we would rather you came in and put one on — it takes a minute and it removes all doubt.

Do the fit test while you are here. Buckle it, snug the side straps, then have someone pull straight up on the shoulders. It must not slide past your chin. A jacket that rides up in the shop rides up over your face in the water, and that is the failure that actually drowns people.

Type III, Level 70, and Which Label You Will See

The Coast Guard dropped the Type codes from its labelling rules and moved to the international performance-level system. Level 70 is the direct equivalent of the old Type III — the paddling level, for protected water with help at hand. You will see both on jackets sold today, and an older jacket still marked Type III remains legal and still counts toward what you are required to carry, provided the foam is not compressed or waterlogged and the hardware works.

Details

• US Coast Guard approved Type III, also tagged Level 70

• Flotation: 16 lb, universal adult size

• Polyethylene foam

• 200-denier nylon shell and liner

• Three-buckle front entry with side adjustment straps

• No pockets

• 1.6 lb

We have the Stohlquist Fit in Red with grey trim and in Lime with black. Come by the Clearwater shop and try one on.