Yes, I am going to be a bit harsh on this review. I would give this pfd five stars if it had an adequate a hydration option. Regrettably it does not. It meets all my other needs as a sea kayaker and instructor, but one. I find this to be a major failure. I have been using either the older Astral Sea Wolf or my newer Blue Jacket as my PFD of choice for the last ten years, but I have always had to jerry-rig my on water hydration system. Astral claims the BlueJacket is compatible with the Camelbak Crux 1.5 L H2O bladder, but I have yet to find a kayaker that uses the Crux with the BlueJacket. I just purchased said bladder to give it a try. It really does not work. Didn't anyone test this out? You might be able to mount the Crux inside the BlueJacket, but you will not want to wear it for any length of time. It's difficult at best to hang the Crux off of the two recessed web straps in the BlueJacket. They are located way-up and behind the pfd’s mesh back panel, but it is possible with patience and dexterity. What I cannot tolerate is the large hard plastic of lid of the Crux jammed against my spinal column. This set-up is not tolerable just walking around the house. I cannot image trying to paddle while wearing it. It’s back to a jerry-rig.
H.K.
2 years ago
No Appropriate Pocket For Hyration Bladder
This could be a good sea kayaking pfd but unfortunatley it has no appropriate pocket for the hydration bladder. The hydration sleeve should be closed at the bottom as it is not sufficient to fix the bladder to the loops at the top. In my opinion the hydration pocket is a must have on a sekayaking pfd. It is a bit sad but because of that I will return the BlueJacket.
Douglas Kacir
2 years ago
No Latch Tab For Knife
So what do you recommend I do with my safety knife when there is no lash tab on this PFD ?
Emma
3 years ago
Mostly Good
Pros: -Comfortable design for paddling/rowing. The panels that move independently make a big difference from past pfds I have used -Ease of donning/doffing— this was one of my main reasons for not purchasing the green jacket because I wanted to have a side entry -Clamshell pocket—I carried a “pin kit” (traction devices, biners, Prussiks), a bear paw device, my father’s very expensive hearing aids in a water proof case, and sometimes my phone for photos and it all fit comfortably. Cons: -Sizing. By far the biggest issue. I’m not a particularly small woman (5’6” and 140 lbs) and the size Sm/Md borders on too big. When I tried it on initially it seemed fine but as the foam molded to my trunk more it became noticeable that the straps were cinched all the way tight and it still didn’t feel as tight as I wanted it to potentially swim a class 8+ Grand Canyon rapid. PLEASE make a smaller size for the average and below average sized women!!! -the sleeve for hydration bladder seems a bit gimmicky. I can’t see how it would be comfortable to have a bladder inside the foam of your pfd and it would be entirely suspended on a clip at the top as there is no bottom support in the “sleeve” that holds the bladder -No good place to attach a river knife! Was very bummed that the only place to attach a river knife was on the shoulder strap where my NRS pilot knife hung over the zipper for the clamshell. Not sure why they couldn’t add a lash tab on the clamshell like with the green jacket.
mark aldred
8 years ago
Mr
A nice pfd but the option to attach a hydration pack is a gimmick that does not work. There is no sleeve for it to sit inside, the bladder simply drops out of the bottom of the pfd into the water. leaving you garrotted by the pipe. Astral say it can be attached via loops- the loops are there but I can see no easy way of attaching it.
