Same question here - whats everyone else using? all i can find in my regional town is Jetpilot jetski ones, they seem bulky and awkward

Any vest is a good one,I learnt after a rescue and a foil cut to the chest and a paddle thru bull shark heaven bleeding like a stuck pig.Check out jet pilot ,rip curl,and gath helmets ( the new ones are super light).Any vest that helps you float and protects your torso,all you then have to battle is board and wing.I sure this topic was hashed out not long ago do a search.

Have a look at Pro Gaurding.
Australian made and awesome. They have some good ideas to seperate from the other vests and I can vouch it is comfy and doesn't ride up.

Yup wakeboard comp vest. Different styles depending on what you're looking for. Fairly cheap, and not too much flotation in them.

I'm using an ION (available from most kite shops), using it for two reasons:
- Protection from the foil
- Reduces the impact from those high speed wipeouts

Only negative is there is no shoulder padding (for those long walks where the foil mast seems like to wants to cut into my shoulder)

Neil Pryde impact vests are comfortable and a buoyant but you can still duck dive under a wave which is a must.

Check out the rip curl dawn patrol vest. Plenty of padding and a nice tight fit, which is definitely worth the extra $. Still one of my favourite bits of kit after about five years and definitely reduces the slams when foiling. Whatever you get, make sure it's a tight fit so it doesn't ride up under your arms. Hb

Patagonia vest is very good but Pricy. Also beware that the 'Impact' vests are often designed for flotation with SOME impact resistance.

I have been wearing impact vests for 10 years. O'Neal Gooru for 7 years, Patagonia for 3 years. Almost every session (90% of the time e.g. when > 5 feet in California). I once cracked my ribs through my O'Neal Gooru vest which didn't help the impact but it helped me FLOAT when I couldn't swim.

1) Wear the vest under your wetsuit, or wetsuit shirt. They will all ride up
2) In warm water be sure to tie it to your shorts. They will all ride up and choke you.
3) Consider this for impact. I found a cheaper alternative on Amazon that MAY be better for impact but not so much for float.

Equestrian Impact Vest - This is TRULY for Impact. Alternately I wore a high school football rib protector under my Gooru Vest for 6+ years.

Jeroensurf said..
Be aware that a lot of kite and windsurfimpact vest have less/no padding at the lowerback and below the ribs to keep space for the harness.
I have a impact vest from Mystic that covers till my hips and is flexible enough to forget when wearing a wetsuit.

I agree, my Dakine impact vest has a band of little padding around the stomach/kidneys, looks like it was designed with a waist harness in mind. Fine for windsurfing, but for winging I switched to a Follow wakeboarding vest which has padding all the way to the bottom. It also has padding on the side of the rib cage, an area which seems to be lacking on a lot of impact vests. I have cracked ribs in a side impact with the water, and I know others who have done the same despite wearing impact vests, so side protection is high on my list of priorities.

My other complaint is that a lot of these vests have neoprene as their outer covering, and they soak up a lot of water. For foiling I could do without the extra weight.