Look at getting my first impact vest that fits with my waist harness.

Any particular brands and model that stand out to get?

Not an impact vest but I often use one of these in the waves.
Good fit, can swim easily and a handy little pocket for sandwiches. It also helps with warmth during winter

www.prolimit.com/collections/floating-vests-men/products/402-53250-floating-vest-freeride-waist-side-zip

Impact vest, or lifejacket/floaty impact vest?
if purely impact vest then i would be searching for a hard type that'll fit better with a waist harness, if you want the floaty type then its going to be a compromise between having it cover the surface area to to give you the protection, and not having it turn you into tommy turtle whilst hooked in.


i'm a waist harness wearer as well, and i haven't been able to find anything to date that i'm truly happy to wear whilst sailing. Things go better for the seat harness people i suspect. its particularly annoying in WA (i think its Australia wide?) since we are technically required to wear a pfd pretty much everywhere once over 400m from shore.



i currently use a forward whip (latest model) pfd when i absolutely have to. its probably the closest ive been to happy. I see vakobi have a new much higher slim pfd that might be better

I am using the ride engine defender hf.
Very comfy and integrates nicely with my waist harness.

When looking at impact vests, look for something that provides protection for your ribs on the sides. Many vests from the kite world omit this.

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Subsonic said..
Impact vest, or lifejacket/floaty impact vest?
if purely impact vest then i would be searching for a hard type that'll fit better with a waist harness, if you want the floaty type then its going to be a compromise between having it cover the surface area to to give you the protection, and not having it turn you into tommy turtle whilst hooked in.


i'm a waist harness wearer as well, and i haven't been able to find anything to date that i'm truly happy to wear whilst sailing. Things go better for the seat harness people i suspect. its particularly annoying in WA (i think its Australia wide?) since we are technically required to wear a pfd pretty much everywhere once over 400m from shore.



i currently use a forward whip (latest model) pfd when i absolutely have to. its probably the closest ive been to happy. I see vakobi have a new much higher slim pfd that might be better

I'm am after more on the flotation side of things, we all end up in the water at some time

I've been using the Prolimit race vest (don't be fooled by its name) for the past 10+ years and have always found it the perfect combo of good impact protection and floatation. It doesn't get in the way whilst sailing and it has a back pocket for my PLB.

It technically won't comply as a PFD, but it surely looks similar if you know what I mean.

The foam is nice and thick, it saved me from a foil tip puncture on the back last season.

The strap prevents it from sliding up. I'm using a waist harness.

My first one lasted nearly 10 years, the replacement I got at the beginning of this season already has a broken pocket unfortunately. So not sure if I can still recommend it, quality certainly got worse.
Looks like Patrik have a very similar product that is possibly more easily available in Australia, although can't tell if the padding is as thick based on a photo only.

www.prolimit.com/products/402-43000-weight-race-vest

www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/product/patrik-windsurfing-speed-weight-vest

Maybe not the floatiest but I am very impressed with the longevity of my NP
about 5 seasons now and only needs replacing the little Velcro tab that stops the zip moving. Rest is fine

Ion Vector is really good and your waist harness sits over it.
I use the Ion Ivy which is the female equivalent.
Not a flotation vest but definitely helps when you lose your gear.

I have the Ion Vector too, and it works fine with a waist harness. They are a bit small in their size, so I had to go one size larger than usual in order to breath normally. It is comfortable to wear and feels like it gives some protection, but I have never hit anything hard enough to tell. It gives some extra floatation when waterstarting, which is nice in the winter when one doesn't want to put the head under water.

Not sure how they would go with the waist harness but these are good. They might be worth researching. It looks like some are cut higher from the bottom.
I used to wear a Neil Pryde floatation vest ( at least the old ones didn't) but that doesn't protect you from side impacts and after breaking a rib I switched to these.
www.dyscmarine.com.au/products/forward-wip-pfd-impact-50n-vest?variant=46485624881318¤cy=AUD&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google%2Bshopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22871612064&gbraid=0AAAAApk-se5FUxfzA3itCEx141zOF2yCW&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7fbLBhDJARIsAOAqhscXIUERa8jKa8RJdf1vBLm36XAaAbotZwUC5wQnWZ9rCOGYpHeTnQ0aAh2gEALw_wcB

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Mark _australia said..
Maybe not the floatiest but I am very impressed with the longevity of my NP
about 5 seasons now and only needs replacing the little Velcro tab that stops the zip moving. Rest is fine

Agree with Mark, NP about 7 years old now good as new. There a shook cut out so should be fine with a high hook. Wish their board bags lasted as well!