Comp wakeboarding vest. Yay or nay

[tabbibus]

For those that wakeboard, what are y'alls thoughts on Comp vests? The non coast guard approved ones. Aside from the legality of it, which will vary between states, I've heard they are not that buoyant.

 

[anmut]

I always go with safety > comfort, especially boarding. If you've taken some hard edges you can really get your bell rung!

 

[biffdotorg]

A good segmented neoprene vest is comfortable, thin, and coast guard approved. What's the point of a competition vest other than impact protection. May as well stay legal.

Those of us with dad bods, want a four buckle just to help suck it in. HA!

 

[Michal]

We use body glove or hyper lite vest. Just like the one you have in your profile. I find them to be very comfortable and it will float.

 

[tabbibus]

We use body glove or hyper lite vest. Just like the one you have in your profile. I find them to be very comfortable and it will float.

Yeah, the HL vests are nice. We have a bunch of them. I think I'll stick with those. Thanks folks

 

[HangOutdoors]

+1 for both HL and Body Glove.

 

[Ronnie]

I have a comp vest by Ronix, it looks great
But if I just want to float it’s the last vest on my list. It’s thin and doesn’t provide more but less impact protection. I have over 40 coast guard approved neoprene vests for the reasons above.

 

[biffdotorg]

I have a comp vest by Ronix, it looks great
But if I just want to float it’s the last vest on my list. It’s thin and doesn’t provide more but less impact protection. I have over 40 coast guard approved neoprene vests for the reasons above.

Ronnie, you have always been a level-headed guy, what was the purpose of the comp vest then?

 

[quiksilver81]

I picked up this one recently. I find it to be a good balance between the comp vest and some other standard ones. I got it for around $70 open box like new.

O'Neill Men's Assault USCG Life Vest https://a.co/d/7UgbqoA

 

[Ronnie]

Ronnie, you have always been a level-headed guy, what was the purpose of the comp vest then?

My wife and I used to buy a new vest for ourselves every year. Normally we just changed colors or increased the size. The year I bought the comp vest I wanted it because it not only looked good (acts like a girdle or spanks) but it’s also thinner / less bulky so it’s easier to move around in / move my arms around in it. As a flotation device it’s better than a throwable donut but not as good as a common keyhole vest. My wife bought a conventional ronix vest and it’s still in use. I got the comp vest and rarely even put it on the boat. If I get stopped and am subject to a vest count this vest won’t count.