I am headed up through Mudro in June and will be fully outfitted. I am thinking of bringing my own self inflating live vest that fits a bit better and is a bit smaller. Has anyone ever brought their own vest in and is it worth it? Pros and cons please.

I mean, yeah, I use my own PFD, and it is absolutely worth it given how important it is to have a comfortable PFD and how much I use it. I have an Astral Bluejacket, and my girlfriend has an Astral YTV.

Pros of using your own PFD:
It fits comfortably.
It can have the exact features you like/want.
It hasn't been sat on and sweated into by random people.

Cons of having your own PFD:
If you don't go on the water much, it may not be worth it to buy your own depending on your priorities.

I always bring my own PFD. This year I will be bringing my auto inflation PFD. Be sure to bring a re-arming kit.

I always brought mine after I bought one. I bought it for the pockets and a lot of stuff is already packed in them.

The vests we get at VNO with our canoes are good, but nothing like having one that you know fits you well and has pockets to tuck away a few small important items.

OMG I love having my own vest!!!!

I bought mine maybe 5-6 years ago. It's what is now labeled as a Kokatat OUTFIT Tour PFD. Spend money on a really good one and you won't be disappointed (breathing, pockets, ..., plus it's so nice to just pull one on and it just fits.

I also help do small canoe outings with a local non-profit, so I utilize mine a bit more year-round, but it has been such a good investment

I have a little different opinion of PFD's than most around these parts, as I have been a whitewater guide for many years. But I attempted to grow up in Northern MN, and have spend a couple days paddling canoes as well.....

Spend a little money on a good fitting vest, and you will never regret it. I trade mine out every few years, since I wear them out from heavy use. I have multiple pockets that each has specific items stored inside. Yes, whitewater requires more rescue items than lake paddling, but I still take most items while in a canoe. I feel my life is worth it. And I want to be comfortable in the process.

My current vest is an Astral Greenjacket.

dave

It's never occurred to me not to bring my own.

I’m not a fan of inflatables. I had one trip mate have one inflate when he didn’t want it to. I had another who needed it to inflate and it didn’t.

I've never outfitted, so I always bring my own life jacket. That said, I really appreciated my lifejacket more when I upgraded to something better than the most basic variety. Get something with pockets and you will be much happier. An inflating style could work but I am not so sure about them. I'm worried that one would go off accidentally. Like if it was placed on shore and it rained overnight, was placed on the bottom of the boat while swimming, or if you dropped it in the water by mistake. For a day out fishing an inflating life jacket sounds great, for a week in the wilderness, not so much.

I agree with the others that the benefits of having a jacket you know works well for you is worth the effort it takes to bring along.

I think the self inflatable models are more appropriate for use on a larger motorized fishing boat, where you are less likely to get wet, and the jacket is not subjected to the same abuse it can get on a canoe trip. Also, I really like how the pockets on my jacket keep small things off the "floor" of the canoe.

A few months ago I was in the market for a new jacket, and was about to order one from NRS or Kokatat (~$160), when I saw this one walking through WalMart one day. I had a weekend canoe fishing/camping trip coming up, so I went ahead and picked it up. For $40 I figured it would be fine to keep on hand as a loaner to give to friends who canoe with me.

After wearing it for that weekend, I liked it so much I'm keeping it for my own use. It's what I'm taking for a week long BW trip this summer. Here's a photo of the jacket behind some striped bass.

A1t2o: "I've never outfitted, so I always bring my own life jacket. That said, I really appreciated my lifejacket more when I upgraded to something better than the most basic variety. Get something with pockets and you will be much happier. An inflating style could work but I am not so sure about them. I'm worried that one would go off accidentally. Like if it was placed on shore and it rained overnight, was placed on the bottom of the boat while swimming, or if you dropped it in the water by mistake. For a day out fishing an inflating life jacket sounds great, for a week in the wilderness, not so much."

I am very familiar with auto-inflating PFDs. I race sailboats on Lake Michigan and always use an auto-inflating PFD while racing. There are different types of inflators. The less expensive bobbin style work well but are subject to inflating is they get too wet. A hydrostatic inflator works on pressure and needs to be submerged a few inches before they will inflate. I only use the hydrostatic inflators on my PFDs. I have seen too many bobbin style ones inflate when they shouldn't have.

Now for canoeing I use a Stohlquist Keeper. Plenty of pockets and thin back which doesn't interfere with my seat back. My wife likes the woman's PFDs from Stohlquist because they fit much better than a regular PFD.

I have considered bringing my auto-inflator (Mustang HIT with harness) but my biggest concern would be the need for the extra re-arming kit. I also use my life jacket to swim at times so using the inflation kit can get pricey. The re-arm kit is about $80.

I have my own and it's this one. It's the second one I have owned and much more comfortable than the outfitters' ones that I've rented in the past.

I always bring and use my own PFD. It is one that fits me, not one that an outfitter has, one size fits none. I now use a self inflatable PFD.