I also went into an 'outdoor shop' and tried a canoeing/kayaking life preserver - they are very good as they are designed for allowing maximum arm movement. The one i got ( a company called Palm) was only £45 .
Not teaching anyone to suck eggs here, PFDs are super but they have a drawback or two when compared to a life jacket...
PFDs are great for a conscious/able person but not so good for someone who has become incapacitated due to cold water immersion, has limited mobility, or is suffering from acute shock due to a 'dunking' or perhaps even a heart attack. A life jacket is intended to assist in rolling a casualty onto their back and keeping that casualty 'face up' whereas the PFD wearer needs to maintain significant control at all times.
Personally, rather than a PFD, I chose to wear a life jacket for float tubing or where boats are of questionable quality or where the rules require it. I have never felt that it gets in my way or causes issues when fishing.
It is serviced annually, although the manufacturer says once every two years, and I check it myself regularly. Most folk don't bother to service or check their life jackets and it surprises me - ten minutes checking could save a life and a small service bill the same. OK, a life jacket does not have the inherent buoyancy of a PFD (unless inflated, obviously! In which case it's much more buoyancy) but I have never ever seen (at work or recreationally) a well-serviced standard life jacket do anything other than what it is intended to.
I don't dispute that PFDs are cheap safety, but I do question if they're the right tool for the job for anglers and float tubes. It's a personal choice, of course, and a PFD is absolutely 100% better than nothing.
H
