What Size Life Jacket Do I Need?

When purchasing a new life jacket one of the most important considerations is the size, as this will not only affect the comfort, but can also affect your safety as it may ride-up on your body and not do its job properly. Please note that life jackets come in one size, but are adjustable to fit the individual. 

There are two major factors to consider when selecting the right size life jacket, of which we'll go into further detail below.

Life Jackets Size Guide:

Although life jackets come in one size, the maximum chest size of each life jacket (which is how a life jacket is measured) varies from brand to brand. For example, Spinlock Deckvest 6D Life Jacket supports up to a 59" chest, where-as Crewsaver Crewfit 165N Sport Life Jacket supports up to 62" chest, which can make a considerable difference when you're wearing all your sailing gear.

Each life jacket has various adjustment points, so you can tailor the fit to your own requirements and some life jackets are easier than others to adjust; from experience we have found that Spinlock life jackets stand out when it comes to ease of adjustment. A life jacket should fit snugly but not too tightly, and should not ride up or shift around when you move.

Life Jackets Buoyancy:

A common misconception is that the heavier you are, the more buoyancy you will require from a life jacket. When progressing from (for example) a 100N junior life jacket to a 170N adult life jacket this is true, but an adult will not notice the difference between a 165 newton life jacket and a 170 newton life jacket.

Using Seago Life Jackets as an example - the leading brands' Seago Active 190N Life Jacket will keep your airways slightly clearer from water ingress than their best-selling Seaguard 165N Life Jacket due to the higher buoyancy. This is why offshore life jackets jump to 275 newtons of buoyancy (and beyond - see Seago Seaguard 300N Life Jacket), as the extra buoyancy caters for the harsher conditions you may experience when sailing offshore, and the fact you'll be wearing a lot more sailing clothing than you would be when sailing inshore. We discuss this subject further in our life jacket buoyancy guide.

Conclusion:

If you're new to sailing, we highly recommend visiting your local chandlery and trying on various life jackets to establish which life jacket fits you best and suits your requirements. If you're located in the South East, you're in luck! We have two stores; a 6,000 square ft Rochester store and an additional outlet store located within Gillingham Marina, why not visit us today and check out our life jackets for sale? 

We stock a leading range of life jackets from all the major brands including Crewsaver Life Jackets, Seago and Spinlock - plus a superb range of life jacket accessories including spray hoods, re-arming kits and life jacket lights. We've also written the ultimate life jacket guide which answers all our most frequently asked questions about life jackets.