comp vests
 

Hey this is my first thread I've made but I'm a pretty small 13 year old I'm like 5 foot maybe 5 foot 1 and i want a more comfortable vest but I'm having a hard time finding one thats any different then what I have please help thanks

What do you have now? A few years ago I was about your size, wearing a JetPilot A-10.

Id recommend the JD Webb vest. It is super comfy and you hardly notice it while you ride.

X2 on the JD. Most comfortable vest i've ever put on!

Any particular reason you're limiting your choices to comp vests? Take a look at the coast guard approved Jet Pilot Murray and Shane vests. They're light weight, not bulky, offer good range of motion and they'll float you a heck of a lot better if you happen to knock yourself senseless. Not that I have anything against comp vests.
If you've got a pro shop near you, go try some different ones on.

I'm not against coast guard vests but the one i have now (some hyperlite one) is the right size it just doesn't really go with my body shape and it will go up above my head and i'm also wondering if comp vests will do the same thing

all of the kids ones are very bulky compared to some of the adult coast guard vests that they make them more comfortable

If it goes above your head then its not the right size, or you aren't wearing it tight enough.

I locked at the A-10 and it locked good because I could tighten it up if it was a little big but it doesn't look like it's going to be worth having it on floatation wise but maybe i'm wrong

It doesn't float well if that's what you're looking for. It's made to give you minimal flotation in case you fall unconcious. It floats enough for that, and thats about it.

does the JD vest size get pretty small?

Yes, it comes in an extra small. Though in my experience the sizes run a bit large (I wear a large in JetPilot and a medium in that particular vest).

I think the best one for me will be the jet pilot A-10 because i looked at the waist size and it was 26 to 30 and all the other ones smallest are around 36 and they don't have anything to teighten up but i don't have any were that deals jet pilot I don't think do you think it would be a good idea to just order it or if i should get one from my local shops that have ronix hyperlite and exel

^ No. There is no guarantee that it will float you. A kid wearing an A 10 died because he was knocked unconscious and the vest did not float him. He was a good rider and in good shape and it did not matter when he was unconcious. I have tried the A 10 myself and thought it was fine but when I took a hard hit and realized I had to swim to get to the surface I never wore it again.

There are many other great comp vests that will provide 'enough' flotation.

The A-10 vest is great, I have had two of them, but I still would recommend the JD. The JD has a better range of motion and is more comfortable. If you have a local shop that sells hyperlite then I would at least go and give it a try. You will definitely want your vest to fit properly, so I wouldn't suggest ordering one online and hoping for best.

I'm heading out to colorado in a week or 2 and I think I'll stop by tommys and try some on they have hyperlite oniel and jet pilot and mabye some more but thanks for all the help

I myself have gone unconcious wearing an A-10(I was 13, about 5'4, maybe 110lbs) and it kept me up enough for the boat to get back and grab me. Mind you this was only one instance though.

So I'm not sure now if the A-10 does it's job of keeping someone afloat or not I wana hear what all of you think

I havent tried many other vests, but I've had multiple A-10s since I was about 11 years old. I love them, because I can barely tell it's there when I wear it. And that there lies the problem. I doesn't do much for you float-wise. If you don't plan on spending a ton of time in the water, it's great. As for the whole unconciousness floating thing, it worked for me. I under-rotated a 5, caught my heel-edge, and was out. I was in the water no longer than 30 seconds while the boat got back to me and pulled me in. I was completely out of my boots, and my vest kept me from sinking. It has buoyancy, you aren't just going to sink to the bottom while wearing it. Maybe if you are still uncomfortable, you can stuff some more foam into the rib section, I just took some padding from one of my older A-10s and put it in the slots.

Please stop in and see us bud. We have a kazillion vest and you can hang and try them on. I still like the O'Neill Outlaw but there are more vest from so many new companies and we are carrying most of them in stock so you can spend all the time you want finding what you like and we will HOOK you up! Plus ask Pat about snow conditions or Lucas or Brendan since they are on the mountain every other day or so. God bless.

Tommy Phillips
www.gettommys.com

I'm a fan of the Hyperlite Catalyst. It's lightweight, provides a good range of motion, it's not bulky, but it is more buoyant than a large percentage of other non-CGA vests. It has both a zipper and buckles. The key is to get a vest that fits, and fits snuggly. You don't want your vest to be loose.

My roommate loves his A-10, but personally I don't like wearing comp vests, I don't trust them at all. My advice is to go to a shop and try on a bunch of different vests until you find on that fits you right and feels comfortable to you. I have a coast guard approved Hyperlite "Hatch" and I love it. At least for me and my body type, the way its cut offers me all the range of motion and comfort I would ever want and I don't have to work hard to keep my head out of the water or have to worry about DNR slapping me with a ticket when they don't count it as a life jacket.

Definitely check out Tommy's while you're there, thats a great place to look, I was out there this summer and its got a huge selection

Take a look at the Ten-80 vests. They're super comfortable & have some great styles. These are some of the ones from 2011:
http://ten-80.com/products/wake/neoprene-vests/

Jet pilots seem to fit a little smaller. I had a small jet pilot comp vest many moons ago when I was close to your size and it fit pretty good. They may have changed their sizing a little bit, but I would check them out. I only ride uscga thesed days. Too many head injuries.

You will definitely die if you wakeboard in a non CGA vest. Don't do it.

I got the ronix cappella vest