Competition Vests???
 

Alright, so I'm a little new at this but I was wondering, what is a good competition vest, or what should I look for in a vest? What's the big deal, or difference? I've got a regular CGA Neoprene vest, which is what I've been wearing.

Any insight would be great guys, thanks!

If you're feeling fine in the CGA vest then I would stick with it. Comp vests are a bad habit, and hard to come back from. In a face down, wind knocked out of you situation, many of them will not float you.

With that said, I wear a non-CGA vest, but I wish I didn't. I wear the Chris O'Shea Jetpilot which is similar to an O'Neill Outlaw. For a comp vest, it floats okay, definitely better than your thin pull-over style vest. It's not as safe as a CGA vest though.

To the average person, there is no difference in rideability from one to the other. There, bold statement, I said it.

I am inflexible and a comp vest never made me be able to pass the handle faster and a CGA vest never made me miss a handle pass - I missed because I am an intermediate rider.

However, when I ate crap off a giant double up backroll and I peeled my eyelids back and I was all wind knocked out disheveled couldn't see - I floated really nicely with a CGA vest.

agree. unless you're pro it wont be a huge difference....

plus these things are so good now a days...

I have an Attack Jet Pilot vest for under the dry suit- I started wearing during the summer for a while cuz it was light weight - then I over rotated a back roll and came down on my right side- felt like someone hit me with a 2x4 and I almost drowned. Haven't used in in 3 years.

Exactly. Find a nice CGA vest - I personally like ones with glideskin with big arm holes and you'll be sold. I will be looking at Oneill in the future I think, but my Helium does pretty well. It's even an XL and I'm a L and it isn't too bulky. I used to be bigger on top, I'm between an L and an M now...

Hyperlite has some nice new cga vests. I ordered the Team Royal and should have it in a few weeks. Ill let you know what I think, but I've heard really good things so far.

If you're set on switching to non-CGA, give the O'Neill Checkmate a look. I've had two since 2009 and absolutely love it. Light, doesn't block any movement, fits me like a sleeveless compression shirt, and has protected me really well. It's a very comfortable vest for me and it'll be my next vest as well. Only problem, which is typical with a lot of pullovers, is that it folds up and rides up the body on some falls, but I've gotten kinda used to it and it's not a problem anymore.

For a non-CGA that offers a fair amount of float look at Hyperlite's Catalyst. I was using the Webb vest last season and could not stand how on certain falls the stupid thing would fold up and smack you in the face. The Catalyst is floaty and has just enough impact protection without being too bulky.

I have an old jet pilot baller(shane b-ball jersey looking vest) that i have had since it came out, 2005?? that floats great for a non cga vest. Taken some massive hits and floats me great, got to be close to cga approved. Wife says it looks old, but hard to drop $125 on shanes new vest!

To me it's about like a new set of golf clubs. I would have to be a whole lot better than I am to get any advantage out of a new set. I would have to be a WHOLE lot better rider to get any value out of a comp vest. I do own 2 jetpilots but they spend most of their time in the boat while I ride my o'neil CGA.

If you can find them, the old O'neill boost vests were the greatest ever. Super light (felt like you were wearing nothing), great impact protection, and I never had one break/tear/etc on me.

... the downside, like others mention, it wasn't really a "life vest" at all. I could easily swim underwater with it on.

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/...vest_front.jpg

I have an Oneill but not sure which "model". But I only wear it when surfing. If I'm wakeboarding I wear a regular ole cga neoprene cause I'm not doing any inverts or anything(read..I suck)

Buoyancy is not always the reason a vest is non-cga. I think cg requires at least two buckles.

I have an Oneill checkmate. Have no problems floating with it. And the padding is pretty solid all over it so great for impacts imo. Obviously the real main difference is that it is not designed like most CGA to keep you more on your back than front if you have been incapacitated.

Didn't Shaun M break a few ribs with a CGA last year. Nothing is going to protect you from everything all the time.

Are there any CGA without buckles? Or is that a big part in the CGA approval rating. I think they put off a lot of potential buyers.

I still have that boost vest in my garage. I feel lucky that I didn't drown during the time that I wore it. Light and comfortable, but I agree......not very safe

required.
what i dont get is why a company doesn't add all the flotation of a a cga, but do away with the buckles for a more favorable system....

i guess it wouldnt be easy to advertise without getting sued when someone dies wearing it..

thanks.

Could still just call it the "best flotation of a comp vest" or something, if it were obviously.

I guess one could buy a CGA and removed straps no?

if they were that bothered.

Jason - Oneill Revenge has hidden buckles, it probably looks most like a comp vest and its one of the best CGA's you can get.

I hated the Revenge. the extra neoprene used to hide the buckles just added to the weight and hindered flexibility.

The revenge looks pretty decent in pictures.

Well I guess that's point proven to try things on for yourself and see if works for you! They did re-design the Revenge for 2013, I haven't seen the new ones yet in person but usually re-designed = improvement in most cases. Worth checking out at least.

I always wore a comp vest because they were small and cool... but I'm really starting to get away from it now. I guess that's partly me getting older and partly getting more experienced/going bigger/taking bigger falls. I had a few decent blows last summer where I would knock the wind out of myself, never close to unconscious, but enough to make me realize it would really suck if I did and I wasn't wearing a cga