This is my first post...I did not find an "introductions" thread, and if I'm breaking protocol please feel free to school me and point me in the right direction to make an intro.

I live in northern Minnesota, near Lake Superior, and spend a lot of time on water both for recreation and work. My job involves some amount of paddling a canoe in & around the BWCA east of Ely, and I also do a lot of flatwater fishing, including Lk Superior.

I look for different things in a PFD meant for paddling and for flatwater boating. If you're paddling a lot of whitewater I'd suggest going to the nearest canoe/kayak dealer with a good reputation and asking for advice on paddling PFDs. You might be best served by buying different PFDs for the two activities, which is what I do.

I am not a fan of the "suspender" type inflatable PFDs for coldwater boating. They are very comfortable to wear but if you go in the drink in cold water (which I've done in Lk Superior on two separate occasions) I prefer to have the insulation and support of a full sized PFD around me.

As dweste said better than I'd be able to, these are part of your toolbox for preparedness too. In my boat passengers get a short talk about what to do if someone goes overboard, where and how to use the gear, etc. Another thing people don't think of a lot is that PFDs like any other gear need to be maintained. Inflatable suspender types can wear with movement, CO2 cartridges need to be checked/swapped after time, buckles get smashed and laces get unraveled, etc. etc. If you need it, you're going to need it in working order.

That was a longwinded first post...sorry.