Mens Life Jackets, Vests & PFDs

Mens life jackets, sorted by how you ride

Every vest on this page is approved to Australian Standard AS 4758. Most are Level 50S, the jet ski, wake and tow-sports level. The high-vis colourways are Level 50: same float, built for riders who take the ski beyond smooth water in states that require it. There is one Level 150 inflatable for the boat, and it never goes on a ski. Read the Australian life jacket regulations guide, then pick your row.

The ranges

• Cause and Helium — the weekend vests. Cause is the best-selling recreational PWC vest: segmented EcoPrene, Freelite buoyancy foam and the patented Hidden Supergrip handle for hauling a mate back onto the sled. Helium is the nylon four-buckle front entry, the one that lives in the tinnie for whoever turns up.
• Venture and Venture Plus — Seek the Horizon. Dawnies, all-dayers and fishing runs up the coast, with storage where you want it and a fit that is still comfortable at hour six.
• Vault and RX Vault Pro-Tech — Race Reimagined. Race-cut, Pro-Tech Impact Protection, side-entry options and a CE-tested back protector on the RX Vault Pro-Tech. If you are lining up for a holeshot, this is your row.
• X1, Quantum and Pro C4 — the wake vests. 360 Stretch neoprene and segmented foam that flex through a carve and cop the landing, including the X1 Signature Series the team actually rides.
• 360, Phase Hyperflex and Vault Hyperflex — light, flexible everyday vests for the rider who wants the jacket to disappear the moment the ski is on the pin.

Materials that cop it

EcoPrene, Jetpilot's neoprene made with recycled bottles and around 30% lighter than standard, sits under most of the range. Freelite bevelled-edge foam floats you without the bulk. YKK zips, quick positive buckles, reflective hits, a POV camera mount on the PWC vests and Hidden Supergrip handles for the rider-down moment. Salt, sun, fuel splash and being stood on in the pits: it is built for all of it, by a crew that rides.

Level 50 vs Level 50S, straight

Both give the same buoyancy. 50S can be any colour and is the minimum on a PWC everywhere in Australia. Level 50 has to be high-vis, and Queensland requires it on a ski once you are past smooth water, which is why the Cause, 360, Venture and Vault vests come in Level 50 colourways. Smooth water: either. Out through the bar in Queensland: Level 50. Other states set their own rules, so check yours before you buy.

Fit is the last safety feature

A vest that rides up in the water is not doing its job. Size off a chest measurement with the size guide, not a shirt size, and if you ride in a race john or tour coat, size with that layer on. Buckle up on dry land, lift at the shoulders, and if it goes past your ears, drop a size. Most of the range runs S to 4XL.

Ski rider? Go straight to jet ski life jackets. Behind the boat, wakeboard life jackets. The whole range, every fit, is on life jackets, and mens wetsuits handle the cold mornings.