As kayakers, our personal flotation device (PFD) or a buoyancy aid is a crucial part of kit. Terrible pun aside, buoyancy aids on the market mainly cater to the male paddler which makes them more of boy-ancy aids for me.
I originally wondered if it might have just been me, but talking to others either new to kayaking or just trying it out on a sunny sunday made me realise how women may struggle with this piece of kit every time they get out on the water and probably don't even realise it.
I decided to gather some evidence, partly from the internet, partly from talking to others and reflecting on my own experience. Here's what I found:
1. Google struggles to find pictures of buoyancy aids on women. So you don't actually get a good idea of what it *should* look like on you. Are we lacking in role models? Unlikely... there are many highly accomplished female paddlers out there.
2. Palm make 22 buoyancy aids in total out of which three are designed for women. I bought one of these a few years ago.
3. Peak UK seem to have 15 different buoyancy aids and its unclear from their website if there are female versions since there isn't a filter. They do have one with women sizes which wraps on.
4. The female specific buoyancy aids appear to look different but mainly end up coming up too high on the front. Not very comfortable for a long day on the water and there is a visible struggle doing a self rescue.
5. People often buy a white water specific buoyancy aid when they do a mix of activities but mainly going on gentle journeys.
6. Some people will argue this is not a huge issue and having an ill fitting buoyancy aid is better than having none.
My advice to all the ladies out there is to ask female paddlers what they wear when they go paddling. Ask if you can try someone's buoyancy aid and maybe test if it feels like a corset. Don't try something in a shop over your regular clothes, it needs to be able to fit on a dry suit for at least 6 months of the year if you live in Europe and paddle over winter. I'm the prime example of this; my buoyancy aid fits terribly over a dry suit but its fine with everything else.
I was recently advised that a female friendly buoyancy aid must have a lower neckline and a wider shape to avoid riding up in water. If you are looking to buy one, make sure it has adjustable straps on the sides, shoulders and that the design is suited for the type of kayaking you do. For instance, don't buy a white water specific buoyancy aid if you mainly go on sheltered water trips. If you do a mix of different types of kayaking (well done you!), do consider which one is likely to need a specialised floatation device.
I also tend to favour buoyancy aids that have front centre zips instead of battling with it like putting on a jumper, life is hard enough. I've been looking for a replacement buoyancy aid for about 8 months now and cannot decide which one might suit me best while wearing a dry suit. So, if you find anything that fits well, please let me know in the comments!
Happy Paddling :) x