The life jacket size chart is based on chest size. It is up-to-date with all our manufactures sizes for 2020 and 2021. If you are on an iPhone and want to skip the article, please click here to: Jump to the Size Charts
MOST IMPORTANT Life Jacket Fitting Guide: If you can put more than 3 finger widths in the gap between your shoulders and the shoulder area of the life vest, your life vest is too big. That vest will not keep your head above water:
NEVER have a huge gap in the shoulders.
Best test is in a swimming pool.
If the vest floats you enough vertically to keep your mouth above water, it is SAFE.
If the vest shoulders rise up above your nose and your mouth is under water, it is NOT safe.
For kids, if the vest rises up too much on the face when they raise both arms over the head, the vest is too big and the child can fall out. It is NOT safe.
The law says you must have one Coast Guard Approved life jacket for each passengers. In addition, boat must have one lifesaver ring or a throwable floating seat cushion. The 1 life jacket per person rule appplies for all inculding babies, kids, non-swimmers, and good swimmers. Unfortunately, there is no law that says life jackets must fit. That is your responsibility. Please click on the icon to view a safety video about life vest
size and shoulder gap:
The coast guard estimates that more than half of all boaters have life jackets that are way too big or the wrong type. A father hands out adult life vests to his kids, because that is all he has. He should have purchased life vests designed for children, youth, or teens. Wearing a life jacket that is way too big or that has a huge shoulder gap is like NOT wearing a life jacket at all, and it will not keep you safe..
NEOPRENE, as shown in the picture of the girl, should fit snug when dry.
You must be able to stretch the vest 2" to 3" to zip it up. If your neoprene life vest
is way too easy to zip up dry, that vest is too big. When Neoprene gets wet, it stretches. That is why it needs to be tight when dry. It will feel more comfortable
when in the water. Please see
additional sizing tips for Neoprene vests used only for safety and
relaxation were you may not actually go into the water.
NYLON, as shown by in the Connelly nylon vest below, should meet at the buckles and not overlap. If it overlaps, it is too big.
Another factor to consider is type of activity in the water. All manufactures size charts assume you will be using the life vest for action water sports, so chart sizes are specified for a snug fit on an athletic body. Legally, we are NOT allowed to modify those charts even if a customer complains that his life vest is too small. If you are fishing or cruising around in a boat, canoe, paddleboard, or other leisurely water activity, your life jacket does not have to be as tight as the life jackets used for high speed sports such as wakeboarding or waterskiing. Remember to comply with the shoulder gap test. Even leisure life vests used in Fishing or boating should never have a huge gap in the shoulders because it will not be safe.
The newer Hybrid neoprene life jackets use a combination of materials including closed cell marine foam and neoprene. These advanced life jackets are made by Oneill, Connelly, Hyperlite, and HO Sports. These life jackets have Biolite, Hydrozote, or other proprietary neoprene materials that are lighter and dryer than traditional neoprene, and will NOT feel soggy or heavy when you are riding a waterski, wakeboard, wakeskate, or wakesurfer. Closed cell marine foam is a material that will not get soggy, and some manufacturers went a step further to make it with flexible foam sections or panels using proprietary materials as NytroLite which is even lighter than closed cell marine foam. Some have a flex back for comfort, and some have lumbar support for fatigue. They are designed to be light weight, comfortable, provide freedom of movement, yet retain Coast Guard Compliance.
Fit warning on newer advanced life vests: The newer advanced neoprene life jackets are not as stretchy as the lower priced regular neoprene life jackets so they are NOT forgiving on size. Advanced life vests for wakeboarding and waterskiing are designed to fit snug and the size charts run tight. They are designed for safety assuming that you are going to get towed behind a boat at high speeds.
Flex Back Life Jackets are Size Forgiving
If you are a big man or woman trying to stretch into a 2XL or 3XL life jacket, make sure the vest has a flex panel on the back so it can stretch to make room for your mid section and tummy. Flex Back or no Flex Back, you will will need to go up a size if your lower torso is a lot bigger than your chest. If you are using it for leisure sports such as fishing, paddle boarding, canoe, or other relaxation use, buy a size bigger for comfort. Flex Back life jackets, or V Back, fit better and feel more comfortable than life vests without a flex back. Flex Back vests are more likely to fit when you accidentally buy a size that is a little small for you. The Flex Back feature is found on many 2021 Life Jackets by Connelly, Oneill, HO Sports, and Hyperlite. Some have both Flex Back and Flex Sides. This feature is also called V-Back, Flex Fit, True Fit. Below is a an example of flex back. Click on the picture below to go to that vest:
Oversized:
For big overweight guys and gals who do not fit into a standard XX or 3X size, you can buy an
oversized life vest up to size 7XL. Our largest
Neoprene life vest is up to size 5XL-TALL. Our largest Nylon is up to 7XL.(See the Footnote * about to measure
chest and tummy for the largest life vests).
If I weigh 400 lbs, will a life jacket float my weight? How much weight will a life jacket support? Fact: Coast Guard Approved Life jackets are rated by chest size, not by weight. A USCGA Approved life vest will safely float your weight if the life jacket fits you. Remember our bodies have at least 15% fat and fat is lighter than water. The boyancy in a USCGA life jacket is more than enough to support your weight in the water.
The biggest complaint about most oversized life jackets today is that they are too short and dont cover a bulging gut. Men wear a t-shirt underneath to protect from the sunburn and to cover the belly. Big men complain that regular length vests look like a bra or a kids vest. A TALL life jacket is 3 inches longer than standard, and looks looks better with the extra torso coverage. The picture below models HO Sports TALL NYLON vest 2XL-TALL at 6 ft 8 in tall and 280 lbs. The picture compares the TALL to a regular and shows him standing next to the big oversized Connelly Big Daddy Ski. See how the bulge in the belly is covered better on the TALL vest. If you are over 6ft tall, we recommend a TALL.
Ronix vests are a longer in the torso and almost a TALL One Ronix goes up to size 4XL, but it runs very snug for a 4XL. The HYPERLITE 2XL-TALL is about the same size as the Ronix 4XL.The Oneill Assault LS vest is a little longer in the torso, but not quite a TALL. The Oneill goes up to size 3XL.
Water Ski World is the only USA dealer selling the new HO Sports 5XL-TALL nylon life vest for big and tall men and the first to sell the Hyperlite Indy TALL NEOPRENE life jacket (Women buy these too). The NEOPRENE LIFE VEST size 5XL-TALL is the largest neoprene life jacket in the world. Men up to 400 lbs and a little more than 400 lbs have been able to fit into this life vest.
All size charts measurements are based on chest size. (See the Footnote * about to measure chest and tummy for the largest life vests).
(Competition vests are not on our size charts because buyers are watersport experts who already know the correct size to buy. Comp vests are not USCGA approved.)
Infant Life Vests Shop Infant |
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All Infant Life vests fit Infants 0 to 30 lbs |
Child Life Vests Shop Child |
All Child Life vests fit Kids 30 to 50 lbs |
Youth Life Vests Shop Youth | |
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Chest | Weight |
25" - 29" | 50 - 90 lbs |
Youth SM | 50 - 75 lbs |
Youth LG | 50 - 90 lbs |
Teen Life Vests Shop Teen | |
Chest | Weight |
Connelly Teen Life Vest | |
28" - 32" | 90 - 120 lbs |
Hyperlite Teen Life Vest | |
28" - 32" | 90 - 120 lbs |
O'Neill Teen Life Vest | |
30" - 32" | 75 - 125 lbs |
Women's Life Vests Shop Womens | |
Size | Chest |
Connelly Womens Life Vest | |
XS | 28" - 32" |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL | 44" - 48" |
HO Sports Womens Life Vest | |
XS | 28" - 32" |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL | 44" - 48" |
Hyperlite Womens Life Vest | |
XS | 28" - 32" |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL | 44" - 48" |
O'Neill Money and Siren Women's Life Vest | |
4 | 30" - 32" |
6 | 32" - 34" |
8 | 34" - 36" |
10 | 36" - 38" |
12 | 38" - 40" |
O'Neill Reactor Women's Life Vest | |
4 | 30" - 33" |
6 | 33" - 36" |
8 | 36" - 39" |
10 | 39" - 42" |
12 | 42" - 45" |
Obrien Adult Life Vests | |
SM | 32″ - 36″ |
MED | 36″ - 40″ |
LG | 40″ - 44″ |
XL | 44″ - 48″ |
2XL | 48″ - 52″ |
3XL | 52″ - 56″ |
Men's Life Vests Shop Mens | |
Size | Chest |
Connelly Mens Life Vest | |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL | 44" - 48" |
2XL or 2XL-TALL | 48" - 52" |
3XL or 3XL-TALL | 52" - 56" |
4XL-TALL | 56" - 60" |
5XL-TALL | 60" - 66" |
HO Sports Mens Life Vest Shop Including HO Oversized and TALL | |
XS | 28" - 32" |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL or XL-TALL | 44" - 48" |
2XL or 2XL-TALL | 48" - 52" |
3XL or 3XL-TALL | 52" - 56" |
4XL or 4XL-TALL | 56" - 60" |
5XL or 5XL-TALL | 60" - 64" |
Hyperlite Mens Life Vest and TALL sizes | |
SM | 32" - 36" |
MED | 36" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 44" |
XL | 44" - 48" |
2XL or 2XL-TALL | 48" - 52" |
3XL or 3XL-TALL | 52" - 56" |
4XL-TALL | 56" - 60" |
5XL-TALL | 60" - 66" |
RONIX Mens | |
XS | 28″-31″ |
SM | 31″-34″ |
MED | 34″-37″ |
LG | 37″-40″ |
XL | 40″-43″ |
2XL | 43″-46″ |
3XL | 46″-49″ |
4XL | 49″-52″ |
O'Neill Assault Men's Life Vest | |
SM | 35" - 37" |
MED | 37" - 39" |
LG | 39" - 41" |
XL | 41" - 43" |
XXL | 43" - 45" |
3XL | 47.5" - 50.5" |
O'Neill Reactor Men's Life Vest | |
SM | 35" - 37.5" |
MED | 37.5" - 40" |
LG | 40" - 42.5" |
XL | 42.5" - 45" |
XXL | 45" - 47.5" |
3XL | 47.5" - 50" |
Oversized Life Vests * Shop Oversized | |
Full Throttle Oversized Nylon 4XL 7XL | |
One size 4XL/7XL | 60" - 70" |
Nash Flotation Belt Ski Belt Size Chart Shop Belts | |
Size Belt | Waist Size |
Small DV100 | 25" - 30" |
Medium DV200 | 31" - 36" |
Large DV300 | 37" - 42" |
X-Large DV400 | 43" - 48" |
*Footnote for Oversized vests: Measure your chest circumference under the arms and across the pecs. Also measure the belly sitting down. If your belly measurement is bigger than your chest measurement, the guide based on chest size will not be right and it is better to buy a size larger than what is indicated by your measured chest. Size charts are published by the manufacturer for a very snug safe fit on an athletic body to meet Coast Guard Compliance in active watersports. If you are overweight and using for relaxation, a bigger size will be more comfortable. Buyer is responsible for choice of size and waives all liability to seller for use of that vest. Chest size is not a guarantee of fit because people have different body shapes. Buyer is responsible for return shipping to return or exchange if it does not fit.
Water Ski World
West Coast Boat Center
Discount Life Jacket
4371 Granite Dr
Rocklin, CA 95677
Call: 1-916-723-2660
Toll Free: 1-877-723-2660
email:
info@waterskiworld.com