I’ve taken swift water rescue multiple times and guided whitewater for many years. Nothing is cooler than a pfd tan if you raft or kayak. When you have participated in recovery ops for bodies in a river or swam a couple miles in water that’s in the 30s you begin to appreciate a pfd. Nobody gets in my boat without a pfd on and securely fitted. The vast majority of people I see without a pfd can’t swim more than 50ft in the best of conditions. Add adrenaline, cold water, heavy clothing or even better, waders and most can’t even keep their heads above water for more than a minute.
