Stohlquist Women's Flo Life Jacket/Personal Floatation Device

I love the fit of this life jacket. It’s cut so I have better range of motion for rowing. It also is shorter so it rides up less when you’re sitting in a kayak. Lots of adjustable straps too so you get that perfect fit. I have yet to test it IN the water (maybe when it’s warmer...) but so far I love it! I got the purple in a M/L I believe. I’m 5’2 170lbs and it fits well, with lots of room to make bigger if needed. The only downfall is there is not a lot of room for big boobs. Luckily I’m a C-cup but if they were any bigger i would feel squished (normal life jacket problems? Idk) I feel safe and look good!

I love this PFD! Lots of room for adjustment and plenty of arm room to paddle at high or low angles. I am a 42DD and it actually fit! I have never been able to find a women's PFD that fit, THANK YOU STOHLQUIST! I bought the purple jacket, it is a royal purple not a lavender as pictured and the pockets are not very roomy (I do not use the pockets so it does not bother me). There is mesh where the more expensive jackets have nylon, but still very well made and performs super great. This is affordable, cute, well made, and designed for paddling. Whether you are a plus size or not, you will not be disappointed with this jacket. The back is high, so not to interfere with your seat and the front is not as bulky as some reviewers described, after all it is a life jacket. My previous PFD was a men's MTI, and it had far more bulk in the front. I hope this helps.

After doing a lot of research on Personal Floatation Devices, I decided to give this particular vest a try - and I'm glad I did!I'm 5'5", and rather large chested, so finding a PFD that would accommodate my "challenges" was definitely dificult. There are several types out there that are recommended for larger chested women, but this one is also one of the most affordable.I find it very comfortable (as comfortable as a PFD can be, it's not like you'd want to lounge around the house in it), and once I adjusted all of the straps properly, it felt secure, and didn't crush my chest, or ride up to my chin like standard vests sometimes do. Just make sure you have someone help you adjust all of the straps appropriately.I have no restriction to movement, and can paddle with no problem. If you are looking for a life vest that is good for someone with a little extra "up top", but don't want to pay a mint for it, definitely give this vest a try. I am very pleased with the purchase.(oh, and I also "tested" it in the water, as well as the boat, and it performs nicely!) (yes, I fell in)

I mostly liked this jacket, but had to return it due to sizing issues. I have DD cups in my bras, a bust size of 38 inches and a band of just 32.5 inches, then tapering more towards the waist. The size chart said 34 inches bust and up need size M/L. 38 seemed to be sufficiently larger than 34 to make it not even a corner case. In my current vest (MTI men's) I wear an xs/s - but as I never owned a women specific pfd, I just blamed it on women's sizes vs men's sizes. Given normal clothing size, that makes sense.However, when the Flo arrived, even at the tightest setting for the lower band, it was fairly loose and rode up slightly. Wearing it around the house for a few hours it stretched just a little, allowing it to ride up with no way to further tighten the lower band. So unless I tightened the upper straps to completely squash the bust more than I need to my men's=unisex vest -- which is kind of voids the point of a women specific vest -- it was unsafe. And that was dry and nearly motionless. In my experience vests stretch a bit more when they get wet and you really work out in them. I loved the design so much that I fiddled for hours with the straps trying to make it fit, but it was simply too large. If you make women's specific gear (thank you for that), please learn about how to properly measure women. Dock half a star for this as it's safety relevant.There is no zipper garage for the main zipper. If you catch the tab in your lines when belling up on your deck after a swim, you might inadvertently pull down the zipper, overbalance, and go for a second swim without pdf. Maybe somebody at Stohlquist reads this and fixes the problem. In the meantime, I dock half a star for this.I'm not really fond of the pockets either - a single snap in the middle with an elastic band to keep it snug - but it's a cheap vest, and that was not a deciding factor. With full-finger gloves it might actually be easier to use this style of pockets.I did not expect a place for a hydration reservoir, and there is none. Just in case you were wondering.Now the good:Around the top, it fits like a good sports bra - has a molded space for the bust - a bit less than DD, but much more than you'll get in a unisex vest. Lean forward and put on, then re-adjust. There's with plenty of space to adjust either way around the top, and nice diagonal braces as well. It feels like it would be the most comfortable vest ever.Arms move without insides rubbing on vest.Quite a bit of added material up front, but flotation has to go someplace. If you want to have mesh at the bottom and sides, it has to pile up. And that's there to keep your face out of the water - so no complaints at least until I try to belly up on a deck with it on after a swim.The high back keeps you upright and would clear even many stupid high kayak backrest (I dislike back-rests that go past the rear deck for safety reasons).If you use your pfd as extra layer in fall, this one won't keep you very warm - and in summer, that's a good thing. There's a lot of air. Can't wait to wear one like it on the water!It's also super cute with pretty embroidery while having a high visibility color (the orange pops nearly into red) and not being overly pink or girlish - so cute that for a while I thought I'd modify it and void the coast guard rating just to make it fit, but safety first.I ended up ordering the cruiser in xs/s instead (as this version of the Flo is not available in that size right now) and hope that will be a better fit. It's less pretty, also has no zipper garage, but it has zipper pockets and 3M reflective accents, which might be nice since I paddle at dawn and dusk on rivers with some traffic (full disclosure: I work for 3M).