Stohlquist fisherman PFD

Author: josh

Category: Gear reviews

Created on Friday, 04 December 2009 22:03

Written by Josh

When I first saw the Stohlquist fisherman PFD (Personal Floatation Device... or simply 'life jacket' for the old school) my initial thought was that although it looked like a very functional vest, it's design was probably better suited to yak fishoes who prefer to paddle (or can't afford a Hobie) instead of pedal. I made this assumption based upon the rigid draw-bridge style pockets which I figured might get in the way of a full peddle-stroke. You know what they say about assumption...

So when I observed Hoger wearing one and happily peddling his Hobie Revolution without a care in the world I soon changed my tune. And then, of course, I bought one for myself.

I was already sold on the quality as well as the basic design of the vest, as it's almost identical to the Hobie Highback vest, which is in fact made for them by Stohlquist. I'd used the Highback vest for some time and really couldn't fault it, so I figured the fishing variant would feel just as comfortable, which it does. It is more expensive (by about $40) but I had no problem justifying the extra spend to get the extra features this version offers. For one, there are more options for mounting items such as pliers, clippers and beacon lights on the outer. More important to me, however, is the drawbridge pockets, which not only hold more gear than the highback's mesh pockets (with superior organising options), they also offer better protection from salt water and sea-spray. When you carry multitools and torches worth more than the vest itself, this is an admirable quality to have. I'm able to carry quite a bit more on my person with this vest, which is exactly the effect I was looking for, saving me from having to store the gear anywhere else (where it was either harder to get to, or more likely to drenched in saltwater).

I ordered in the Cactus colour (military style green) simply because I liked the look of Hoger's vest and figured it wouldn't look out of place on a dune-coloured kayak. I also ordered in the mango coloured version to put into the shop and when I saw that a part of me wished I'd gone for one of those instead. High-vis yellow is always a good idea on a kayak and the mango colour also has some nice reflective trimming front and back, which the cactus variant doesn't. Oh well... the Adventure Island is hard to miss :-) 

* Note: this vest is not Australian standard approved, so readers need to be aware of this