Lifejackets: Lotus Design vs. Astral & How to properly fit a PFD

If you’ve always loved your Lotus Design lifejacket and were bummed that you could no longer find a new one on the market as yours aged, rest assured. Philip Curry who created the Lotus Design lifejacket also founded Astral. In the spring of 2019, Astral celebrated their roots with the Layla, a nearly identical version of the original Lotus Design lifejacket. I discovered this when my dog chewed a hole in the pocket of my beloved Lotus Design lifejacket. I was elated when I found the Layla…thank you Astral and Philip Curry for bringing back such an AWESOME lifejacket!!!!

[@MakersTeleMark]

I have the exact same purple lotus that you have, and my dog wore the same NRS CFD. The CFD is white, the dog is dead after 14 years, and I finally convinced myself to upgrade my pfd to an Astral after 16 years. Uncanny, but long overdue.

[@gam3rkid954]

Thanks, very informative.

[@ryanc3656]

Nice video! Thx

[@AdventurousHeartRachelNagle]

Thanks for the kind words...glad you enjoyed it!

[@travelguy1564]

I just saw a gator move in that pond!

[@AdventurousHeartRachelNagle]

Lol…those Ohio gators 😝

[@ianhartgrove5934]

I'm looking for a pfd for my wife. She is a curvy girl with a bigger chest. Would this be a good vest to look into getting?
* It is going to be used for river tubing

[@AdventurousHeartRachelNagle]

This is one of the most comfortable life jackets I have had. Because it is specifically designed for women, I think it would be a good option for your wife. Outside Magazine supports this as well in this article: www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/water-sports-gear/found-life-jacket-large-breasted-paddlers/
The one drawback I have found with this life jacket is if you decide to add the quick release belt to it. The life jacket has a lot of material around the sleeves of the quick release belt causing more friction that prevents a quick release of the belt when needed. Because of this safety risk in whitewater conditions, I have pretty much stopped using the quick release belt for this purpose.
It doesn’t seem this will be an issue for your wife since she primarily plans to use it for tubing, so I assume she won’t want the quick release belt, but I wanted to put that out there for others looking at this life jacket. This is a good lesson to test your equipment before you need it. Luckily that is what I was doing when I found this out.
Bottom line…I think this would be a good option for your wife and how she plans to use it…definitely worth trying it on to see how she likes the fit.

[@karenjensen7330]

hi! what size did you buy? I just bought one online and want to make it it will fit :)

[@karenjensen7330]

never mind I saw the tag lol

[@AdventurousHeartRachelNagle]

Lol...enjoy your new lifejacket! I absolutely love mine!!!

[@INegatory]

Lemme buy the lotus