When purchasing a competition style vest, you need to consider the fit of the vest much more than when purchasing a traditional Coast Guard Approved Vest. More than likely the reason you are going to purchase a competition style vest is because you are participating in a water sport where extra mobility is desired. A competition vest should fit extremely tight to your body. The very first time you try it on is going to be the tightest it will ever be. They will have a slight stretch to them, and being you only have a zipper and not the extra buckle straps like you would on a CGA, you are not going to be able to tighten it back up when it does have that little extra stretch from being in the water. A good way to test if the vest is the right fit would be to put it on, have a friend tug on the shoulder straps, if the vest is able to move significantly up near your ears, it is too large.

The other tricky part about buying a competition style vest is that you will find that several brands sizing will run very differently. Generally, Women’s sizes go from size 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, while Mens will be sized XS, S, M, L, XL, XX. These do not mean the same thing throughout all brands.
Follow is one example that tends to run very small in comparison to what you may be thinking. For the ladies, if your jeans are a size 4, that does not necessarily mean that you will want to buy a size 4 Follow vest. A size 4 is considered an XXS, going up from there, a 6 is an XS, 8 is a Small, 10 is a Medium, 12 is a Large, and 14 is X-Large. We find that the men’s sizes are as well quite small. Consider purchasing a size up from what you would normally purchase.

The other factor to consider when choosing a vest in this category is the different styles and cuts of the vest. For water skiers and wakeboarders you will want a vest that offers large mobility for handle movement and stretching, this feature is not as important if you are choosing a surf vest. For example, the
Follow Men’s Surf Edition, is cut very differently in the arms opposed to a wakeboard based vest like the Parks Athletic Cut Impact Vest. It’s easy to see the added range of arm motion you will have with a wakeboard vest. Now, does this mean you can’t wakeboard with a surf style vest or vice versa? Of course not! Each vest specifically made with a certain sport in mind, but they generally all have the same function.

Length is another factor in vests that varies throughout brands. This factor is really a personal preference, what you think will be the most comfortable riding in. Surf vests tend to be a bit longer and will cover your entire stomach down to your hip bones. Ski style vests (especially for women) tend to not be as long in fit.

The comfort in your life vest is going to be the most important, you want to be able to participate in your desired water sport and feel supported and comfortable.