REVIEW: PFD Australia – Storm Rider Angler Yoke
Introduction
With new boating and life jacket laws bought in around the country over the last few years a pfd (personal flotation device) is now high up on most peoples list of items to purchase for their boating and kayaking pastimes.
There are many pfd’s available on the market now too, with the Storm Rider Angler yoke by PFD Australia being one of them and the one I have been using for the last little while.
The Angler Yoke is a lightweight cost effective PFD certified to AS4758.1, fitted with a quick and easy to use locking clasp, front and side pockets, and a 33g CO2 cylinder with manual pull cord activation.
The Angler Yoke PFD Comes in a “one size fits all” as per all pfd yokes, and comes in 3 colours to chose from, Black, navy or green, and has a handy pair of pockets in the front of the jacket to keep personal items.
PFD Australia is a Australian company based out of Geelong with all their products including the angler yoke designed by themselves.
Features
• Easy fit, one size fits all from Small to 3XL
• Certified to AS4758.1
• Quick and easy to use locking clasp
• Front and side pockets with weatherproof zips
• Fitted with a 33g CO2 cylinder with manual pull cord activation
• Available in Black, Navy or Green
Construction
Designed in Australia but made in China is not really suprising these days. I would be very surprised if any of the other pfd’s on the market were not made in China or even designed in Australia for that matter.
Construction of the angler yoke is high quality, really good solid stitching, strapping and buckles, I am yet to find any issues with my one which as you can imagine gets a lot of use, freshwater and salt.
Wearability
One of the main things I look for in a life jacket is comfort. You will be potentially wearing this for long periods of time and do not want it to feel uncomfortable or hinder casting etc. The Angler Yoke would definitely be one of the comfiest pdf Yokes I have owned to date, I always thought my stormy pfd was great but the Angler yoke is just that bit comfier and miles above some of those other cheaper brands that are out there in regards to comfort.
I tend to forget I have it on when I get off the boat or out of the yak, a great trait for a pfd to have.
It is nice and thin around your neck which makes it sit well and feel very comfortable around that area, which I think is key to making a comfy and wearable pfd. The Angler has good adjustability on the waist strap and it also has a chest strap which can help keep it a snug fit if required.
Conclusion
with a RRP of $135 the Angler Yoke is maybe a tad bit more expensive that majority of basic pfd’s on the market, but a hell of a lot comfier. I would gladly pay the extra $35 to have a pfd that I forget I am wearing half of the time! I think that last statement in itself shows how impressed and happy I ahve been with my Angler PFD yoke by PFD Australia.
PFD Australia’s full range of pfd’s can be found here.
