Onyx Kayak Fishing Life Jacket

The media could not be loaded. When outfitting my new Shearwater 125 fishing kayak, it came time to upgrade from a standard PDF to a fishing-specific model. NRS makes a great fishing PFD, but the price point and options that the Onyx offered made me go that route, and I'm glad I did. The multiple pouches are perfect for a tethered cell phone, plyers, safety whistle, and my marine radio. It is a comfortable fit and not overly bulky in the lumbar area (important for kayak fishing). I don't use the fold open pouch much, but it could hold a small Plano tackle box or a fly-fishing case easily. One overlooked feature are the felt-lined pockets to keep your hands out of the wind. They don't provide much warmth because the pockets aren't against your body, but they do help keep your hands dry. Out of all the item's I've purchased for kayak fishing, the Onyx is one of my favorites because it get's a lot of use and still looks brand new, it's functional with lots of storage, and costs half of what other kayak fishing PFD's cost.

This vest has been great both in and out of the water. It has some very convenient pockets for fishing gear, snacks, phone, and more.It’s a great design that allows for a snug fit without being uncomfortable. My kayak has been flipped a few times and this vest adds a level of safety that I’ve appreciated.The large zipper allows the ability to quickly put on and take off… which has been so nice when alternating between rapids and flat water areas.

The only thing I’d like is more clips or d-rings for attaching things and some reflective pieces but over all I am amazed what I got for the price. The table is so incredibly useful, toss the hook/lure on it while you get the line ready to tie and it stays put, can even hook the elastic a little bit to keep it there even when the waves hit. It doesn’t hold much, a little tackle box as pictured ends up too bulky for it. It will fit a tackle box up to 7x5” which will only hold tiny hooks or flys but that sticks the pocket pretty far. I have long needle nose and finger nail clippers in there and pliers on other side that has to snaps to connect lanyards. I put a piece of Velcro through the square piece to hold the rod and both hands totally free to work as if at home almost. It’s not bulky at all when on the kayak, not heavy and no contact when paddling. I figured it would be sufficient at best when floating but even adjusted on the loose side it performed just like any other life vest and didn’t pull forward or anything, a natural straight up and down. It did take 24 hours to totally dry but after all it’s not meant for swimming really. The pockets have holes so drained almost immediately, it was just the fleece lined phone pocket really. It fits perfectly with my high back lawn chair style seat. It does get hot and sweaty where it contacts chest but that’s any vest. I don’t know how other fishing vests that cost 3x more than this even exist, I’m sure they’re better but I don’t know how! I’m 5’11” 180lbs perfect fit with tons of adjustable room left so I can see it would accommodate all body types with the exception of “extremes” (not a kids vest). This is NOT the cheap Chinese ones on here, sure it’s Chinese but it quality and I expect many years no problem. Stop looking and get it!

Quality looks great. It's winter so won't be able to trial it kayaking for a few months. I'm 5'10" 220lbs and bought an oversized but I feel like I probably could have ordered the other size. Adjusting it and wearing to try it out it feels very comfortable. Great alternative to saving some $$.

Look at this beautiful vest. It has pockets, gidgets and gadgets, it's perfect for the outdoorsman on the water. Save your life and store your goods. Lets go baby

I tried on at least a dozen PFD's locally. Only about 3 were tolerable enough to buy. But I also didn't want to spend $90+ on a PFD as I'm just getting into kayaking. I use my sit on top kayak for fishing and wanted a PFD with several pockets to hold some lures, pliers, safety whistle, etc. This seem to fit the bill. My local sporting goods store had other ONYX PFD's but not this model, so I could verify the quality of the brand.Advice:A friend advised me to get the best quality PFD I could afford, or I would regret kayaking with it. He suggested I buy one with adjustable shoulder straps and to make sure it had a pocket to hold a safety whistle. He also suggested a mesh lower back for the high seat I have on my Yak. After trying some on, I could tell his advise was sound. - I also found that adjustable shoulder straps are almost exclusively found on the better PFD's.Sizing:I'm 5'-8" and about 198 pounds, and I found most PFD's fit so small, I could barely get them on. With the ONYX brand, the "Large-XL" size fit fine in the store, but unfortunately, this PFD does not follow the same sizing conventions. The "Universal" size fit's chests from 30" - 52" and the "Oversize" fits 40" - 60" - I have about 46-48" chest so according to their chart, could have bought either one. But based on my experience with how small PFD's seem to run, I opted for the "Oversize". I'm happy to report that this fits me perfect! Their's plenty of strap left to fit MUCH larger people. I have no idea if the padded portion is actually larger between the two sizes, or just the length of straps. Wish the local stores had them so I could compare.Pricing:I bought this for $55 and felt it was a bargain based on what I saw locally and the overall quality and functionality. This is easily as nice as the best PFD's I saw locally in the $90-$110 price range.Usability:I've used my PFD a few times now and love it! It has all the pockets I need, and is so comfortable, I forget I'm wearing it. I used it for fishing today and bought a Plano Pocket Stowaway 5 Compartment Utility Box which fits perfectly in the drop down panel on the left side of the PFD. If you don't fish, you can store a huge phone in that pocket. I have an iPhone 6+ and it fit fine there. It's also really easy to access there. The drop down has two different stretch material holders. One is like a pocket, the other like a strap. The drop down panel works really well and it's like having a little table to set your gear on while switching up your lures. On the right side of the PFD, I stored my whistle in the top pocket, and pliers in one of the two bottom pockets. The arm cutouts are so large that nothing rubs while paddling or casting. The half-sized back pad is up high enough that it doesn't interfere with my seat back.Another feature of this PFD is that it has felt lined "hand pockets" much like a jacket (albeit a bit on the small side). I haven't used them yet, but someday if it's chilly out, I'm sure I will. I did not come across any other PFD with this feature.Conclusion:I can't recommend this PFD enough. Even if you don't use it for fishing, you'll likely find other things to use the pockets for. The overall quality rivals other PFD's that are twice the price. The colors even look good. This is by far the best PFD I've seen in my limited experience, but feel I'll use this for a long, long time.