The Rundown: Floatation Vests vs Impact Vests

When you’re out there wakeboarding, kitesurfing, windsurfing, or foiling, there’s always some level of risk involved. The conditions can be unpredictable, and you never know what obstacles you might come across. That’s why it’s crucial to wear protective gear, like floatation vests and impact vests. Whether you’re going for big jumps or playing it safe, these protective vests provide some major benefits that you don’t want to miss out on. It can seriously reduce your chances of getting injured, keeping you safe and ensuring you have a blast on the water.

Not sure what the difference between a floatation vest and impact vest is, and which one to go for? In this blog we’ll outline the main differences, along with what we’ve got in our range.

CE Approved Vests
All Mystic vests, including floatation vests and impact vests, are CE approved. This means they’ve been assessed to meet European safety, health, and environmental protection requirements. Impact vests have been tested for impact, and floatation vests have been tested for buoyancy, measured in Newton. Our floatation vests have a buoyancy of 50 Newton, which provides enough aid for people who can swim well and have help nearby in case of an emergency. It also provides you with just enough freedom of movement for water sports.

Floatation Vests
Floatation vests are designed to keep you afloat in water through buoyancy. These vests are commonly worn by beginners seeing as they’re likely to wipe out as part of the learning curve. That said, riders may want to wear a floatation vest when conditions are very rough. For instance, when rip tides are strong, waves are big, or you’re riding around a cape or some rocks.

Mystic offers three unisex floatation vests, each with slightly different features. For kiters, the Brand vest includes an adjustable crotch buckle to prevent from riding up when you’re afloat in the water. The Star vest has a slightly higher cut so you can wear it with a waist harness. For wakeboarders, the USCG Flotation Vest is a bit longer and includes a zipper at the front for easy changing. In case you’re riding in the US or Canada, it’s also approved by the US Coast Guard and Transport Canadian.

For riders hitting waves or doing jump tricks, floatation vests can sometimes get in the way. That’s when impact vests tend to be more suitable.

Impact Vests
Impact vests are designed to keep riders safe from hard impact to the upper body. The foam padding in an impact vest absorbs the impact of the fall, which is a benefit for beginners and pros alike. For beginners, it comes in handy when you’re constantly being pulled over your board. For experienced riders, it allows you to be safe when learning new jumps and tricks.

Types of Impact Vests

When it comes to protective gear for water sports, impact vests are more commonly worn than floatation vests. For that reason, there’s more variety in impact vest design. You may prefer a vest that is lightweight and stretchy for comfort, or you may prefer having heavy duty padding around your torso. You may also choose your vest depending on your budget; impact vests are designed with neoprene, and the more premium vests are crafted from a higher quality neoprene with better stretch properties.

With these features in mind, we have a wide range of kite and wake vests, including signature designs from team riders. The best way to get a lay of the land is by browsing our options. Some of the more premium vests like the Foil, Renegade, and the Gem for women include NBR foam to protect your spine. In other vests like the Majestic or Outlaw, or the Maze and Baloo for women, the foam has been stitched through, which means the panels won’t shift around, a feature that applies to our more premium vests.

Always be sure you’re looking at the right collection as we’ve got vests for wakeboarders and kitesurfers, but there is a difference. For wakeboarders, the padding covers more of your torso, whereas kiters will find that vests shouldn’t be padded around the waist where the harness sits. You can always reach out to our team if you’re in need of expert product selection support.