I recently picked one up to try & have tested it a bit. The one I got is made by SOSpenders & sold by West Marine. I took advantage of one of our club's periodic "rough water rescue/recovery practice" days to experiment with it. Here's what I've noticed:

Personally, I'm "blessed" with a lot of "natural buoyancy". Between that and my wetsuit, and the fact that I'm a fair swimmer, I do not feel the need for additional floatation most of the times I end up in the water. (Do you use a PFD when you're swimming in a pool or lake? If you are able to float or tread water for a few minutes without extra floatation, do you think you need that extra boost every time you come out of your boat?)

It's extremely comfortable to wear & paddle with when not deployed (inflated).

It's easy to swim in. Also is much easier to dive under waves than when wearing a standard foam PFD (an important survival technique in the surf zone).

Although I was specifically "trying" to do so, I was not able to accidentally snag the pull tab for the CO2 inflator while doing re-entry after T rescue or with paddle float. This isn't to say it's IMPOSSIBLE to trigger accidentally, but this model is fairly well made so it's not much of a worry.

In hot weather, it's much more pleasant to wear the inflatable than a foam PFD. In cold weather, if you're used to your PFD providing some warmth/wind blocking, you'll probably want to wear an extra layer of something when using an inflatable.

Foam PFD's provide SOME padding to your torso in case of impact - for example, getting speared by another kayak bow when bouncing around close together in rough water. Inflatables do not.

The inflatable PFD does not have any pockets, nor does it provide anchor points for stuff some people like to have handy (knife, nose plugs, water bag, VHF radio, etc.) It comes with a whistle attached to the oral inflator, but that's tucked inside for normal wearing and so is not readily available.

Finding the pull tab seemed fairly easy, but cold hands and/or gloves might hamper the task. The oral inflator could be difficult to use in extreme cold.

When deployed, the unit has a LOT of floatation (30+ lb., according to the specs). This is concentrated in front + cradling the head. Once deployed, this will float an unconscious person face-up (but you have to be conscious to deploy it to begin with). In this respect, it's a better lifesaving device than most of the PFD's typically worn by kayakers.

Even if the straps can be a bit loose for comfort during normal wearing, it's quite secure on your body when inflated.

Once deployed, this vest is REALLY bulky. It interferes very much with swimming, re-boarding, and paddling. You should only deploy it when you know you're going to have to float passively for a while & wait for rescue. If you don't NEED the extra floatation, don't use it.

After deploying, it is possible (but a little difficult) to partially or mostly deflate the vest to re-board a boat & resume paddling. You really need to remove the vest to fully deflate it, re-arm the C02 unit, and re-fold it.

Personally I have mixed feelings about this PFD. It's really comfortable, but I miss the pockets & padding. And there's a possibility that in extreme circumstances I might have difficulty deploying it. Once deployed, it interferes with re-boarding and paddling. While the comfort encourages you to actually WEAR it (rather than merely stuffing a PFD under your deck bungies), you might be tempted to avoid deploying it until you KNOW that you're in real trouble and need extra help. By then, could it be too late? It's definitely a judgement call.

Hope these observations help you decide if you want to try one.

Val Wann