----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Treby" <ptreby_at_ozemail.com.au> > It seems much less restrictive, and less prone to causing chafing under the > arms, which was a problem with the old one. I recently sold my Lotus LOcean and bought an Astral Vest. The vest was designed by one of the founders of Lotus. I hated the chafing/ride up the LOcean caused. It has one center pocket which carries what I really need and nothing more. I hooked my Lotus Whip-it bag to the rear of the vest and put flares and a paddle float in it. One unique aspect of the vest is the flotation wraps completely around your sides to help minimize impacts. It does this by the front flotation and the rear flotation sliding past each other as you tighten the vest for a proper fit and so is articulated for comfort. It has already proven itself when I chatted too long in the surf with a friend. I took a fairly powerful blow from the nose of her kayak in the side. It helped to spread the impact out and reduce the pain. An expensive vest but very comfy. Jim et al *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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