Sorry if this comes off as an ad.... I know I've posted a bit about these before, but really do think they're that good of a product. I've made suggestions to multiple fishing buddies with bad habits of not wearing their PFDs to get one of these, and all were instant fans as well. Just ask @Billy 
So a few years ago, I picked up three of the NRS Chinook PFDs because I'd heard good things. I'd been using the inflatable type PFDs prior, and after a few mishaps and failures, and just not being a huge fan of them in general, I decided to get something else.
What I immediately liked was that once I put it on, I was totally fine keeping it on, which I'd never had happen with a PFD before. With all the pockets, it was basically like wearing a fishing vest. Most importantly, my guests were leaving theirs on as well.
Downsides:
For me, if there was one, it was the zippers. As you can tell from my pics above, I was using them in saltwater quite a lot. On 2 of my 3 vests, the zippers on the pockets corroded and got stuck shut, eliminating one of my favorite features on them.
I found out NRS was making an update to them, so I looked into it to see what was changing. I was able to confirm that the zippers were indeed changing to address the issue I experienced. They also changed a few things with the cut/fit to be more form-fitting- according to the answers I received, mostly to eliminate "tenting" or spots where oars or paddles can get caught, which is definitely a thing I experienced with previous vests when rowing rivers. They have also apparently changed the foam type, but I don't foresee that being something most will notice.
Since I have two boats and was tired of climbing into my bigger boat to grab the PFDs every time I needed them in my small boat, I ordered three of the new PFDs recently, and moved my old models to my small freshwater boat. I purchased one of the Chinook OS version, and two of the standard Chinook. As far as I'm aware, the main difference is in the pocket configuration.
Here is the new (left) and old (right) version of the standard Chinook PFD.
(new)
(old)
You can see some differences in materials, as well as shape, especially in the back/shoulder area.
Exterior-wise, not worlds apart different. If you can find the old version on closeout and don't plan on getting it salty, it's a hard deal to beat. But getting the new version is absolutely worth it as well if it's something you end up actually wearing.
So a few years ago, I picked up three of the NRS Chinook PFDs because I'd heard good things. I'd been using the inflatable type PFDs prior, and after a few mishaps and failures, and just not being a huge fan of them in general, I decided to get something else.
What I immediately liked was that once I put it on, I was totally fine keeping it on, which I'd never had happen with a PFD before. With all the pockets, it was basically like wearing a fishing vest. Most importantly, my guests were leaving theirs on as well.
Downsides:
For me, if there was one, it was the zippers. As you can tell from my pics above, I was using them in saltwater quite a lot. On 2 of my 3 vests, the zippers on the pockets corroded and got stuck shut, eliminating one of my favorite features on them.
I found out NRS was making an update to them, so I looked into it to see what was changing. I was able to confirm that the zippers were indeed changing to address the issue I experienced. They also changed a few things with the cut/fit to be more form-fitting- according to the answers I received, mostly to eliminate "tenting" or spots where oars or paddles can get caught, which is definitely a thing I experienced with previous vests when rowing rivers. They have also apparently changed the foam type, but I don't foresee that being something most will notice.
Since I have two boats and was tired of climbing into my bigger boat to grab the PFDs every time I needed them in my small boat, I ordered three of the new PFDs recently, and moved my old models to my small freshwater boat. I purchased one of the Chinook OS version, and two of the standard Chinook. As far as I'm aware, the main difference is in the pocket configuration.
Here is the new (left) and old (right) version of the standard Chinook PFD.
(new)
(old)
You can see some differences in materials, as well as shape, especially in the back/shoulder area.
Exterior-wise, not worlds apart different. If you can find the old version on closeout and don't plan on getting it salty, it's a hard deal to beat. But getting the new version is absolutely worth it as well if it's something you end up actually wearing.
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