Side by Side Comparison of: Absolute Outdoor vs O'Neill Wetsuits

These were a low cost way to ensure I had enough vests on my boat.

Very nice fits well

We needed this set of lifejackets for our boat. They fulfill the requirements, are not heavy and are compact enough that they do not take up too much space in the cabin.

These life jackets are obviously not the most stylish but they get you legal on your boat by having a life jacket for each boater. The clear plastic case is nice and keeps them together and keeps them from getting dirty ... that's a plus if you are a neat freak like I am :)

Can't beat the price. Solid life jackets in the event you need them. these are great for day cruising but if you intend to go way offshore or cross from Florida to the Bahamas you may want to step it up to a vest with reflectors and lights.Moisture accumulates in the bag so don't forget to air it out once in a while.

I love the look in the field I'm a big guy 290 lb and this vest just barely clip together when I release the straps to the longest length a very nice personal flotation device

I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews that claimed it ran a bit small, and being a big guy( 6'1"-290) I ordered a size larger than I normally wear which is 3x. Other than my own mistake, this is a good vest.

Great life vest at a very good price. Vest fits comfortably snug, I'm a 44" chest, 6'-2" tall with an athletic build and I got a size large.

Great construction and has been very durable so far. I've hit the lake at high speeds and it has held up well.This vest doesn't pinch in the armpit nor does it ride up and make you float weird. Overall a very good design.My only gripe is only one d-ring on the left size, but this is a minor thing and i knew that before purchasing.The sizing chart was accurate for me as well. I'm 6ft and 160 lbs 37" chest and the medium fits perfectly. If you are under that size i would say this vest would be a little too big. My friend has a 41" chest and the vest is a little tight but still wearable.

I really like these vest! I just recently bought a boat and I needed a couple of good vest to have on the boat at all times, and these vest are exactly what I was looking for. I was very happy with the color and the design, they really look great, just as they do in the picture. The also fit exactly as I was hoping they would. Honestly that's the part I was happiest about. My friends and I are some pretty good sized guys and these vest are definitely large enough for us, I got the XXL BTW. All around I'm very happy.

I purchased this vest because my neoprene Body Glove vest was getting too hot to wear in our sticky humid GA climate. I am a 52 YO granny with a 48 inch chest. I ride a Yamaha SHO Super-Charged Waverunner that will do 70-80 mph and noticed that my Body Glove would ride up and "catch air" when running at speeds over 40 mph.I ordered the 3x and it was huge on me. I returned it for a 2x and the fit was much better. I like that the arms are cut out deeply enough to give me freedom of movement during sharp turns and while surfing my husband's wake, which is my favorite thing to do! The 4 buckles adjust individually for a customized fit, and the D ring on the bottom front of the vest is perfect for my safety leash, which leaves both hands free. I have the black and gray one. O'Neil does make woman's vests but not in plus sizes that I could find, which is a shame because not all of us who love water sports are they size we were 30 years ago.Instead of being one solid piece like the neoprene Body Glove, this vest has panels in the front and back. The outside is a tough nylon that allows a lot more air circulation and again, it does not ride up like the BG. I will still use my BG in the cooler months over my shorty wetsuit, which will feel so bulky after summer attire that I will look and feel like Ralphie's little brother Randy in his snowsuit in the movie "A Christmas Story."No matter...I am very happy with my purchase and my neon pink leash provides a nice pop of color. BTW...with Amazon Prime exchange could not have been easier. I just put the return label on the box, set it on my porch and UPS picked it up free of charge. I got my refund credited in only a few days. By the time it hit my bank account, I was out on the lake with the new 2x vest I had ordered!Peace,SC

Great package to have on boat for storage

Got this because the USCG likes to see them, but captain and crew wear state-of-the-art offshore auto-inflate jackets.

used in lake for safety, not fancy, but legal by law. we did use them on small children, seemed ok.

Perfect for the lake, and put my phone and spares in the side zipper.

To small for large adults, but for the kids, and the people without the middle age spread, they will work just fine...

It is a great life vest. I would recommend selecting a size up, we did that and were happy. The vest isn't as long as expected, we ordered a bigger size, but the quality is very good.

Light confortable, a little bit tighter than expected. Very pleased though.

My 150b son who has physical disabilities and doesn't swim loves this. He is able to float, swim etc and do all the things he wants to do safely without us needing to be *right* there. I wish it had a strap to keep it from riding up, but we'll configure something on our own. That's the only reason I don't give this a 5.

For the price of this vest, you can't beat it. This one is well-made and can be adjusted to fit a pretty good range of sizes. My son (~110 lbs, 5'0") and my daughter (~125 lbs, 5'2") have both worn the medium and find it comfortable. I am about 5'7", 175 lbs.-- although I can wear the medium, if I were buying it for myself, I'd purchase a large.I am considering buying a couple more of these vests for myself and my wife and I would recommend them to a friend.

These run small, so buy at least one size up. Also, it's not the most comfortable jacket, it doesn't "breathe" very well so it can get very uncomfortable after any long-term use with direct skin contact. You can't beat it for the price, but I ended up tossing this in the storage box as a spare and bought a more expensive, but more ergonomical/comfortable jacket.

I agree with some other reviewers that the size tends to be slightly small. If you're borderline medium/large, get large. If you're a medium-medium, medium will probably work. My guess is they want the vest to fit snugly for safety reasons.Quality is top knotch. Four front straps instead of the usual three. I like the choice of color combinations. You can get several for your kids, and each kid can have (and identify) "theirs".

Good not great Life jackets.

Smaller than expected. On of the straps the sawing opened just from unpacking it.

It's okay if you just want to comply to some local regulation. Nice idea, unfortunately the jackets are *very* small. Regular adult size maybe fits a child, not even a sporty teenager.

Too small and very hard to relax your hand

What can you say? They are orange adult size lifejackets. Hopefully, they will float if ever needed.

I ordered a 4XL and it was still really tight and short. My husband is 6'4" and 325lbs. The fitting chart provided needs to be updated to be realistic. He wears 3XLT shirts without issue. I actually ordered a size above what the chart suggested.

I need a BIG vest but this 3XL would be more fairly labelled as an XL or maybe just barely a 2XL. While this might pass for 3XL in Munchkin Land or Lilliput, it's definitely not the right fit for the real world. It might be a great vest and it may deserve more stars but I can't speak to that. I rated it at 3 stars to get people's attention so they might learn about what I see as a problem with the sizing issue.

I ordered this vest for my husband's birthday. Although the vest is wearable (barely) the top strap is fully extended with room at the other straps. Generally it looks small on him. He usually wears a large, and I used the chart. I spent lots of time looking for a quick drying vest. My husband is on the slender size, so, the only large man this will comfortably fit is a man in China where the vest was made.

Runs very small, order a size up from what you think. Amazon sent me the wrong color but not worth exchanging it. Fit is snug but doesn't choke you out like some other vest designs. Overall, I was happy with the $13 vest purchased at Academy Sports. If you can get one of these for under $40 I would say it's a good deal.

Bought XL after reading reviews, checking sizing chart on companies website because couldn't find one on amazon site. It was WAY WAY WAY too big for a 5'9, 230 lb man who has a 37'' chest and wears a 36" pant (he is very muscular and usually has a hard time fitting his chest/arms/thighs). This was so big, I think a medium may actually fit him if it were extended most of the way or a L probably tightened all the way or maybe half way. There is no way he could water ski or wake board otherwise. He looked like a little kid in an adults life jacket. However, the look, feel, material, etc... are EXCELLENT! He LOVE the look and did everything he could to make it fit but there was no way.

Reading the other reviewers we ordered the extra large instead of the large and it was way too big. My husband is a large in almost everything and we should've stuck with that size. When buckled the jacked overlapped onto itself. This is the case for the ONeil MENS sizes - the womans sizes definitely need to go up in size. I'm a medium and ordered a large and it was still tight.No quarrels with the seller, it came quickly and the quality of the jacket seemed fine but it was far too bulky for kayaking.

You get what you pay for

cheap , you get what you pay for

Great product and wonderful shipping "if you don't plan on using them this year" Think they use a very slow boat from China"

Didn't like the material.

Size is way off. I have a 2xl Obrien life vest that fits snug for jet ski riding. I wanted lots of room to move around in for tubing. Ordered a 4 CL but it's smaller than my 2xl!!!!!

The stuffing is becoming loose at the bottom and now the top part is chok in me after a few weeks of use

size was way off doesn't fit

Runs small, had to return it. Buyers beware.

These vests are made really well but are for shorter people than we are. I ordered one for myself and my husband and they were both too short. We got x-large hoping they would be long enough but no luck. My husband is 6'3" and I am almost 6'.

The area around the neck is very small and chokes the neck after following the Personal Flotation Device instructions provided to the point where im having difficulty breathing. Would not recommend buying these.

I wear a XXL normally for shirts... Most XXXL make me feel like a kid again... This one made me feel like Chris Farley

Had to return as it was way too small.

Not even remotely close for sizing. Way undersized

It was damaged when I received it. Difficult to return

Way smaller than size on product

Returned - fits smaller than advertised