The 10 Best open Water Swim Vests (2023 reviews)

We consider a open water swim vest to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your needs from all the best available products in market today.

Our review process: Show/Hide

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: body glove open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For lake: Buy: Stearns open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For adult: Buy: Chriffer open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For boat adventures: Buy: Gogokids open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For ocean: Buy: Swimschool open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For Toddler With adult supervision: Buy: Genwiss open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best With room: Buy: Poolmaster open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For paddle Boarding: Buy: Lansru open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For summertime Pool Fun: Buy: Onory open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best For Both Men: Buy: Krevz open Water Swim Vest READ REVIEW

Best Overall: body glove open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

The body glove open water swim vest is capable of outshining several other vest featured in this list in overall features. Love this style of life jacket, it floats them leaning back to keep their face out of the water and makes it easy for them to be able to paddle their way to the edge of the pool without assistance. It fits well and its adjustable. It has a design for fun motion graphics. It comes with its superior comfort, it is made with a durable polyester material and a multi-panel design that prevents chafing and provides your child with maximum comfort during use.

The safety shoulder harness feature ensures that the vest stays securely in place while your child is wearing it. It can be cinched snug to prevent ride-up and deter escape artists. There is a strap that fastens in the back like you find on strollers, car seats etc that can be adjusted. They had confidence and were "swimming" laps and floating with these on by the end of vacation.

• Great for teaching grandkids to swim
• Best floatation device for small toddlers
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For lake: Stearns open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate vest. The stearns open water swim vest is exactly that - it's a simple vest that hits all the right notes. This is by far the best floating device for kids. It keeps the head just above water while leaving freedom to move the arms. It offers a secure fit for children 30 to 50 pounds. There are life jackets available that have that strap, and are rated for 25 pounds.

This is a great option for teaching kids to swim and float on their backs. It is lightweight, dry fast and also easy to put on. It is the best swim aide ever.

• Easy to put on & buckle is very secure
• Adjustable strap in the back allows for growth
• Well made, comfortable and really keeps little ones up right in the water
• Playful designs make water safety fun for kids

Best For adult: Chriffer open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory vest, chriffer open water swim vest should be your first option for buying. The Chriffer Swim vest features a double sleeves design for more buoyancy and the double safety buckle on the back makes the child safer and give beginners more freedom and confidence. It's made of a elastic and soft lycra material and the main part is made of environmentally skin-friendly twill. It comes quickly, looks like it will hold up well, and even has a little bag to carry it in. It keeps your child safe in the pool. It's multiple layers of foam that aren't stuck together so they sort of move around. It is great for grandparent's confidence. It is not heavy and floats really well.

• Easy to put on and take off
• Perfect for kids 3 and up
• Great starter to take away fear

Best For boat adventures: Gogokids open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

The gogokids open water swim vest's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. It is committed to developing and producing high quality outdoor sports products for children. It can be used in swimming pools, beaches, on boats or by the lakeside. It has adjustable safety straps so it can stick to the toddler’s body. It has fabric through the crotch so the jacket doesn't slide off over their heads. The release buckles of the float vest are extra strong so you don't have to worry about the easy damage. It is great fun on the slides.

It has the adjustable buckle at the bottom and will not loosen even if it floats up and down in the water, increasing safety.

• Great fit make more confident the child in water
• Striving to make outdoor activities for children possible, easier and safer
• Good investment for long term

Best For ocean: Swimschool open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

Next on the list, we've got yet another vest that manages to win our hearts. It's the swimschool open water swim vest and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient vest you can buy. It is easy to wear with padded shoulders, covered with a heavy-duty zipper and adjustable padded safety strap for a secure, comfortable fit. It fits most of the kids that have used it well, and is easily adjustable. The strap has extra material around it like a stroller harness crotch cover. It just has an adjustable strap that helps it to tighten if need be.

The crotch strap is a little weird at first but is necessary to help keep the vest level and not automatically push up in the water. The strap has a strap that fastens the child’s legs to make the vest more secure. The front and back of this vest have floatable padding.

• Adult supervision required when kids are in the water
• Great quality for the water curious and cautious kiddo in your life
• Fit was perfect, lightweight, and very cute
• Good for encouraging swimming skills instead of being just a buoyancy device

Best For Toddler With adult supervision: Genwiss open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate vest. The genwiss open water swim vest is exactly that - it's a simple vest that hits all the right notes. This kids swim vest promotes confidence, and it keeps your child feel comfortable in the water. The Genwiss swim jacket has 8 removable foam floats and is the ideal starter float jacket, with one per pocket to give a better fit and more adjustable buoyancy. It comes out when tucking it in somewhere so it doesn’t drag when out of the water. It will help to give the learner a boost of confidence in the water buu giving extra buoyancy allowing them to practice and strengthen their stroke, making the experience much more rewarding and enjoyable.

The fit is snug but also has a little room to grow. This is the order to remove the foam blocks to prevent over bouancy. The quality and fit is great. It is good for about 20 swims or so.

• Could be worn with an arm floatie vest over it for more upright buoyancy
• Great color and practical if there is adult supervision
• Good investment for long term

Best With room: Poolmaster open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention poolmaster open water swim vest for regular usage. This style pool float is perfect for teaching toddlers how to swim. It allows freedom of movement and permits child to float upright or in swimming position. It is designed to deter danger. It fits children 34"-40" in height and 27 to 35 pounds. This has a great tube inside and can easily hold the. It is very heavy duty velcro though. It is great for packing and travel. The Velcro makes it so easy to put this ring on & off.

• Great swimming floatation device for kids
• Perfect for toddlers who you will love the pool
• Delivers what they promise

Best For paddle Boarding: Lansru open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

Lansru is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist vest for people on the go, and its line of lansru open water swim vest definitely falls in line with that reputation. The Swim vest is not only functional in keeping you safe but also provides a wide range of motion during paddling and swimming. It fits well for women plus allows full range of motion. It has straps that make it even more secure, by strapping under your legs. The bulk of the floatation material is hot and does not breath well in the florida sun.

It’s a shorter and more comfortable than the traditional life jacket. The leg strap can stop the vest from riding up over the face and it can be adjusted. It is used for better flotation. It is enough for a phone, map or car keys.

• Works great lifts great and definitely does its job
• Swim jacket have adjustable straps on the shoulders, and around the waist
• Nice value, good fit, easy to adjust

Best For summertime Pool Fun: Onory open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

The onory open water swim vest is specially designed for your regular usage and has all useful features. This swim aid is well manufactured and has a fun design that can be used by boys or girls. It is great for helping kids keep safe playing water. It provides the vest as well as the arms for extra safety around the waters while experiencing hours of fun and protection at the same time.

It is made of soft polyester material and polyethylene foam multi-panel, which will not inflate, prevent any air leakage and will not be punctured. It is good for training toddler to get used to water. It is a best choice for learn-to-swim float at the swim pool, beach, and puddle. There is an adjustable strap and with a buckle that is easy to open and close. It is also allows for parents to determine the proper secure fit.

• Good for kids, adjustable and easy to put on
• Colorful and lovely vest add more joy to your child
• Super lightweight and doesn’t float up very well without holding the child
• Great swimming safety accessory for a toddler

Best For Both Men: Krevz open Water Swim Vest

Buy on Amazon

The krevz open water swim vest might be a relatively new release, but it's still nothing short of impressive this year, thanks to multiple price cuts and added new features over the past few months. The adult swim vest provides excellent buoyancy and safety features, ensuring that you stay afloat in the water. It is made with high-quality pvc materials that are designed to withstand the rigors of use on a motorboat. These are designed to fit snugly and compactly, which suitable for a wide range of water sports activities.

The Swim jacket has a hook which makes sure that the jacket is securely attached to the motorboat keychain loop and can be easily and quickly disconnected when needed in water activities. It can be easily adjusted to fit different body types and sizes, ensuring a snug and secure fit. It is suitable for both men and women.

• One of the new comers and featured product
• Good investment for long term