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Astral
BlueJacket Personal Flotation Device

3.727272727272727 out of 5 stars
11 Reviews
$260.00
Color:Pine Needle Green

Size:

Size Chart

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Why We Like The Astral BlueJacket Personal Flotation Device

The Astral Blue Jacket is a sea-kayak-inspired PFD that also performs at an extremely high level in various whitewater, angling, and sailing applications. Equipped with loads of features that make it stand out from many other PFDs at similar price points, it combines a lightweight design and a solid storage capacity into a product that will be at home on the river, creek, lake, or open ocean.

 
The BlueJacket is designed with Astral's Foam Tectonics system, which allows the external portion of the jacket to pivot with the movements of your body, while the inner panel stays snug, enabling it to be highly reactive when things get hectic. Guides will also love the hook & looped straps that serve to clean up free-hanging webbing, so you don't risk them catching on bits of metal frame when all hell breaks loose. And because prolonged paddles can be exhausting—not to mention rapid scouts and portages—the BlueJacket is equipped with a back-mesh holster and hooked sleeve to accommodate a hydration bladder for on-the-go drinking, PBR not included.


Details

  • Dominate aquatic environments with this lightweight sea/river crossover
  • Foam Tectonic system agile, yet snug
  • Side-entry buckles enable side and pullover access
  • Front clamshell, plus side stash pockets hold loads of goodies
  • Hydration bladder-ready with mesh back pocket and looped sleeve
  • Item #ASL001V
Flotation / Buoyancy
15lb 8oz
Closure
side-release buckle
Pockets
1 chest, 2 zippered side stash
Claimed Weight
2lb
Manufacturer Warranty
limited 1 year
Activity
paddling
USCG Type / Level
type III

Overall Rating

3.5 based on 11 ratings

Review Summary

1 Stars - 1 reviews
2 Stars - 1 reviews
3 Stars - 2 reviews
4 Stars - 3 reviews
5 Stars - 4 reviews

What do you think about this product?

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5 out of 5 stars

December 24, 2023

Love it!

This is my second bluejacket and I love it, love the side entry, love hopping off the raft to swim in it, love the large frontal pocket for sunscreen and the small back pockets for guests trash.

Becca
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

5 out of 5 stars

November 25, 2023

Great product

Perfect PFD for freestyle kajaking. Thanks to a lot of freedom of movement and wearing comfort. I love the colour and the lightweight. I also use it in my touring kayak.

Sascha
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

4 out of 5 stars

September 6, 2023

I love the bladder but it takes practice

I purchased this about a year ago specifically because I liked the fit of the green jacket but wanted the hydration bladder as well as a side entry. Though the hydration bladder (not included) takes some practice getting the loops connected so it hangs properly, I’ve never had a problem with it “falling out” while I’m wearing it even when I’m swimming class III/IV rapids. That just sounds like user error. It does fall out once you take the jacket off though, which is annoying. I think the ability to access to water outside of my spray skirt highly overcomes that annoyance though. My only gripe is that the tube doesn’t fully secure to my shoulder strap and so I need to tuck it into my hand sleeve and tighten the sleeve down when I’m not using it. The mag clip that comes with the bladder does not fit the connections on the shoulder strap. When the bladder is full, you have a snug fit so if you’re right on the edge of sizing, I would suggest sizing up if you plan to use the bladder. I would also like to see newer models of the blue in the cool custom designs that they make the green in each year. Fix the should strap attachment point for the tube, make sure the bladder doesn’t fall off when you toss it in your gear bag, include some cool designs and I will totally purchase again when mine wears out.

SJP
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

1 out of 5 stars

March 21, 2023

Hydration option for the BlueJacket it a failure

Yes, I am going to be a bit harsh on this review. I would give this pfd five stars if it had an adequate a hydration option. Regrettably it does not. It meets all my other needs as a sea kayaker and instructor, but one. I find this to be a major failure. I have been using either the older Astral Sea Wolf or my newer Blue Jacket as my PFD of choice for the last ten years, but I have always had to jerry-rig my on water hydration system. Astral claims the BlueJacket is compatible with the Camelbak Crux 1.5 L H2O bladder, but I have yet to find a kayaker that uses the Crux with the BlueJacket. I just purchased said bladder to give it a try. It really does not work. Didn't anyone test this out? You might be able to mount the Crux inside the BlueJacket, but you will not want to wear it for any length of time. It's difficult at best to hang the Crux off of the two recessed web straps in the BlueJacket. They are located way-up and behind the pfd’s mesh back panel, but it is possible with patience and dexterity. What I cannot tolerate is the large hard plastic of lid of the Crux jammed against my spinal column. This set-up is not tolerable just walking around the house. I cannot image trying to paddle while wearing it. It’s back to a jerry-rig.

Joe
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

2 out of 5 stars

December 20, 2022

no appropriate pocket for hyration bladder

This could be a good sea kayaking pfd but unfortunatley it has no appropriate pocket for the hydration bladder. The hydration sleeve should be closed at the bottom as it is not sufficient to fix the bladder to the loops at the top. In my opinion the hydration pocket is a must have on a sekayaking pfd. It is a bit sad but because of that I will return the BlueJacket.

H.K.
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

3 out of 5 stars

October 14, 2022

no latch tab for knife

So what do you recommend I do with my safety knife when there is no lash tab on this PFD ?

Douglas
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

4 out of 5 stars

May 20, 2022

Mostly good

Pros: -Comfortable design for paddling/rowing. The panels that move independently make a big difference from past pfds I have used -Ease of donning/doffing— this was one of my main reasons for not purchasing the green jacket because I wanted to have a side entry -Clamshell pocket—I carried a “pin kit” (traction devices, biners, Prussiks), a bear paw device, my father’s very expensive hearing aids in a water proof case, and sometimes my phone for photos and it all fit comfortably. Cons: -Sizing. By far the biggest issue. I’m not a particularly small woman (5’6” and 140 lbs) and the size Sm/Md borders on too big. When I tried it on initially it seemed fine but as the foam molded to my trunk more it became noticeable that the straps were cinched all the way tight and it still didn’t feel as tight as I wanted it to potentially swim a class 8+ Grand Canyon rapid. PLEASE make a smaller size for the average and below average sized women!!! -the sleeve for hydration bladder seems a bit gimmicky. I can’t see how it would be comfortable to have a bladder inside the foam of your pfd and it would be entirely suspended on a clip at the top as there is no bottom support in the “sleeve” that holds the bladder -No good place to attach a river knife! Was very bummed that the only place to attach a river knife was on the shoulder strap where my NRS pilot knife hung over the zipper for the clamshell. Not sure why they couldn’t add a lash tab on the clamshell like with the green jacket.

Emma
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

3 out of 5 stars

January 10, 2017

Mr

A nice pfd but the option to attach a hydration pack is a gimmick that does not work. There is no sleeve for it to sit inside, the bladder simply drops out of the bottom of the pfd into the water. leaving you garrotted by the pipe. Astral say it can be attached via loops- the loops are there but I can see no easy way of attaching it.

mark
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

5 out of 5 stars

January 10, 2017

The coolest and most comfortable PFD around!

If you like arm freedom of movement and minimal feel in a PFD, this is a great one. I am also really in love with the clam shell pocket, except for one thing--it needs a couple places with D rings or loops inside of it to attach keys or miscellaneous small stuff that you don't want falling out. It does have 2 larger zippered pockets but could use more tie down loops IMO. I like how the spine is protected fairly high in the back, unlike a lot of freestyle vests. Easy to put on over the head, light weight, and floats really high. I thought the pocket in front would get in the way since it does have a presence but there was no issue rolling or leaning forward. Love the blue color too. Works really well for the less endowed lady; I found the Layla to not work for my less than robust upper body. Equally at home rowing a raft or kayaking and I love the softness of the Kapok foam and actually wish the whole thing was made of it but it does not feel stiff or rigid like a lot of PFDs because of the contoured hinged panels. I am pretty excited to be using this awesome PFD! Thanks, Astral!

hilde
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com

4 out of 5 stars

January 10, 2017

Astral Blue Vest, first impressions.

Just purchased the Astral Blue Jacket and wanted to provide my first "out of the box" impressions. I know the vest shares a lot of features with its sister "green" vest and I appreciate many of the features carried over into a more sea kayak specific vest. First, the fit and finish of the vest is excellent, the quality is high. I had high expectations given Astral's reputation and having a dotted line connection to Lotus Designs. I havent seen their sea wolf jacket to compare upgrades to the blue jacket. In purchasing this vest I had a couple of goals. As an ACA instructor, I wanted a vest that was tow compatible. I wanted a vest with more storage than my current 10 yr. old Lotus Designs vest. I wanted a vest that could easily store and quickly retrieve my vhf radio. Lastly, I wanted to support an USA company that caters to paddlers. Once I got my hands on the vest I was surprised at a few things related to the clam shell pouch. There is probably enough storage and pockets for items, but I think the inside could have been better designed and Ill explain. I thought there should be an extra D-ring or two sewn into the internal pocket. There is one located inside a zippered pocket, but if youre like me, most everything is tethered to my vest so it doesnt end up in the drink: knife, whistle, Lendal hex key, vhf, car keys, etc. An additional, centered d-ring would have accommodated these items better. The Blue jacket does allow for a vhf radio antenna to exit the clam shell pocket out near the shoulder strap, but I found it nearly impossible to insert the radio into the internal pocket for storage. The front lip of the internal pockets are sewn and not elastic so there is no give when trying to quickly insert or retrieve the radio. It was difficult attempting when holding the jacket and nearly impossibly when wearing. Even when I try to clip the radio to the lip of a pocket, again the pocket lip it too high to clip and insert the antenna out the port hole. Maybe this pocket could have been cut lower, been elastic, or maybe another loop of webbing could have been sewn to accommodate different sized radios. Maybe a strap of Velcro could have better accommodated different sized radios?My solutions in retrofitting were inserting a strap of webbing through the horizontal pocket inside the clam shell. This allowed me to attach a couple of ring attachment points and still store my knife horizontally. I can now easily attach my multiple lanyard items. For my radio, I was able to attach a carabiner to the fabric that attaches the clam shell pocket to the vest and with some elastic line, tie a quick release loop. Now Im able to store my vhf securely, retrieve and store it quickly. When the clam shell is zippered everything is stored securely, sleekly and I dont even know its there. For sea kayakers, I think Astral could address the vhf radio issue in a way that better accommodates this important safety feature. This is my first tow compatible vest, I really like how the tow belt attaches to the vest and where the quick release toggle sits. I can quickly release from the assisted boater. One item I wanted to point out is that if a rescuer wanted to transfer the complete tow system to another boater, you cant if you thread the webbing through the quick release buckle side of the vest. This is not an issue if everyone in your party has a tow system. It will work if you dont thread the belt webbing through the vest on the quick release buckle side and just run the belt through the sleeve behind either of the two side pockets. Ill play with it in the spring and see how it tugs. I will put this vest through its paces this summer teaching and paddling and Im sure it will hold up to lots of abuse. With a few self-modifications, Ive made some improvements on an already nice vest.

Eric
astraldesigns.com

Originally reviewed on astraldesigns.com