And, as mentioned before, if you don't like to wear a pfd because it is too warm, or gets in the way for paddling, then a super-duper excellent great alternative is the $24.95 brite yellow, or white, old fashioned swimmer's foam belt available at Overton's or locally at
www.Parafunalia.com in Gilford.
They work great. They keep you aflloat! They do not get in the way for paddling, and they are much smaller in overall size than a pfd so they do not get too warm to wear.
Wearing a swimmer's belt is probably about ten times better than having a pfd nearby that you do not actually wear......especially when you get flipped into some cold water that is over your head......plus the swimmer's belt is a good aid for actual swimming.....like doing the side stroke, breast stroke, overhand crawl, or backstroke.
If you end up in the water and need to tread water for an extended time, such as for one hour, the swimmers belt can easily be slid from the waist up to the armpits, under your arms, and it makes a huge positive buoyancy difference......like it is actually comfortable to just float there motionless with your head above the water with no addition treading effort on your part. Individual personal buoyancy varies a lot depending on one's body mass index and a swimmer's belt most likely has enough buoyancy to keep you afloat.....plus it provides a high level of confidence in the water so you do not get in a panic or get too tired.
Swimmer's belts build confidence for the tired swimmer, or the non-swimmer.
Could be they should make the swimmer's belt in drab grey, or drab khaki, so it would not look like you are wearing a bright yellow swimmer's belt.