New to the Lake in Winter

[CanisLupusArctos]

The life vests are all rated to hold up a certain weight. Its certificate on the inside should say what it's rated for and what it's designed to do. Weigh all the clothes you'd have on a typical winter day (boots included). I don't think it matters if they're wet or dry because wet stuff doesn't feel heavy until you take it out of the water.

Add the weight of your winter clothing to your body weight. Does your 'fully clothed' weight fall within the weight limit of the life vest?

If not, consider getting a beefier life vest. They make life vests for all kinds of weight because boaters come in all sizes. If you're a 180-pound male wearing 20 pounds of winter clothing, then you'd want to wear the same kind of vest that's USCG-approved for a 200-pound boater (or more).

I don't think it matters if the vest is under your clothing or over it, because it wants to float no matter what. (someone please correct me if this is wrong!). I have found that a decent foam life vest also adds to my torso warmth when I'm out on the ice & exposed to the wind.

Might also be a good idea to securely attach a cord to the life vest that you can throw to someone else to pull you out (or at the very least, hold onto you while waiting for help to arrive.)