Back when I first moved to the DC area (mid-1980s) I hooked up with the Potomac River Smallmouth Club. One thing they emphasized back then (and still?): don't go wading without a PFD. And I learned to always wear a PFD.
Problem is, that affects how you carry your stuff, and what you carry it in. I've tried life jackets with pockets, but over time decided the pockets wouldn't let me carry enough. I tried a vest over a PFD, but that's a little clunky. I've tried a PFD plus fanny (excuse me, "lumbar") pack, but that always gets dunked (I always end up wading deeper than I planned) and isn't all that handy when you try to rotate it to the front with your PFD in the way. Etc.
Recently I've shifted to an inflatable PFD, which takes up less room, and a sling pack over that -- it sits out of the way most of the time (so shouldn't interfere with inflating the PFD if needed), and can be accessed relatively easily. The downside: most sling packs have large spaces for gear, not particularly well divided, so I sometimes have to go hunting for what I'm after.
Anyway, I'm just wondering if others are wearing PFDs or not. If not, it's certainly easier to get packs that work well. But I still worry a bit about not wearing a PFD.
Of course, I've fished a bit on big western trout rivers with much faster (and colder!) water and no one wears PFDs. But at least the footing is generally better there. By contrast, the Potomac riverbed can be a real bear to walk on with all the big rocks.
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http://www.tpfr.org
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