ProView – Astral Ceiba Review
I tested the Ceiba PFD on a long weekend rafting in Salida, Colorado on the Arkansas river. The most important things to me in a life jacket are fit, and ease of movement, both for safety and comfort – the Ceiba hits both of these main points for me.
Astral Ceiba
Product Name: Astral Ceiba
Product Description: The most comfortable life jacket we make also happens to be the most environmentally friendly PFD made today. The front is filled with kapok, a naturally buoyant fiber that feels like down, while the back uses recyclable PE foam for protection. The shell is made from Bluesign® certified 100% recycled Polyester. Nine points of adjustment provide a precise fit.
Offer price: MSRP: $160.00
Currency: USD
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Quality
(5)
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Features
(4)
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Fit
(5)
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Durability
(5)
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Eco-Friendly
(5)
Summary
The Ceiba is an incredibly comfortable yet securely fitting PFD that I would trust on any river. It has thoughtful features including fleece lined pockets for warming your hands or stashing small essentials so that you’ve got what you need on the river. In addition, you can feel better about buying it thanks to its bluesign® shell design. I would definitely recommend this PFD both to new and seasoned boaters.
Overall
4.6Pros
- Comfortable
- Easy to adjust
- Multiple pockets
Cons
- Hand Warmers double as pockets – can’t use both at the same time
Performance
This PFD is really adjustable (9 points of adjustment!) and subsequently very comfortable because it is so easy to get a secure, perfect fit. I’m usually use a pullover style PFD, so the front zipper is different from what I am used to, but I enjoyed how easy it was to take on and off. The buoyant material Astral used in the front of the PFD, Kapok, is also a little puffier than traditional foam floatation material, so it is surprisingly comfortable on the chest. I’ve worn PFDs in the past that have felt hard and painful on my breasts, but I never had that feeling in this one. Comfort and fit-wise, this life jacket is hard to beat. The Ceiba also allows for more than adequate range of motion. I didn’t notice it restricting me or hitting me in weird spots at all while paddle guiding.
In addition to being comfortable and fitting well, this PFD has a couple more features than some other non-rescue options out there like it, including fleece lined side pockets. These were great for warming my hands up during stops on the river. The luxury of having something soft and warm to slip your hands into when they are cold and wet is such a nice design feature. I don’t always carry my phone in my PFD, but the chest pocket on the Ceiba was large enough for me to easily fit my standard sized iPhone when I wanted to.
Friendliness to the Earth
The Ceiba PFD features the “world’s first bluesign® approved life jacket shell” which is a huge positive step for the industry. It is made from recycled polyester which means you can feel good about it’s creation not only using less new material, but also saving other items from the landfill.
Room for Improvement
One frustration I had with the Ceiba is that the hand warmer pockets and side storage pockets are one and the same. There were a couple of times when I would have liked to have slipped my hands in the pockets when they were chilly. With this design I was unable to because I had chapstick and sunscreen zipped into one of the side pockets because my phone was in the larger pocket. I think an additional small zippered pocket would make this life jacket perfectly functional with two storage pockets in addition to the hand warmer pockets.
The Final Word
The Ceiba is an incredibly comfortable yet securely fitting PFD that I would trust on any river. It has thoughtful features including fleece lined pockets for warming your hands or stashing small essentials so that you’ve got what you need on the river. In addition, you can feel better about buying it thanks to its bluesign® shell design. I would definitely recommend this PFD both to new and seasoned boaters.
Find the Astral Ceiba on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member yet? Apply today!
About the Gear Tester
Kelly Greene
Originally from the mountains of Maine, Kelly has been a ski patroller since she was 16 years old. Her love of the outdoors drove her to a degree in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration followed by an M.A. in Exercise Physiology from Columbia University. Since graduating Kelly moved to Colorado and still patrols, manages a fitness & cycling program for a large climbing gym and works full-time in corporate wellness. When she isn’t helping improve the fitness of others or teaching the next generation of patrollers, you can usually find her on or near rocks – jumping off of them on her skis, avoiding them while guiding friends through whitewater, biking over them, or climbing to the tops of them. Connect with her on Instagram @Kelly_ventures.
