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. 

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. 

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