Palm Ace PFD review
Just as lockdown is starting to ease, more and more of us are going to be jumping back on the water. Whilst this is great news a few things to think about. What condition is your kit in and has anything changed since your last paddle?
One piece of kit you really want to ensure is right is your PFD. A PFD (Personal Floatation Device) is a must if kayaking, canoeing or SUP boarding, no matter how competent you feel.
Palm have released the Ace pullover style PFD that works on the principle ‘Less if more.’ Palm say they have trimmed this down to just the essentials and I have to agree. The PFD is light and really does feel slimline. The front and back are cut away nicely, which really helps free the shoulders and chest area of the PFD. There is plenty of movement for those all important paddle strokes. Fit wise I have always found Palm very generous and the M/L was a great fit for me as a 13-stone male. The Ace has a nice curved profile thanks to Palm’s use of layering foam (contouring). As a pullover style, this does not have a zip, which I am happy about as personally I find a zip quite bulky. I’d rather it be clean on the front.
A big plus of the Ace is its looks. This is one good looking PFD coming in two colour schemes. The blue, which I am reviewing with orange detailing (Palm call this the Cobalt + Ocean) and a red option with blue detailing (Chilli + Flame). The use of the Palm logo across the front and back of the vest in a lighter tone adds a bit of style. What you are getting is a very simple design with clean lines.
Adjustment wise you have three adjustment points, shoulder, sides and waist. What I do like about this is there is no clip lock buckle on the sides or waist strap. The adjustment buckles use Palm’s easy ride straps, which are very quick and easy to adjust. If you are a smaller frame there are two small pockets by the front shoulders to put any overhanging strap. Towards the waist strap there are also pockets, which were useful to tuck away any excess strap.
The adjustable slip lock buckles are well made and have a small overlap, which is easy to get a finger or thumb under to loosen quickly when needed – this attention to detail is what you expect from Palm. Another good example of this are the shoulder straps. These are not just standard webbing straps but have the same polyester material stitched into the underside of the shoulder strap offering comfort and prevents rub if wearing in the heat of summer against bare skin.
Performance wise the Ace did what I expected it to do. It was comfortable, easy to adjust and did not hinder movement or performance when paddling. Now I tested this whilst paddle boarding but as an experienced kayaker this would also make for an excellent freestyle or slalom vest. In fact all sizes except the popular with kids XXS (40N), are ICF approved and there is a clear tag in the PFD to show this at events. To prevent ride, the Ace has a textured band across the waist strap to hold it to your wetsuit, or whatever you’re wearing. Palm call this their 3D anti ride waist band and such a simple thing works really well.
The Ace also offers a small velcro pocket on the inside front panel, which is ideal for loose change or storing a non electric car key. It isn’t the biggest pocket and not super easy to access but if you are stuffing some cash before getting on the water it’s a good trade off to having a big pocket on the outside.
Who should buy this? So reviews are always subjective but anyone reviewing should want to inform the target user. For me this is a perfect PFD for a wide range of people from someone who is just starting to SUP and decided they need a PFD (I would always recommend this) and at £79.95 this is very good value for someone starting out. That said, the design and fit of this PFD should be an attractive offer to the seasoned freestyle or slalom paddler. If you want big pockets to carry your snacks, a whistle and other features, then the Ace isn’t for you and you need to look at a dedicated touring PFD. I used this with the Palm Quick release belt and they made an excellent pairing for SUP paddlers.
Note: 1% profit from Palm WW PFDs is donated to freeriversfund.org fighting against hydro power, preventing access to some of our spectacular rivers
