First of all, Steelheader's vest rocks! I would love to know how to find one. As far as comfort goes I have been very happy with the two Lotus Design PFDs we have. They have a side zip and adjust to fit very well. It allows excellent range of motion. In addition, they make PFDs for women, built for women. I know that is important for my wife because if she hates putting it on and wearing it , she won't wear it as much as she should. The Extrasport PFDs are great also. I have two Lotus now and I'm shopping for a couple more to have for friends, fishing partners. I believe in safety first and feel like it's important to provide something people will feel comfortable in, something that enhances their real and perceived sense of security. Ultimately, the issue of amount of flotation comes into play. The highest floatation PFDs are very bulky. If you are putting them on people in the boat strictly for safety, they are hard to beat. The real world situation is that they are not as comfortable or user friendly as far as fishing and rowing are concerned. By the time I get all my stuff on, I still need to be able to move. The design of the vests limit the amount of flotation you can have, it's kind of a trade off. I am not running huge water so I bank on being able to have the PFD help me self rescue, the difference in flotation may not be as much of a difference (10 lbs) as it seems. I would like to see a manufacturer make a vest that has an inflatable bladder as a supplement to the flotation in the vest itself, one that self-inflates. I agree with the previous posts that you may not have a chance to activate your vest. If I was buying an inflatable vest, I would probably go with Mustang. As a last thought, the inflatables are comfortable in that there is not much to them. Anything that doesn't breath (all PFDs) are going to it uncomfortable to some extent. A lot depends on how you are fishing and/or boating.