An impact vest is not just for beginners. Everyone crashes, and the faster you ride the harder it lands. The foam takes the worst of a bad landing, a bar hit or a flat slap on the water, and protects your ribs, chest and back. During big air and freestyle, where you regularly hit the water hard, you notice the difference straight away.

A vest also adds a bit of buoyancy, so you stay up more easily after a fall and get your board back on faster. Going hydrofoiling? Then it is well worth it, because you ride high above the water, you fall more often, and a two metre drop at speed lands hard. There is a reason riders at the King of the Air in South Africa are required to wear one. And it is not only for kiteboarding: wing foiling, foiling and wakeboarding come with the same hard hits on the water or the foil.

No, and that difference matters. An impact vest is built to absorb impact, not to keep you afloat. The foam that softens your crashes does add some buoyancy, usually enough to stay comfortable at the surface and get your board back on, but it is not a certified buoyancy aid or life vest. Some models carry an official rating such as 50N, others are purely about protection.

So if you ride open water or in rough conditions, plan for that and do not treat your impact vest as a flotation device. Not sure what suits your spot and level? Give us a call or send us an email, we are happy to think along.

Impact vests are usually split by how much padding they carry. A half padded vest has foam on the key zones (ribs, chest and back), which makes it lighter, more flexible and cooler to ride in. Ideal if you value freedom of movement and comfort and you are not taking extreme slams.

A full padded vest carries padding across almost the whole torso, so it protects more completely. Slightly heavier and warmer, but worth it if you go full gas on big air, foil, or crash hard on a regular basis. In both cases the padding is flexible, shock absorbing foam wrapped in stretchy neoprene. Thanks to the low profile and quick drying materials the vest stays light and sits neatly under your harness.

A kite impact vest is cut to work with a harness. It has slimmer sides and less padding around the waist, so your harness sits properly and stays where it should. The protection is focused on your ribs, chest and back instead.

Wake vests are built for a different job. They are thicker through the midsection and run further down your body, which is great behind a boat but awkward with a harness over the top. Wear one for kiteboarding and it tends to ride up during a crash, exactly when you need it in place. So if you kite, go for a kite specific vest.

Snug, but not restrictive. A vest that sits loose will ride up when you crash, which is the one moment you need it in place. You want full shoulder mobility and no gaps around your waist where your harness sits.

Good rule of thumb: it should feel tight when dry, because neoprene softens and gives a little once it is wet. Your chest measurement is what counts when picking a size, and if you are between sizes it is usually better to go down rather than up. Check the size chart on the product page, or drop by our megastore in Noordwijk to try a few on.

Not really. Modern vests use stretch neoprene with segmented foam panels, so the padding bends with you instead of working against you. You keep the rotation you need for jumps, handle passes and getting back on your board.

Most riders notice the vest for the first few minutes and then forget it is there. A full padded model is a little warmer and slightly bulkier than a half padded one, so if freedom of movement is your top priority, half padded is the way to go. What you will definitely notice is the moment you crash.

An impact vest lasts years if you treat it right. Rinse it with fresh water after every session, especially after salt water, and dry it on a wide hanger out of direct sunlight. Sun and heat break down neoprene and foam faster than anything else.

Never store it wet or folded up, because that leaves creases in the padding and a smell you will not enjoy. Keep it out of the washing machine and the dryer too. Check the zips and seams now and then, since a bit of care keeps both the protection and the fit where they should be.

Yes. Impact vests come in a men's and a women's fit. The men's models are cut for the male build, while women's impact vests have an adjusted fit around the chest and waist so the vest sits close and does not ride up. Protection and technology are the same across both, the difference is in the cut and the colours.

Looking specifically for a women's impact vest or a men's impact vest? Just filter the collection and you will see what fits. A matching wetsuit completes your setup.