Specification: STEARNS PFD Heads-Up Type II Life Vest
Item Package Dimensions L x W x H
‎19.41 x 15.91 x 6.06 inches
Package Weight
‎0.39 Kilograms
Item Dimensions LxWxH
‎18.4 x 13.1 x 2.9 inches
Item Weight
‎0.33 Pounds
Brand Name
‎STEARNS
Warranty Description
‎As labeled
Model Name
‎2000013194
Color
‎Green/Gray
Material
‎Nylon
Suggested Users
‎Unisex-adult
Number of Items
‎1
Manufacturer
‎Coleman
Part Number
‎2000013194
Style
‎Infant
Included Components
‎Life jacket
Size
‎Under 30 lbs
Photos: STEARNS PFD Heads-Up Type II Life Vest
12 reviews for STEARNS PFD Heads-Up Type II Life Vest
4.1out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
8
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
0
★★★★★
2
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★★★★★
humbucker –
We purchased the child size for my son, who is right at 30lbs. I had seen a video of a similar life jacket flipping a child face down in the water. Before I relied on this life jacket, I wanted to test it in a controlled situation. We made sure to put it on him correctly, and slowly put him in the water. As soon as we took our hands off of him, sure enough the life jacket immediately flipped him face down. In the half second that it took to turn his head, he had already swallowed a large amount of water. It was very scary to know that this could have been deadly it we had relied on this jacket, without testing it first. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE parents, try this jacket on your child BEFORE throwing it on them, and expecting it to work properly.
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★★★★★
springn1 –
I ordered this because it was a type II vest offering improved flotation ability for a child. It fit fine on my 5.5 yr old, ~40 lb girl. It did allow her to use her arms to paddle/kayak. I do make my daughter wear it in the kayak at all times. I,however, had no intent for it to be necessary. We wanted to kayak again before it got too cold. I wasn’t keeping a tight leash on her and she leaned over too much (see picture, minutes before she fell) and went in the river (couldn’t touch bottom). Apart from the initial dive, her head never went back in the water. I fished her out within 10 seconds, but she was shocked, scared and cold. She never aspirated any water. But thanks to this vest, she was never in any serious danger.
So, get this vest for your kid.
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★★★★★
Holly Robison –
Fit perfectly. My grandson hasn’t been in the lake yet but we hope it holds his head up.
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★★★★★
Pat S –
The fit for a 32lb. child is fine however they still tend to roll face forward and into the water. Tried in a pool with two different kids within a pound of each other; one taller and skinnier. They worked if child would concentrate on leaning back. Not appropriate safety gear for a child this small in an emergency situation. Will try again as they get older/taller/bigger.
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★★★★★
Craig S. Miller –
Be very careful with this life jacket and test it on your child before you put any trust in it. It pitched our 40 pound 4-year-old face down into the water and held him there. It was terrifying to see. We will never use this life vest again.
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★★★★★
Reviewer in Oregon –
Love it!
Ok so let’s skip right to the headline of this review: the crotch strap. This is the most comfortable crotch strap I’ve seen on any life jacket I’ve purchased. The typical rough strap is inside a soft, squishy sleeve. I think this is really going to help with the chafing you have on most life vests.
The jacket is brightly colored which makes it easier to spot your little one in the water.
The head hole looks wide enough that the kids won’t feel soffocated, and the head pad lays back when they’re just running around so it’s not bothering them. It has two hinges on it so it lays better than typical type 2 life jackets.
The straps seem rugged.
I’m completely happy with this purchase.
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★★★★★
Michel Cormier –
Fits my 2yo perfectly! He’s 26lbs for reference..easily adjustable which is convenient..have not tested if it will keep him on his back but it’s Very good quality
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★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
The media could not be loaded.
 Love it my son can’t walk or even stand on his own yet and he’s head control is week he is 6 years old and 40 pounds this works great for him. The arms are a bit snug but as long as I sat him up I could easily get him in and out.
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★★★★★
springn1 –
Update: I had originally purchased the “child” sized vest for my daughter, and have liked it so much that I just purchased the “youth” size for her as she is now outgrowing the smaller one (she is just over 50 lbs now). We use a more compact vest for fun at the beach or pool under supervision, but I do not think you can beat this vest for boating with a child. I really like the strap between the legs to keep her secure, the pull handle on the back so I can grab/wrangle her if needed, and that it forces her to float on her back with her head out of the water.
Original: I purchased this for my daughter who is just over 30 pounds and has just started learning to swim. After some research, I decided I needed a few criteria for a child’s life vest: it had to be Type II rated (this makes the person wearing it float face up even if they cannot swim or are unconscious) , it needed a grab handle, and it needed good adjustment straps for a snug fit as well as a strap between the legs so it could not slide up over her head. This product is one of the few I could find that covered all my requirements. I also like the very bright green color for safety visibility as well.
We have not used it boating yet, but my wife took the vest with our daughter to her swimming class this morning and the instructor said he would rate this vest a 10 out of 10 for a child’s safety. The instructor took her in the water and she floated comfortably on her back with no effort at all.
Again, my daughter is just over 30 pounds, and the adjustment straps made for a perfect fit with room to grow (she is just at the bottom of the rating for this vest which is 30-50 lbs). I would not recommend this for a child smaller than 30 pounds, but it does seem perfectly sized for the range it is rated at, with good adjustment range. The vest zips up the front to keep it securely closed, then the three straps (two around the torso and one between the legs) can be adjusted to keep the vest exactly where it needs to be while remaining comfortable. I used the grab handle on the back to pick my daughter up off the floor (which she thought was fun, so it was not uncomfortable) and she did not slide down in the vest at all. The back flotation pad sits across the shoulders, out of the way, but floats up behind the head when in the water.
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★★★★★
Holly Robison –
We are happy with this life jacket. The quality seems good.
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★★★★★
JenniferSach –
Muy buen producto, cumple sin problema las expectativas. La recomiendo.
humbucker –
We purchased the child size for my son, who is right at 30lbs. I had seen a video of a similar life jacket flipping a child face down in the water. Before I relied on this life jacket, I wanted to test it in a controlled situation. We made sure to put it on him correctly, and slowly put him in the water. As soon as we took our hands off of him, sure enough the life jacket immediately flipped him face down. In the half second that it took to turn his head, he had already swallowed a large amount of water. It was very scary to know that this could have been deadly it we had relied on this jacket, without testing it first. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE parents, try this jacket on your child BEFORE throwing it on them, and expecting it to work properly.
springn1 –
I ordered this because it was a type II vest offering improved flotation ability for a child. It fit fine on my 5.5 yr old, ~40 lb girl. It did allow her to use her arms to paddle/kayak.
I do make my daughter wear it in the kayak at all times. I,however, had no intent for it to be necessary.
We wanted to kayak again before it got too cold. I wasn’t keeping a tight leash on her and she leaned over too much (see picture, minutes before she fell) and went in the river (couldn’t touch bottom). Apart from the initial dive, her head never went back in the water. I fished her out within 10 seconds, but she was shocked, scared and cold. She never aspirated any water. But thanks to this vest, she was never in any serious danger.
So, get this vest for your kid.
Holly Robison –
Fit perfectly. My grandson hasn’t been in the lake yet but we hope it holds his head up.
Pat S –
The fit for a 32lb. child is fine however they still tend to roll face forward and into the water. Tried in a pool with two different kids within a pound of each other; one taller and skinnier. They worked if child would concentrate on leaning back. Not appropriate safety gear for a child this small in an emergency situation. Will try again as they get older/taller/bigger.
Craig S. Miller –
Be very careful with this life jacket and test it on your child before you put any trust in it. It pitched our 40 pound 4-year-old face down into the water and held him there. It was terrifying to see. We will never use this life vest again.
Reviewer in Oregon –
Love it!
Ok so let’s skip right to the headline of this review: the crotch strap. This is the most comfortable crotch strap I’ve seen on any life jacket I’ve purchased. The typical rough strap is inside a soft, squishy sleeve. I think this is really going to help with the chafing you have on most life vests.
The jacket is brightly colored which makes it easier to spot your little one in the water.
The head hole looks wide enough that the kids won’t feel soffocated, and the head pad lays back when they’re just running around so it’s not bothering them. It has two hinges on it so it lays better than typical type 2 life jackets.
The straps seem rugged.
I’m completely happy with this purchase.
Michel Cormier –
Fits my 2yo perfectly! He’s 26lbs for reference..easily adjustable which is convenient..have not tested if it will keep him on his back but it’s Very good quality
Amazon Customer –
The media could not be loaded.
 Love it my son can’t walk or even stand on his own yet and he’s head control is week he is 6 years old and 40 pounds this works great for him. The arms are a bit snug but as long as I sat him up I could easily get him in and out.
springn1 –
Update: I had originally purchased the “child” sized vest for my daughter, and have liked it so much that I just purchased the “youth” size for her as she is now outgrowing the smaller one (she is just over 50 lbs now). We use a more compact vest for fun at the beach or pool under supervision, but I do not think you can beat this vest for boating with a child. I really like the strap between the legs to keep her secure, the pull handle on the back so I can grab/wrangle her if needed, and that it forces her to float on her back with her head out of the water.
Original: I purchased this for my daughter who is just over 30 pounds and has just started learning to swim. After some research, I decided I needed a few criteria for a child’s life vest: it had to be Type II rated (this makes the person wearing it float face up even if they cannot swim or are unconscious) , it needed a grab handle, and it needed good adjustment straps for a snug fit as well as a strap between the legs so it could not slide up over her head. This product is one of the few I could find that covered all my requirements. I also like the very bright green color for safety visibility as well.
We have not used it boating yet, but my wife took the vest with our daughter to her swimming class this morning and the instructor said he would rate this vest a 10 out of 10 for a child’s safety. The instructor took her in the water and she floated comfortably on her back with no effort at all.
Again, my daughter is just over 30 pounds, and the adjustment straps made for a perfect fit with room to grow (she is just at the bottom of the rating for this vest which is 30-50 lbs). I would not recommend this for a child smaller than 30 pounds, but it does seem perfectly sized for the range it is rated at, with good adjustment range. The vest zips up the front to keep it securely closed, then the three straps (two around the torso and one between the legs) can be adjusted to keep the vest exactly where it needs to be while remaining comfortable. I used the grab handle on the back to pick my daughter up off the floor (which she thought was fun, so it was not uncomfortable) and she did not slide down in the vest at all. The back flotation pad sits across the shoulders, out of the way, but floats up behind the head when in the water.
Holly Robison –
We are happy with this life jacket. The quality seems good.
JenniferSach –
Muy buen producto, cumple sin problema las expectativas. La recomiendo.
Newmarket Doc –
Thank You, it is i deed a type ii!