"Water pours through the crumpled canoe. Our well travelled canoe rests uncomfortably on the bottom of the creek deformed beyond belief. About the only thing holding it together is the spray deck. Moments before in a narrow swift that I could have waded, I lost control of the bow of the boat. It swung instantly into the current and caught on the far side. The force of the water folded it. Everything went in the water: all of our gear, weeks of food AND the kids."

Gabrielle Zerla is a Class III Whitewater Rafting Guide on the Shendandoah/Potomac and the Cheat Narrows. Recently, she had to swim down a portion of Class V Whitewater and wanted to tell us how thankful she was to have her North Water PFD.

The Summer of 2014 is when I first became aware of North Water's awesome custom vests. A select few of the "Old Heads" or senior guides...