Whatever kind it is, make sure it is bright orange or yellow. My husband bought me a pretty blue one, and I took that as a clue that he wants to get rid of me. Red is not as easy to spot in the water as orange or yellow. The purpose of a life jacket is not to make you look good on the boat -- it is to make you easy to find when you are in the water. Same goes for foul weather gear. When we were cruising, I fell in love with a beautiful white foul weather outfit, which I promptly bought. As soon as we were at sea, I noticed that it was exactly the same color as the whitecaps. After that I was afraid to wear it anywhere but on shore.