I was shocked to find out that if you search for puddle jumpers on Amazon, many of the results are not the actual coast guard approved Puddle Jumpers by Stearns! They look eerily similar but the big difference is the price tag. Stearns Puddle Jumpers tend to cost around $20-25 where these similar floatation devices are around $13. Just take a peek at the reviews to find out that many buyers claim they are of lesser quality and quickly fall apart. I personally worried that ours was not authentic and started researching how to find out if it was the authentic, popular, Stearn’s Puddle Jumper.
Two Easy Steps to determine if your puddle jumper is authentic:
#1. The Arms: The authentic version will have Puddle Jumper and Stearns on the arms. The similar versions are blank or have other wording.
#2: The Back: The back of an authentic Stearn’s puddle jumper will state the catalog No, The PFD Type, intended use, and US Coast Guard Approval Number.
Just Mommin Around 