Ride Engine Empax V3 Impact Vest Review

The Brazilian Brothers are back to bring you a product review of the brand-new Ride Engine Empax V3 impact vest. An impact vest is a necessity to keep kiteboarders of all levels safe, whether you are learning your first water starts or performing your first boogie loops.

Rubens points at the camera while wearing the Expax vest.

The Three Essentials of an Impact Vest

An impact vest provides three primary benefits for riders:

Buoyancy: The vest helps you stay above the water and makes it easier to float.
Protection: It provides protection against impact, specifically shielding your ribs from potential injuries.
Warmth: The foam pads slow the heat transfer from your body to the water, providing a bit of extra warmth.

The Empax V3 by Ride Engine does a great job with all of these functions.

Rubens models the Ride Engine Empax V3 impact vest.

Sleek Design and Comfort

One of the main reasons the Brazilian Brothers love the Empax V3 is its sleek appearance. It features a cool design that does not scream that you are a "kook." Because it's less bulky than most vests, once you put your harness on, it almost looks like you aren't wearing an impact vest at all.

The vest is constructed from limestone neoprene, which is stretchy and comfortable. It's also easy to get in and out of thanks to a smooth zipper down the front.

Rubens zips up his Empax vest.

Protection and Flotation

The padding is placed in all the right places. Injuring a rib while kiteboarding can be heartbreaking, as it can keep you off the water for a couple of months. The Empax V3 features padding that protects the ribs from impact with the water.

In terms of flotation, while the Empax V3 is not a Coast Guard-approved life vest, the foam pads do provide some buoyancy that helps you stay afloat without too much effort when you are out in the water.

Rubens points out the pads that protect your ribs.

Kiteboarding Specific Fit

The Empax V3 is specifically made for kiteboarders. There is no padding in the area where the harness sits, which allows the harness to fit comfortably.

Rubens demonstrates fitting the harness over the flat part of the vest.

Brazilian Brothers Unfiltered: Ups and Downs

In their "Unfiltered" segment, the Brothers share their honest thoughts, both what works and the drawbacks of the vest.

Where It Shines

Fit and Aesthetics: The vest is very sleek and compact. It runs true to size; for reference, one of the Brothers is 6'0" tall, weighs 170 lbs, and finds that the medium fits perfectly.
Protection: It offers very good protection on both the front and the back.
Buoyancy: It provides a good degree of buoyancy to help you stay afloat if your kite goes down.

Where It Should Improve

The only downside they found was with the back pads. Sometimes these pads fold in on themselves inside the vest, and you have to manually unfold them. While this is easy to do, it was still a bit annoying.

One of the back pads is folded in on itself inside its pocket on the Empax.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Empax V3 is the Brazilian Brothers' favorite impact vest, and they cannot imagine going out on the water without it. They noted that there are not many changes from the V2 model, except for a small aesthetic detail on the front. They feel that if you can find a V2 at a discounted price, you should go for it. However, the V3 remains an amazing choice because Ride Engine kept all the great features they liked in the previous version.

Rubens heads toward the water holding a kite and wearing the Empax vest.