I have the ISHOF. No problems at all.
I live about 3Km from a lake. I run up one side of it with the bag rolled up in my hand or in a small running backpack. i then strip down, pile everythkng into the bag, inflate it, and swim 1km to the opposite side of the lake. I dry off put everything back on a run home. Fun. 8km run and a swim .

i don't notice it at all when swimming.

good place for GPS watch also as it doesnt lose gps signal.

What size do you have?

Seems to me bigger isn't a bad thing... more visibility, storage and buoyancy, with maybe a little extra drag if it's windy.

The zone3 is 28L, but I'm reading even the 20L ISHOF (Large) is plenty for a lot of gear.

I like to river swim, where i run up river then swim downriver.

The ishof can easily stow a pair of shoes, socks, plus a fuel belt. I think it is 20l but I'm not certain.

Myself, and a lot of folks in my local tri club use the 'MyFloat' bag. Lots of storage room, very durable material.

https://www.mec.ca/...7EAYYAiABEgK7QfD_BwE

I ended up ordering a zone3, I liked the design a little better.
My buddy has an ISHOF, so we'll compare the two this summer

I saw the MyFloat at MEC last summer, but they don't carry in stock during the winter.
I'm sure another swim buddy has one I can compare too.

Maybe I'll do a writeup later in the year about them all.

Serious question, the buoys aren't that big, how do you avoid getting hit by boats, jet skiers, etc? I've been wanting to swim open water more often, but my schedule doesn't allow me to swim with the open water groups in my area,

I use this one too. All my swims (once the river has melted) are open water and solo... I never swim open water without it, unless I'm racing. As a bonus -- I don't have a gps watch that works for open water swims (algorithm that figures in the underwater portion when it's out of reach of the satellite), so I chuck it in the bag and it tracks just fine from the surface of the water. Switch 'run' to 'swim' afterward in training peaks, and bingo. Tracked open water swim workout.

I've do most of my lake swimming along swim area buoy lines or close to the shore were boats avoid.

When I do river swimming, I have to pay attention and swim closer to the bank when I see a boat coming, or stand up in the shallows.
I've never had a close call.

That being said, having a bright orange buoy dragging behind me will give me an extra level of safety I didn't have before.

I don't swim around jet skiers.

I use the Xterra version. Not sure how big it is but I have had size 10 run shoes plus shorts, drink, and sling pak in there for a run back.

I have the SaferSwimmer Float (the largest one). I can put my shoes, shorts, shirt and small towel inside it without issues. It keeps my stuff dry.

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Cannondale Slice 08
look keo pedals
fizik k3 arione saddle

Thanks for this thread; I had no idea these existed & they make much more sense than leaving my car keys on the beach for an hour while I swim.

How do they attach to your body? Does it get in the way?

Waist strap, with an adjustable length strap to the buoy.
Apparently you can barely feel them.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to buy one.

I'll be in Maui in three weeks though and this gives my wife piece of mind when I'm out swimming. Although they don't protect against shark attacks. :-)