Life jackets are exactly what their name implies: your lifeline when the unexpected happens on the water. As a result, making sure you buy and wear a properly fitted life jacket could actually save your life. Here are five rules to follow when shopping for the best life jacket for you.

The Body Glove Eco is the lightest life jacket we've ever tried on.

Watch Rusty Malinoski, Bob Soven, Harley Clifford and Jeff McKee do some early-morning shredding during Body Glove's 2012 life jacket photo shoot.

Check out eight of the latest wakeboard life jackets, which are guaranteed to keep you afloat, and eight comp vests, which offer greater mobility but don't meet the U.S. Coast Guard's flotation requirements.

The CWB Delta is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket with segmented foam and mesh drain holes.

The Billabong Rewind is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket with a hidden strap design and a heavy-duty front zipper.

The Hyperlite Hatch is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket with mesh drain panels and an easy-entry angled zipper.

The Jetpilot Shane Bonifay is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket with a water-repellant coating on the outer shell and segmented flex panels.

The Liquid Force Hinge is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket with hidden straps and segmented foam panels.

The O'Neill Assault is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket that features an integrated lumbar pad and anatomic flex points.

The Ronix Capella is a wakeboard life jacket that features five-panel construction and diagonal stitch lines across the chest.

The Ten-80 Huck from Keith Lidberg's Three Collection is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wakeboard life jacket that features divided flotation and double-buckle front entry.

The 2011 Billabong Medley comp vest is a competition wakeboard life jacket with elastic waist and 100-percent super-flex neoprene.

The CWB Faction comp vest is a reversible competition wakeboard life jacket that features a single side zip.

The Hyperlite JD Webb comp vest is a competition wakeboard life jacket with updated foam panels and four-way stretch.