Flotation vest

A method for making a flotation vest comprising:

• providing a vest body including a front panel, a left rear panel and a right rear panel, said front panel, left rear panel and right rear panel being combined by joining appropriate ones of said panels to form a top left seam, a top right seam, a left side seam and a right side seam in such manner as to form an open back, solid front vest having a top neck opening and left and right arm hole openings;
• providing a head support portion including a left collar panel and a right collar panel;
• joining the left collar panel in a hingeable manner to the top left seam adjacent the top neck opening and joining the right collar panel in a hingeable manner to the top right seam, said top left seam and said top right seam being forwardly offset to a front side of said top neck opening;
• said front panel, said left collar panel and said right collar panel each having a flotation insert of buoyant flotation material disposed in an interior pocket portion defined therein;
• and
• providing a rear releasable closure means extending continuously from a lower edge of said left and right rear panels to upper free end portions of said left and right collar panels, said rear releasable closure means being positioned so that it requires assistance of another person for operation.