I usually don't trek very far,
when all around me no life jackets are.
Hi...
When I'm afloat in a "small" boat, I ALWAYS wear a life jacket.
On the nearby Delaware River, most boaters/rafters, etc. DON'T wear them. They are the ones who bring out the rescue/retrieval boats when they are dumped overboard, or try to swim the River (or a lake). Unfortunately, many of them do not survive.
How do you explain this stupidity to their family?
No matter how good you think you can swim...KEEP THAT LIFE JACKET ON...!!