I prefer back inflate. As you said the jacket style (i dont know correct terms) tends to sqeeze you a tad bit, and decrease movement. I dont care much for having the bladders right under my arms like that.
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<DIV>A big gripe aobut back inflates is they force your body forward when your resting on the surace (in other words, your face goes into the water) However, I tend to lie back on mine to easily get around this problem. </DIV>
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<DIV>All in all, I just really like having the bulk of the item behind me instead of around me.</DIV>
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<DIV>I hope this helped.</DIV>