Jesse,
Indiana requires PFDs as well. I wear mine since there's not much room to store it. I'm afraid it would get knocked off and float away before I noticed. My PFD has a zipper front and it's left open. The Cat's have a lot of foam, like the seat, so I suspect they will float without much air. I don't really want to find out though. My pump is pretty good so I don't trasport or store them inflated. When I fill them I try to keep them on the soft side of full to avoid over inflation. My biggest worry is dropping the rod. That would make me very sad!

Good luck on the water & Enjoy the summer!

Joe