(gentle music)
- Kit is the bane of triathletes' lives,
and it's incredible how much we need to remember
for three different sports.
It is a challenge in itself just trying to remember
what we need to pack.
And in fact, if you've managed to drum up the motivation
to get yourself to a beautiful, open-water
swim location such as this,
there is nothing worse than realising
you've forgotten that vital bit of swim kit.
So whether you're new to the sport
or, indeed, you just need a reminder
of the things you need to pull out of winter storage,
we've put together a vital checklist for you here.
Once you've arrived at your open-water location,
be that here at the beach
or, say, an inland freshwater lake or lagoon,
there's certain bits of equipment
you definitely need for getting in the water,
and first up on the kit list has to be our wetsuit.
I always use the wetsuit I raced in
just to give me more practice in it,
usual range of neoprene thicknesses
that those wetsuits come in.
I was fine in that usually
because I tried not to swim in super cold water.
But if you do or you live in a part of the world
where it is really chilly in there,
a lot of wetsuit brands are now producing
thermal wetsuits, which come in far thicker
grades of neoprene just to give you
that much more protection against the cold water.
Now, on the note of extra protection
once we get into the cold water,
there are a few other bits of kit
that we can bring along to make our swim far more enjoyable,
and first up is booties and gloves,
which really help keep our extremities nice and warm
because we do lose a lot of heat through those.
Really useful bits of kit.
But, be mindful, most races do not allow us
to race in them.
We have to keep our hands and feet
free of neoprene on race day.
But one extra bit of warm kit that we can use on race day,
and I used to use quite a lot, was the thermal skull cap.
We lose a lot of our heat through out head.
So these things are really excellent
for just giving you that little bit of extra protection
against that cold chill when you first get in.
Now, once you've got that on,
the last little bit of essential is our cap and goggles
that we need.
I always try to have a nice bright cap
over the top of a skull cap just for safety.
Somebody can see you a lot easier with one of these
rather than a black cap.
And then you need to think about your goggle choice.
If, like today, it's a nice sunny day,
then I would have had something like this,
a tinted goggle, which makes it a lot easier
to sight and take your head out of the water
with the bright sunlight.
If it's dull and overcast or early in the morning, perhaps,
then a nice pair of clear goggles
or ones like these that are a little bit of an orange tint.
They just make things that bit brighter
when your heads in the water and it's a dull sky above.
So we have got all those vital bits of kit locked in
for getting into the open water.
However, before and after, there are some extra things
that can just make the whole swim
in an open-water environment that much more enjoyable.
First thing I always try and pack is some Vaseline,
or petroleum jelly as it's called
in other parts of the world,
rub that all around my neck, at the forearms,
at the bottom of my legs and calves, as well,
because that stops rubs,
and it also helps get the wetsuit off
that bit quicker too.
On the note of things to apply,
if it's sunny, then it's not a bad idea
to pack some sunscreen
'cause if you're in there a little bit longer,
your face could maybe get burnt,
so take some of that too.
Don't forget a little extra hand towel
for when you're putting on that Vaseline
because if the Vaseline gets on your hands
and then you go and pick up your goggles,
that's a recipe for disaster.
I've been there before.
Now, another thing for getting into the water
is some flip flops, really useful just for making sure
that you don't stand in any rocks
if it's a little bit awkward getting into the water
and then, obviously, when you're getting back out.
And talking about once you get back out,
it's really good to be prepared with your hydration
and maybe some nutrition too,
'cause if you've been in there for quite some time,
you need to be on top of that and have some calories.
So if it's a cold swim, it's not the end of the world
to bring a flask and maybe have some nice hot coffee
or hot chocolate, something to look forward to
for getting out of the water.
But don't forget general hydration either
and just have some water as well.
Perhaps you could pack some electrolyte
or put that in there before, mix that all up,
just to be super careful.
And just pack a little bit of snacks at the same time.
Okay, so we have discussed everything you need
for getting into the water.
I've also touched on the useful items we need
for before and after our swim.
But one other vital bit of equipment we need
for during our swim is one of these,
and that is a safety buoy.
They almost always come in one of these bright,
c colors so that we can easily be seen
when we're swimming along with this towing behind us.
It is incredible how unobvious a swimmer is from the shore.
Just a little bit of a leg kick
and our arms coming out of the water
really isn't very easy to see,
especially if there's some subtle waves or chop in the sea.
So always pack one of these.
They're really useful for sticking valuables in,
like your phone, car keys,
that you might not want to leave on the shore
if you're swimming on your own.
So once we've finished our swim
and we're coming back into shore,
there are some extra really useful things
for making sure our whole swimming experience
is as good as it can be.
Bring a really good big towel
so you can get warm almost straight away.
A jacket is never a bad thing to think about either
because no matter how warm you might feel
when you're in the water,
I guarantee when you get out,
unless the air temperature is extremely warm,
once you take that wetsuit off, you're going to be cold.
So also maybe think about bringing
a beanie or a hat, as well,
because, as we said before with the swim skull cap
for in the water, we lose so much heat through our head.
So there we have it, all the equipment that we need
to get out there into the open water
for a safe and enjoyable swim.
Now, all that kit that I had in the video today,
the jacket, the caps, my towel,
you can find it all in our shop.
So head over there if you like the look of it
and need some extra gear for your next open-water swim.
Hopefully you've enjoyed this video.
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And if you want to see a video
that was done about wild swimming,
you can get that here,
and for a video about open-water stroke technique,
you can find that here.