Let's Talk About Gear

The Xcel Drylock 8mm bootie: a winter essential!

There are open water skin swimmers, and then there are wimps like me who, 95% of the time, suit up in all the neoprene. I'm not ashamed to suit up; it's cold cold cold in the water and I like to stay out longer than my body would let me in skin. Trust me, I've tried.  I am good for 30 minutes in 40-something-degree water before all functions start to stiffen and slow with bitter cold. 

For this post, I'm going to share what wetsuits mitts booties and caps have worked for me. I've kissed a lot of frogs, meaning, I've learned through trial what seems to work really well out here in Puget Sound. 

WETSUITS -Get yourself a swimming wetsuit if all you're planning is to swim in it. If you surf and swim, sure, try swimming in your surf suit, but the stitching may cause chafe, and the extra padding can result in drag. I started by swimming in my Hotline 5/4mm surf suit and while it kept me toasty, it's a pain in the ass to take off in the shower, and it took forever to dry. There are awesome swim wetsuit makers: BlueSeventy is local and has great suits and greater customer service, Zoot has a discontinued wetsuit that you can still snag on eBay and outlets: the Prophet 2.0 (4mm, so warm and flexy!). Xterra out of San Diego has well priced entry level suits--get on the email list for the flash sales and score one for under $200. If you are not endowed with money, ask on FB if friends have extra gear to borrow or get thee to eBay and look for new suits there. Super bargains are out there. 

NECK GUARDS - Swim friends swear by the Mugiro neck guard, which rings widely around your neck and tucks inside the wetsuit neck. My best neck protection is actually an old O'Neill TURTLENECK t-shirt rashguard made of lycra. It never fails when all other rashguards have. 

MITTS/GLOVES - Even though engineered for surf and dive, the Xcel Wetsuits brand mitts and the three-finger lobster claw style are unbeatable. I have 5mm three-fingers and 7mm gloves in Drylock design, which tapers at the wrist and keeps most of the water out. 

BOOTIES - Again, Xcel Drylock booties are great. I like both the split toe (3mm and 5mm) and round toe. The Round Toes even come in 8mm thickness--so great for winter! They do stretch so don't panic if they arrive and feel snug at first. 

NEOPRENE CAP - BlueSeventy makes a thermal bonnet, and Roka makes a strapless version that I'm using these days and love! They are black with a warm lining, so put a neon swim cap over it when out in the water!


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