The global phenomena that is Cold Water swimming shows no signs of diminishing. It seems everyone I know these days is giving it a go... even me! I've drawn on the expertise of Rowan Clarke who is an expert to pick out the best stuff that any cold water swimmer would absolutely love to be gifted.
Cold water swimmers are a diverse bunch, but there’s a huge swathe of perimenopausal women out there who are discovering the health benefits of going for a chilly dip.
There’s plenty of gear available for everyone so I’ve picked out some of the best that we’ve tested that might be a great gift for that cold water swimmer in your life.
LAST MINUTE GIFT ORDERS
Make sure you order on time
We appreciate everyone is on a different budget, so we’ve tried to pick an array of Christmas gifts at different price-points in order to ensure you can get something for the special cold water swimmer in your life – no matter your budget.
When it comes to post-swimming training, dryrobe knows its business. And this handy little changing mat feels like a luxury for your cold feet.
Changing mats are all about protecting your feet – from rough surfaces and from the cold and wet. This is why I love dryrobe’s changing mat. It’s a simple design, but the water-repellent ground-side layer with the soft, warm fleece to stand on is an absolute winner.
I would like it to be about twice the size. But, the advantage of it being small is that it doesn’t take up much space in your kit bag.
Sometimes you put on a swimsuit that makes you walk a bit taller. This beautiful limestone neoprene swimsuit did just that. It’s a right wriggle to get on, but once in, it feels incredible.
If you’re looking for extra warmth for your cold water dips, Chilly Swim has the answer. Made from a super-soft, stretchy limestone neoprene, it keeps your torso warmer for those winter swims.
From a sustainability point of view, limestone neoprene has the lowest carbon footprint of any wetsuit production. But it’s also that you’re shopping with a tiny cottage industry.
The downside of this gorgeous, soft, stretchy limestone neoprene is that it gapes when you swim front crawl. But if you buy it for dipping, you won’t be disappointed.
HUUB is renowned for its high-performing open water swimming kit. And so, I was really excited that plus-size swimmers are now included in their offering.
The HUUB Araya was my favourite plus-size wetsuit. However, that’s with the caveat that while I’m very tall, I’m on the smaller end of the plus-size scale.
The fit was great – well proportioned for my curvy hips, breasts and legs and the neoprene felt incredibly soft. But it was the shoulder flexibility that most impressed me. Using what HUUB calls ‘Arms Neutral positioning’ gave me real freedom of movement – I swam for two hours without tiring.
I love that HUUB names its women’s plus-sizes Siren and Athena. Also, that female swimmers and lingerie designers helped shape these wetsuits. But, I could have done without the added buoyancy to the legs. The extra lift over-flexes my lumber spine.
Overall, a great fit and warm, comfortable, enhanced and empowered swim.
My favourite swim caps are designed by the artist Nancy Farmer and sold on Etsy. They’re bright, beautiful, comfortable and durable – they check every requirement for a swim cap.
If you have longer hair (or a big head) it’s worth trying the long hair swim cap. This also has a gripper band around the inside edge, which stops the dreaded hat creep that long, clean hair can cause.
Nancy’s swim hats get five-star reviews on Etsy for a good reason.
Like all Lomo products, this rucksack tow float is of great quality. I loved how durable this Rucksack Tow Float felt. You could drag it over rugged rocks, drop it on the beach and it wouldn’t break – and that’s great if you use your kit hard.
The inflation valves take getting used to. Rather than having straw-like valves that stick out, you inflate this tow float by putting your mouth over the holes. But this does avoid rubbing and minimises the potential for damage. Equally, it’s super easy to deflate after use.
Like other tow-float rucksacks, it wasn’t as comfortable in rucksack mode as a proper hiking rucksack. But, so long as you keep your carry load light, you can’t go wrong. And it enables a whole world of combined activities and adventures.
Best women’s open water goggles
Specifications
Reasons to buy: Super-soft flexible seals, designed for women’s faces, wide vision lenses, push button adjuster for those with longer nails
Reasons to avoid: Perhaps a little flimsy
I tested the open water version made for women’s face shapes. They offer anti-fog coated lenses with total UV protection against harmful UVA and UVB radiation and fantastic wide vision.
Best of all, they’re made for women. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean they’re pink – just that they fit female faces comfortably. They also have a push button mechanism on the strap, which is great if you have long nails. You can get them in men’s and children’s versions and with different lens tints.
Voited do a range of changing items, from lightweight toweling ponchos to bigger thermal huge coat style changing coats. I was sent the full range to test and so far I have used all of them and loved them all. From the lightweight one I used at the hot springs where I keep my boat in the Azores, to a chilly swim in the open Atlantic pool, I put on the warmer poncho and then when the weather turned really cold lately in the UK, I donned the big changing coat, and walking the dog for an evening toilet biz was never more snug for me, never mind the dog.
These are absolutely fabulous.
When it comes to neoprene gloves, comfort is at the top of our wish list. Orca’s offering is just that – comfortable to wear and easy to get on and off.
Made from 2mm flexible neoprene, these swim gloves are nice and stretchy. This means pulling them on is a cinch and they feel comfortable. But what separates them from the other gloves is how they’ve been tailored to fit your hands.
While 2mm neoprene is stretchy and flexible, the flip side is that it’s not as warm as thicker neoprene. However, a good fit is key and our tester found these easy to wear with minimal water ingress. Five stars.
Keeping your toes warm can help to keep cold water cramp away. I love wearing mine as they make walking down the slippery stone steps into the open water swimming area much safer. I love wearing mine at anypoint I need to get in the water as it eases the cold water shock for me. These simple light weight booties from Decathlon are easy to pull on and take off, they fit into a kit bag really easily and they dry out quickly too. The grippy bits do the job well and they’re thin enough that I still get some feeling through the soles so it’s not like wearing shoes. I swim in a swimming costume, as long as I keep my feet and hands warm then the middle bit is happy!
If you didn’t find anything in this list that’s perfect for the Cold water swimmer in your life, you might want to browse some of the options below for a whole range of Swimmers’ favourites.
Best open water swimming shoes and booties
Best changing mat for swimmers and surfers
Best open water swim suits for women
Best Plus Sized swimming wetsuits
Best swimming tow floats for open water
Best goggles for open water swimming
Best changing robes for outdoor swimmers
Best swim gloves for outdoor swimmers
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