Swim kit advice

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runningbean Dec 2012 11:56am, 5 Dec 2012 7 posts	0 runningbean I like to train in the open water, but my experiences this year have told me that my hands and feet can't take the cold! Can anyone help with advice on good hand and foot-wear for those spring/autumn early morning swims in the lake? I'm not looking for any kind of speed advantage (in fact I'd rather not have that - I don't want a shock when I take them off!)
TRO Saracen Dec 2012 12:23pm, 5 Dec 2012 7,005 posts	0 TRO Saracen Biggest difference for me is a neoprene hood, as I can get an 'ice cream headache' on a very cold swim. You can get neoprene gloves - I have some. I've swum fairly OK in water of around 11 deg and never needed the gloves but my hands got strangely claw shaped over the swim so others may find them useful. I am not a cold sufferer compared to some. I use the gloves on very cold wet rides but if persuaded to join the club's winter open water swims I would give them a try swimming! Never covered my feet up so no advice on those. You can get neoprene booties (I have some for scuba diving) but cant imagine swimming in them, although it's theoretically possible esp as you don't really need a proper kick in a wettie. I would think you need a scuba dive shop to get hold of them. The gloves and booties would definitely help if you do suffer from cold there, nothing worse than a cold swim! Here are the cap/gloves I was on about: wiggle.co.uk wiggle.co.uk I'm sure I got both of mine much cheaper than these above, so maybe shop around if you think these are what you want. Good luck.
runningbean Dec 2012 12:28pm, 5 Dec 2012 9 posts	0 runningbean Thanks! Strangely, I don't seem to have a problem with my head getting cold.
K9 Jan 2013 1:03pm, 19 Jan 2013 116 posts	0 K9 I wear the neoprene booties....mainly because I am a wuss and dont like the idea of standing on 'things'.. They are fantastic - don't cause any trouble with swimming at all and do protect feet and keep them warm I have the goves but generally dont bother with them.