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Swimming Caps?

May be a silly question but why do folks wear them? I've never worn one and I'm not sure if I need one to race? (Then saying that I'd never used goggles but do now and think they're brilliant!)

Cheers!

Mick

Comments

  • If its open water they usually insist because then everyone looks the same and it makes your head more visible if you get into difficulty......and so eveyone else looks as daft as each other!
  • Keeps your hair out of your eyes (may be a girly thing?!)

    Keeps your head warm in open water ("Oooh" - cold ears are the worst! Wear 2 hats when it's oh-so-cold in the water)

    Maybe they help you swin faster?!!! Smooth bonce an' all that?!!

    You will be given diff coloured hat depending on your wave on race day in pool sprints

    Open water race - take your own hat to wear under the one they give you - see above re 'cold!'
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    In pool swims the marshalls who count your lengths use colour of hat to register each length.... If no-one wore hats then how could tell how many someone has done in certain lane with 5 people in it swimming at different speeds??

    In open water, it is often used to determine what wave you start in and for safety....also even though they are thin as they do offer a little bit of insulation from the cold water....last thing you need on an OW swim is ice cream headache from the cold water.
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    you will often get asked to wear them in races (pool or ow) for a the reasons given above. i used to not train in a hat but after a couple of races last year went awry i started doing so. in all of the races that went wrong i was wearing a hat and my goggles leaked like fury, same goggle were fine in training or races without a hat.

    so it has become a hat in training for me, i'm not having my swims ruined anymore (well, not by that, anyway ).
  • At most races you do, at all OW events, and most pool based swims you'll have to wear a swim hat. They do feel slightly different, and they can impact slightly on your goggles, and if the two aren't postioned well then water can get in. So as you've got to wear one in a race, get used to wearing one in training. Yes you'll look a twat, but you'll be wearing a trisuit ( ), have crapy tan lines ( ), have numbers written on yoru arms and legs in permanent pen ( ), and everyone else will have one on as well.

    Train what you race
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    I have never had any issues with the caps making the googles leak etc......I have always used hats in training..... I have no choice at my new pool, its rules that everyone wears one....however at my last pool, it served the purpose for highlighting the fact I was there to swim and not f*ck about.

    The only issue i sometimes find is when the pool is roasting hot they can get tight on your head and give you a headache....
  • So, do they hand them out to you at the race then? or should I go buy one??

    Training in one is a good idea, I always believe in training how your gonna race - ya never know how things are gonna get effected!
  • YOu get given them at registration. Most you get to keep. Some of the pool based ones you have to remove and leave at the poolside.
  • Ahh, cheers guys!

    It's a whole new world to me this Tri lark!
  • nivaghnivagh Posts: 595
    They do also have an aquadynamic benefit, but I certainly don't go fast enough to notice

    In the Speedo outlet in Nottingham I saw a hat that had different thicknesses and was meant to reduce drag still further.
  • Number one reason for a swim cap in the open water is for warmth- if you're out in the sea for more than twenty minutes without a cap you're just asking for a cold. I remember one of my first open water swims down at my local spot -walked towards the water with my wetsuit on but no hat (forgotten it) past the regulars in their speedos and they just looked at me aghast and asked was I actually going to go into the water without a cap! One guy actually ran back to his car to give me a spare. Until the water warms up a bit (relatively speaking) I usually wear two. Rivers and lakes warm up quicker than the sea, so can get out there earlier in the year. I think caps in the pool is purely a hygiene thing,
    Also doublecheck if your first race is definitely giving out caps - most of them do but not all of them - been to a few races with some panicky first timers running around looking for caps because they weren't provided - hassle you don't need for your first race.
  • Cheers jmurt71 I'll get in touch with them - just in case!
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