Tools of the Trade
AquaticQuests
Posts: 947 Member
Do you have a piece of gear that you can't swim without and want to recommend it? Post it here. This thread is for all the gear you need, want, or dream of. Feel free to post reviews of new gear, previews of up coming running gear, and the gear that got you started!
PS - Saw this in another group and thought we need one here too)!
PS - Saw this in another group and thought we need one here too)!
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Goggles. Cap and watch are second and third.
Now I'd love to have one of those watches that can detect stroke and all that. But mostly, I'm a purist.0 -
optical goggles.+4 strength.
the joy of being able to see the clock at 25m is lovely.
also good for peeking around underwater!0 -
definitely optical goggles +8 strength. I can see where the beach is to swim back if I were to lose them, other than that my natural sight is pretty vague!
Also a bright orange reflective tow buoy for swimming where there might be canoeists, small craft and not so small craft! - and a bright orange swim cap.
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Waterproof iPod!!!!!!! And, of course, a bathing suit
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Currently swimming briefs, goggles, stopwatch and ear plugs!
Hoping to soon get by end of year - Neptune Finis music player and magic tempo pro app to set music playlist to fixed stroke rate/ beats per minute
In the more distant future, Garmin Swim
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And in the even more distant future optical goggles (yogi Carl and CW made me realise it must be fun to see clearly even in the pool)0
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optical goggles have definitely made such a difference to my swimming - both in the pool and outside in open water. Correct body alignment in the pool and navigation in open water by being able to focus on objects further away and of course a far better and more beautiful experience in open water being able to see Nature surrounding my swim.1
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I am fine swimming with nothing but my suit, but I have a few little toys and gadgets that have either helped or made it more interesting.
I really like the finis forearm fulcrums, they were cheap and the first time I wore them I could see an improvement in each of my strokes. I only wear them for a lap or so, and share them so they were really worth it. Not something I need everytime, but a good refresher and they were wonderful to help explain strokes to a first time swimmer.
Another Finis thing was the Positive Drive Fins, they are shaped in a way you can use them for all strokes including breaststroke. Not many fins work with breakstroke, and I can really feel the extra effort in my butt after swimming with them. Also it's nice to go a bit faster with breaststroke on days where I feel like I'm barely moving. I use these fairly often, but try to swim without fins for some of the laps so I don't get totally used to them.
I just use speedo vanquisher goggles, they were really affordable and my husband got the optic version for the same price. They just work, nothing special but nothing to complain about.
When my goggles do fog I use Jaws Quick Spit Antifog Spray, I do a spray on each side and wash them with cold water and they are fine for several more sessions. I don't know if it's the best or anything, it's all I've tried but it seems to work well enough. I've heard licking your goggles will help but I don't want to do that.
My husband just learned to swim this year so he uses a snorkel with some stokes, he said it's nice because it helps him focus on the technique without panicking for breath. He uses a Finis Swimmer's Snorkel. I've tried it but I'm so accustomed to blowing air out the second my face enters the water that I just can't get used to a snorkel, I can't keep a nose clip on without blowing it off mid lap so I will stick to coming up for air. I thought I would mention it because it seems to serve him well.
I like using a kickboard sometimes to do a lap or two of kick drills just to mix it up. I just use one of the boards at the gym that doesn't have bite marks on it. I may pick up my own at some point but it's not really important.
I wear my Polar FT4, so I can keep track of my time and heart rate but I will be ditching it for a swim watch at some point so I can let it count my laps for me. It's really accurate and affordable for a HRM, so if you are wanting to keep track of calories while swimming it's a cheaper option than most of the swim watches.
We both have a UwaterG5 Mp3 player, it's so tiny and lightweight that it clips to our goggle strap and we can't really feel it while swimming. It's got an 8 hour playtime and only takes a few minutes to charge. It's go a much better storage space than we could ever use and it was pretty affordable so we aren't worried about breaking it like we would if we used a waterproof ipod. Bonus, when I wear it the headphones keep water out of my ears and it really cuts down on ambient pool noise like kids screaming and the loud drying fans. If you've never swam with music you are missing out! There are many different styles of MP3 players, some use bone induction so you don't even wear headphones but I am sticking with this one.
I wear a THT swim cap, it's some random off brand on amazon. I like that it covers my ears, it's easier to keep chlorine off my hair and to keep my headphones in. I have really long hair and it stays mostly dry when I stick it in a bun. I still wash it right afterword, I have tried two of the chlorine removing shampoos and can't really tell a difference so I won't recommend one over another. Triswim also makes a body wash, and it works so well that I can smell chlorine on a tiny spot on my arm when I've missed a spot. I don't know that it works any better than normal soap though really.
I can't speak for men, but for ladies it's so worth getting a good quality swim suit. I used to just swim in whatever suit I had picked up on sale but I got a chlorine resistant suit from speedo a few months back and don't think I could wear a normal suit again. At first it was like swimming in a corset with all the reinforced panels and stitching but once I got used to it I really appreciate that it stays in place and is supportive while I'm moving around. On the plus side, it's much more flattering than my old suits that would stretch out after a few times in the suit dryer/spinner thing. It's good to feel comfortable when swimming in a public place. I got a style that was a 'conservative' cut and I no longer feel like I need to wear a cover up or be self-conscious when getting in/out because I know it will stay in place.
They make mesh gear bags and they are so huge that we are able to share one and trade off who carries it when we both go. I think it was $9 and it has held up really well with two sets of fins and everything in it and it's kept everything dry (including the car.) It seems to drain pretty quickly.
Again, I would be totally happy just me and the water but most of the things we've picked up have been pretty helpful.0 -
I would feel naked without my swimsuit.2
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Leaping_Lemur wrote: »I would feel naked without my swimsuit.
And your feelings would be correct!!:)
For me Swimsuit, goggles and Baby shampoo for the goggles.1 -
My AudioFlood waterproof iPod!1
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sheepotato wrote: »I am fine swimming with nothing but my suit, but I have a few little toys and gadgets that have either helped or made it more interesting.
... When my goggles do fog I use Jaws Quick Spit Antifog Spray, I do a spray on each side and wash them with cold water and they are fine for several more sessions. I don't know if it's the best or anything, it's all I've tried but it seems to work well enough. I've heard licking your goggles will help but I don't want to do that...
My goggles have been fogging and as I don't have the spray, may just try your 'licking' solution, and a quick mouthwash thereafter
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For anti-fogging I use baby shampoo. Couple of drops and quick rinse they won't fog. Do the same with my SCUBA mask when I dive. Problem with licking or spitting in your goggles or mask, even though it works, is that it could lead to eye infection0
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I don't use any music device. Takes away from the meditative benefit.
I use TYR Burner fins for kick board laps.
Eye's are bad enough yet to pay for script goggles. I use Aquasphere goggles that sit on the orbital bone instead of inside. Less press on the eye.
I use a digital finger ring style lap counter. Hard to keep track when your doing 110 laps (120 today).
Favorite swim suit is the Speed Endurance Race jammer. Out last every other brand I have tried.
Speedo cap.
Defogging? I found found that just wiping the lenses with the leg of my jammer works just fine. Don't even have to spit in them.
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Disconcerting when there is water inside the unit on Day Two (although it still works).
I did get it off eBay in the hope that the used product would be proven, and I wouldn't get caught with a brand new dud off amazon (returns are not an option for me)!
Oh well, let's see how long it lasts!
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My people. You will understand.
My pool replaced its trusty pace clock with one of those newfangled "digital" things. This is a problem, because it turns out I do not figure swim time in numbers, I measure in fractions of a circle. You cannot make colorful mental pie charts out of digital.2 -
cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »My people. You will understand.
My pool replaced its trusty pace clock with one of those newfangled "digital" things. This is a problem, because it turns out I do not figure swim time in numbers, I measure in fractions of a circle. You cannot make colorful mental pie charts out of digital.
I just try to beat the second hand around 0 -
Tempo Magic Pro for IOS. Use it to set playlist to fixed tempo, then record it onto external device then dump it onto my swim MP3 player, enabling me to swim at fixed stroke rate.
It's been a revelation. When my rate of turnover slows I am now immediately aware of it! Feels like a treadmill set to a fixed speed!0 -
cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »My people. You will understand.
My pool replaced its trusty pace clock with one of those newfangled "digital" things. This is a problem, because it turns out I do not figure swim time in numbers, I measure in fractions of a circle. You cannot make colorful mental pie charts out of digital.
Lol colorful mental pie charts. Lol
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I'm so envious of you people, lol. At this point, I'm staying alive. I'm waiting for the day when I can use the pool to decompress or listen to music. It's coming though!
I TOTALLY get the thing about the mental pie charts. My pool has both clocks. Not bad for a community center.
And THAT THING, AQ, is dang cool!!!0 -
I take a rake of stuff into the pool! On my wrist I have a SwimTag which loads the swim onto a computer, and the locker key, and on my middle finger a cheap lap counter (it's worked so far!), I have numerous hats because my hair is long and thick and a nightmare to contain, goggles that I dip in the pool water so they don't steam up, a noseclip because I hate water going up it and of course my swimsuit because otherwise it just ain't pretty!0
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I wear a cap (special one with extra space for long hair), my fitbit, a waterproof IPod, and a lap counter on my finger.0
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cap, goggles, water bottle....i also use paddles, fins, tennis balls, a 6in piece of garden hose and occasionally borrow a kickboard from the pool's supply.
goggles: old school swedish
fins: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/aqua-sphere-alpha-fins-5265/ - these give me enough boost w/o disrupting my ankle flexibility or giving me blisters
paddles: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/tyr-catalyst-contour-training-paddles-42243/?color=37394 - mine are similar but small & black0 -
getfitrenee22 wrote: »cap, goggles, water bottle....i also use paddles, fins, tennis balls, a 6in piece of garden hose and occasionally borrow a kickboard from the pool's supply.
goggles: old school swedish
fins: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/aqua-sphere-alpha-fins-5265/ - these give me enough boost w/o disrupting my ankle flexibility or giving me blisters
paddles: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/tyr-catalyst-contour-training-paddles-42243/?color=37394 - mine are similar but small & black
Tennis balls? Garden hose? Do go on, lol...
ETA: OK, just read the other post. Now it makes more sense!
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girlwithcurls2 wrote: »getfitrenee22 wrote: »cap, goggles, water bottle....i also use paddles, fins, tennis balls, a 6in piece of garden hose and occasionally borrow a kickboard from the pool's supply.
goggles: old school swedish
fins: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/aqua-sphere-alpha-fins-5265/ - these give me enough boost w/o disrupting my ankle flexibility or giving me blisters
paddles: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/tyr-catalyst-contour-training-paddles-42243/?color=37394 - mine are similar but small & black
Tennis balls? Garden hose? Do go on, lol...
ETA: OK, just read the other post. Now it makes more sense!
I'm asking the same question? 0 -
I wear a cap (special one with extra space for long hair), my fitbit, a waterproof IPod, and a lap counter on my finger.
Can you let me know what the special cap is called so I can order from Amazon please? My hats always end up slipping up and off because my hair is too long and thick. I've tried putting it in a bun, a plait, even loose and it still falls off!0 -
I wear a cap (special one with extra space for long hair), my fitbit, a waterproof IPod, and a lap counter on my finger.
Can you let me know what the special cap is called so I can order from Amazon please? My hats always end up slipping up and off because my hair is too long and thick. I've tried putting it in a bun, a plait, even loose and it still falls off!
Search for "long hair swim cap" on Amazon and a bunch come up. I have used the Speedo and the Tyr ones and like the Tyr one better. I can wear my hair in a bun and it has this extra pouch-y looking space in back that fits the bun perfectly. The Speedo has extra space throughout the crown so I braided my hair and kind of loosely piled the braid on top of my head inside the cap.
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I have waist-length hair and use a Speedo silicone cap that is for long hair. It looks quite unattractive with the hair piling up on top of my head like a topknot, but it totally keeps my mop easily contained.0
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AquaticQuests wrote: »girlwithcurls2 wrote: »getfitrenee22 wrote: »cap, goggles, water bottle....i also use paddles, fins, tennis balls, a 6in piece of garden hose and occasionally borrow a kickboard from the pool's supply.
goggles: old school swedish
fins: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/aqua-sphere-alpha-fins-5265/ - these give me enough boost w/o disrupting my ankle flexibility or giving me blisters
paddles: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/tyr-catalyst-contour-training-paddles-42243/?color=37394 - mine are similar but small & black
Tennis balls? Garden hose? Do go on, lol...
ETA: OK, just read the other post. Now it makes more sense!
I'm asking the same question?
Tennis balls: can hold in each hand for free & backstroke...forces proper angle of entry as well as pulling with forearm/ core & back muscles instead of just pulling with your hand...awkward at first but much more efficient if you can get the hang of it.
Garden hose: use like a catch up drill...both hands on the hose, keep eyes on the hose for proper head position...also works a strong kick and forces a full follow through on the arm pull.
After 15+ years of coaching kids! I've got all sorts of random tools and tricks...
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