Outdoor solo swiming - what to do with your stuff?
NorthCascades
Posts: 10,968 Member
I'm wondering what other folks do about this. You can't take all your stuff in the water. What do you do with it while you swim?
I like a beach at a nearby park. I walk to the water in my swim trunks. I need to bring my car key to get home, and overall I think it's irresponsible not to bring my phone. When I get to the beach I leave my things with my shoes under my shirt, and swim. Being a city dweller I know you can't fully trust other people (stranger danger), and phones aren't cheap. I really don't want to leave it behind, if something happened with the car I would need the phone.
Obviously it's better and more fun to go with friends, but that's not usually possibly after work due to different schedules and traffic.
What do you do?
I like a beach at a nearby park. I walk to the water in my swim trunks. I need to bring my car key to get home, and overall I think it's irresponsible not to bring my phone. When I get to the beach I leave my things with my shoes under my shirt, and swim. Being a city dweller I know you can't fully trust other people (stranger danger), and phones aren't cheap. I really don't want to leave it behind, if something happened with the car I would need the phone.
Obviously it's better and more fun to go with friends, but that's not usually possibly after work due to different schedules and traffic.
What do you do?
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Replies
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Turn green with envy that you have a beach where you can Swim after work.
That’s all I got.
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There are boxes you can buy that are watertight for your phone and keys and a credit card. I use one when I scuba dive and it even holds up under 60+ feet of water. I mean, people have been using waterproof boxes for years for their expensive camera gear.
Check out Pelican boxes....then just get a lanyard and wear a rash guard shirt and wear the box under it...or in a pants pocket. I use a wetsuit and a BC, so lots of pockets.5 -
I put any valuables like phone, keys and cards in a ziplock bag and then into a second ziplock bag and dig a shallow hole in the ground/sand where I’m gonna leave my stuff. I bury it in the hole and place the beach blanket, towel or my clothes/shoes on top of it and as long as no one is watching you do this they probably wouldn’t ever guess your valuables are underneath your stuff covered with sand/dirt. Just don’t forget to dig em out when you leave!
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I recently bought a swim buoy (aka swim float, dry bag) as I am planning to do some open water swimming (at some point).
These are inflatable bags that you tether to yourself. Their purpose is twofold:
1. They can help make you more visible to others on the open water, people perhaps on jet skis or in boats.
2. They can hold a small amount of stuff (depending on bag). Certainly a phone and car keys would be no problem.
3. They can be pretty water tight, but get a waterproof phone pouch to be on the safe side.
I plan to leave clothes and towel on the shore and put phone/keys in the bag.
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I swim alone fairly often. I have a Roka mesh bag that holds a wetsuit, and I stuff shirt towel, keys in it and hang it on a fence over my flip flops. I leave my phone in my truck.
While swimming I wear an inflatable pull buoy tethered to my waist, both for safety and visibility. The pull buoy has a waterproof compartment that can store keys, gels, phone etc. I don't use it, but some of my friends do.
Here's an idea of what it looks like. Note the swimmers out on the course wearing the buoys:
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Those buoys are genius.1
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How much drag do those add? How does it feel to back float with one? I recover between drills floating on my back. Can you detach for a moment and retrieve it?frankwbrown wrote: »1. They can help make you more visible to others on the open water, people perhaps on jet skis or in boats.
I almost got hit by a boat on the 4th of July weekend. 😳 ☹️ I yelled and kicked to make an exaggerated splash. The guy was really sheepish about it and said he was new. So, yeah, this seems like a good idea.4 -
cmriverside wrote: »There are boxes you can buy that are watertight for your phone and keys and a credit card. I use one when I scuba dive and it even holds up under 60+ feet of water. I mean, people have been using waterproof boxes for years for their expensive camera gear.
Check out Pelican boxes....then just get a lanyard and wear a rash guard shirt and wear the box under it...or in a pants pocket. I use a wetsuit and a BC, so lots of pockets.
You trust Pelican or Otter Boxes with your phone? Sounds like it's been working for you so maybe I'm just being anxious. I've always bought my phones used and had to buy a new one, I think I still have some sticker shock! Part of the reason I always bought used ones was so that I wouldn't have to worry as much.
You're in Seattle, right? Summer came fast and furious, seems like it went out early too.0 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »Turn green with envy that you have a beach where you can Swim after work.
That’s all I got.
If it makes you feel better, I have to drive about 30 minutes to the park. It's always full so I park on the street nearby and walk another 30 minutes to the beach. Feels like a lot to "commute" 2 hours to swim after work, I've been getting tired of that part. But I love swimming outdoors in lakes.
You can see downtown in the background. Pic looks a little odd because it was a smokey day.
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Beautiful!1
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NorthCascades wrote: »How much drag do those add? How does it feel to back float with one? I recover between drills floating on my back. Can you detach for a moment and retrieve it?
They don't seem to add any/much drag. I can't tell the difference when wearing one. In fact, I have to check occasionally to be sure the belt hasn't slipped off my waist. Regarding floating during recovery, the buoy allows me to float upright, since the buoy is just about the right distance from my waist to be snug when I'm vertical in the water. Kind of like a fishing bobber holds the bait at a specific depth. I can even lean back and use the buoy as a pillow during breaks. If floating on my back, the cord slides around the belt and the buoy floats beside me. So no need to detach it during breaks.
Two other points: 1) I will NOT swim without one on any body of water that is used by powerboats or jetskiers. Even with a bright colored cap, I'm not visible enough to be comfortable, especially when wearing a wetsuit. The buoy solves that problem. 2) While the buoy is not a true life preserver, it does provide a measure of safety during longer swims in the event that I get a significant leg cramp or have a breathing issue while swimming. I can simply stop swimming, hug the buoy, and relax to catch my breath or work out the cramp without any distress.
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I like those buoys - that's what I'd get. As a scuba diver we carry inflatable buoys for when we're on the surface for visibility.
Where he's swimming probably doesn't have a lot of power boat activity, but you can never be too safe on the surface of open water.2 -
..and yeah, I'm in Seattle. Intense couple hot weeks and now it's back to nice cool weather. I bet there are still some hot days left. 2
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NorthCascades wrote: »I'm wondering what other folks do about this. You can't take all your stuff in the water. What do you do with it while you swim?
I like a beach at a nearby park. I walk to the water in my swim trunks. I need to bring my car key to get home, and overall I think it's irresponsible not to bring my phone. When I get to the beach I leave my things with my shoes under my shirt, and swim. Being a city dweller I know you can't fully trust other people (stranger danger), and phones aren't cheap. I really don't want to leave it behind, if something happened with the car I would need the phone.
Obviously it's better and more fun to go with friends, but that's not usually possibly after work due to different schedules and traffic.
What do you do?
When I've cycled to group runs and had to stow stuff (change of clothes, etc), I've put it in a bag that I could lock closed and attached it to some random item with a small accessory cable and mini abus lock. (pipe, grate, restyling, etc) somewhere in public eyeshot (hoping thieves will be leery of using tools in high visibility).2 -
I don't outdoor swim any more, but I used to lock EVERYTHING in my car except my car key, which I clipped to a hook I installed inside my bathing suit. But of course, that was back in the day before key fobs and I never had to walk far to my car.1
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The thing I love most about swimming is how freeing it feels. Especially as a guy who hikes up mountains, gravity is suddenly not a thing, you can go anywhere you want, or let the water hold you when you want. There are bald eagles nesting in the trees nearby, it can be nice between drills to just float for a moment watching them. And being able to see the city all around, roads I bike on, the mountains in the distance, it's very pleasant. I have this feeling that a tether would diminish that feeling of freedom, but it sounds like people who actually use one don't feel that way.
Overall it sounds like a swim buoy is the way to go. I'll probably get a Pelican case or something for extra protection for my phone.
My watch went from recording excellent swim tracks with perfect maps to terrible ones. So it might be nice to let the phone record the map anyway.1 -
frankwbrown wrote: »I recently bought a swim buoy (aka swim float, dry bag) as I am planning to do some open water swimming (at some point).
These are inflatable bags that you tether to yourself. Their purpose is twofold:
1. They can help make you more visible to others on the open water, people perhaps on jet skis or in boats.
2. They can hold a small amount of stuff (depending on bag). Certainly a phone and car keys would be no problem.
3. They can be pretty water tight, but get a waterproof phone pouch to be on the safe side.
I plan to leave clothes and towel on the shore and put phone/keys in the bag.
@Djproulx: and @frankwbrown: what brand of buoys do you use? My partner is uncomfortable with my long swims and this should reassure him. My mother's friend uses a buoy but I hadn't gotten around to looking in to this yet, so thanks for bringing it up
@NorthCascades: let me know what brand you go with as well.1 -
Here's my swimming tip - waterproof MP3 player! I have an earlier version of this:
https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-Headphone-Integrated-NW-WS413-Black/dp/B01BBWU834/
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kshama2001 wrote: »frankwbrown wrote: »I recently bought a swim buoy (aka swim float, dry bag) as I am planning to do some open water swimming (at some point).
These are inflatable bags that you tether to yourself. Their purpose is twofold:
1. They can help make you more visible to others on the open water, people perhaps on jet skis or in boats.
2. They can hold a small amount of stuff (depending on bag). Certainly a phone and car keys would be no problem.
3. They can be pretty water tight, but get a waterproof phone pouch to be on the safe side.
I plan to leave clothes and towel on the shore and put phone/keys in the bag.
@Djproulx: and @frankwbrown: what brand of buoys do you use? My partner is uncomfortable with my long swims and this should reassure him. My mother's friend uses a buoy but I hadn't gotten around to looking in to this yet, so thanks for bringing it up
@NorthCascades: let me know what brand you go with as well.
I'm going to talk to a friend who swims more than I do before I decide, she's visiting family on the east coast so it'll be next week at the earliest. I'll report back after I've had a chance to use it a few times. 🙂1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »frankwbrown wrote: »I recently bought a swim buoy (aka swim float, dry bag) as I am planning to do some open water swimming (at some point).
These are inflatable bags that you tether to yourself. Their purpose is twofold:
1. They can help make you more visible to others on the open water, people perhaps on jet skis or in boats.
2. They can hold a small amount of stuff (depending on bag). Certainly a phone and car keys would be no problem.
3. They can be pretty water tight, but get a waterproof phone pouch to be on the safe side.
I plan to leave clothes and towel on the shore and put phone/keys in the bag.
@Djproulx: and @frankwbrown: what brand of buoys do you use? My partner is uncomfortable with my long swims and this should reassure him. My mother's friend uses a buoy but I hadn't gotten around to looking in to this yet, so thanks for bringing it up
@NorthCascades: let me know what brand you go with as well.
I bought an ESONE swim buoy, but I haven't used it yet.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RDKRP5/
I too have a waterproof mp3 player. I went with an H2O Audio Stream 2, it's a bit cheaper than the Sony Walkman.
An mp3 player makes long swims a lot less boring.
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NorthCascades wrote: »The thing I love most about swimming is how freeing it feels. Especially as a guy who hikes up mountains, gravity is suddenly not a thing, you can go anywhere you want, or let the water hold you when you want. There are bald eagles nesting in the trees nearby, it can be nice between drills to just float for a moment watching them. And being able to see the city all around, roads I bike on, the mountains in the distance, it's very pleasant. I have this feeling that a tether would diminish that feeling of freedom, but it sounds like people who actually use one don't feel that way.
I couldn't agree more that open water swimming is very appealing once you're comfortable in the water. I try to minimize my lap pool work in favor of OWS whenever I can. And I can tell you that among the group of swimmers I know, I don't remember any complaints about wearing the tether. You simply forget that you're wearing it.
@kshama2001 - I had a Keifer swim buoy that I used for years until it no longer held air. This year I bought this one from Jansite. It's fairly large. When the rolltop is opened, you can fit lots of stuff in it, though I never use it for storage. I made my purchase based on reasonable price and speed of delivery, since I"m in training mode currently. Lots of different ones to pick from.
Here's a top view and bottom view of my current buoy. Top view note: Simply inflate by mouth and turn cap to fill, then reverse to deflate. Roll top keeps things dry and an otterbox or other waterproof case can easily be shoved inside for two layers of protections. Bottom view note: just attach the belt to your waist and drag the buoy like a tail into the water. Even if you're wearing a wetsuit to elevate your lower body, you don't feel the tether or buoy much if at all. The buoy rides just behind your glutes when you're doing the freestyle stroke. Easy peasy.
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It was maybe 70F when I got out of the water today. Weird haze and cloud blocking the sun. I wore longer running shorts and a long sleeve silk weight base layer top in the water. I should have left another shirt in my hat like I usually do and just carried the wet one back. Instead I was wet and mildly cold.
Do you think a light fleece would fit in a swim buoy?
I think/hope it's not that likely that somebody is going to steal my stuff while I'm swimming. But a jacket is a good target for thieves, it could have a wallet, cash, drugs, whatever, I feel like that might end my streak of good luck and being able to trust humanity. 🙂0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Do you think a light fleece would fit in a swim buoy?
If you went with a large buoy, it would probably fit. That is a bit more in the way of storage duty than what I believe most swimmers require.0 -
NC, you keep moving the goalposts. How about just towing a kayak? You could bring a complete change of clothes and a towel. We use these for scuba, I don't think it would slow you down that much. Think of it as resistance training.
Pair it with a dry bag...or a $10 phone thingy:
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NorthCascades wrote: »It was maybe 70F when I got out of the water today. Weird haze and cloud blocking the sun. I wore longer running shorts and a long sleeve silk weight base layer top in the water. I should have left another shirt in my hat like I usually do and just carried the wet one back. Instead I was wet and mildly cold.
Do you think a light fleece would fit in a swim buoy?
I think/hope it's not that likely that somebody is going to steal my stuff while I'm swimming. But a jacket is a good target for thieves, it could have a wallet, cash, drugs, whatever, I feel like that might end my streak of good luck and being able to trust humanity. 🙂
I have phone and car key in the tow float and leave everything else on the side, never had an issue - which does not of course mean I never will.
Having said that I am not using the nice jacket and fancy handbag for this. It seems to me that an old bashed up rucksack full of clothes I've worn for the day, with a 25 year old beach towel draped on top is probably not a top target 1 -
cmriverside wrote: » NC, you keep moving the goalposts. How about just towing a kayak? You could bring a complete change of clothes and a towel. We use these for scuba, I don't think it would slow you down that much. Think of it as resistance training.
Pair it with a dry bag...or a $10 phone thingy:
Can I add a coffee maker?6 -
NorthCascades wrote: »cmriverside wrote: » NC, you keep moving the goalposts. How about just towing a kayak? You could bring a complete change of clothes and a towel. We use these for scuba, I don't think it would slow you down that much. Think of it as resistance training.
Pair it with a dry bag...or a $10 phone thingy:
Can I add a coffee maker?
You could, but then you would have to add a grinder for the beans and a cup and...3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »cmriverside wrote: » NC, you keep moving the goalposts. How about just towing a kayak? You could bring a complete change of clothes and a towel. We use these for scuba, I don't think it would slow you down that much. Think of it as resistance training.
Pair it with a dry bag...or a $10 phone thingy:
Can I add a coffee maker?
You could, but then you would have to add a grinder for the beans and a cup and...
hahaha, exactly!!2 -
How do you dream with it getting a little cold in the evening when you get out of the water?0
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NorthCascades wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »There are boxes you can buy that are watertight for your phone and keys and a credit card. I use one when I scuba dive and it even holds up under 60+ feet of water. I mean, people have been using waterproof boxes for years for their expensive camera gear.
Check out Pelican boxes....then just get a lanyard and wear a rash guard shirt and wear the box under it...or in a pants pocket. I use a wetsuit and a BC, so lots of pockets.
You trust Pelican or Otter Boxes with your phone? Sounds like it's been working for you so maybe I'm just being anxious. I've always bought my phones used and had to buy a new one, I think I still have some sticker shock! Part of the reason I always bought used ones was so that I wouldn't have to worry as much.
You're in Seattle, right? Summer came fast and furious, seems like it went out early too.
I wouldn't trust otter box, but pelican for sure (maybe not to 60 feet on a recurring basis). As long as you get the one that meets your needs. Creating waterproof cases is not that difficult, but it can be expensive to do correctly. I don't have one, but I've heard the cases for cameras usually last about a year with relatively frequent diving to 30-45 feet. Just being exposed to water at the surface, my guess is that they would outlast the life span of multiple phones.0
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