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Sustainable equipment - tips?
andiss
Senior Member
Basically just looking for any recommendations on
sustainable swimwear.
Caps, earplugs and noseclip sorted, my goggles last forever so no complaints there.
Started seeing recycled plastic swimwear options - but is there such thing as completely plastic free? ?
Comments
Isn’t that called swimming naked (which I do when I’m alone swimming off my boat)! ?
Well that has crossed my mind! But generating drag! ?
Swim in colder water.
?? ?
Nowadays a swimwear piece lasts that long that I think my nails produce more non sustainable leftovers
25 yrs ago I changed a pair per month.
WEARING SWIMWEAR - SIZE
What size to get is a question, but I think for relaxing on the beach you need a more relaxing fit than when you are doing swim training. If you have finished growing, swimwear will stretch in time compared to you, so if a pair appear "uncomfortably tight" when you first put them on, they still may end up to be of good use to you. I have found that even after receiving my swimwear and trying it on, the jury remains out for quite a long time, as to if I chose the right size for myself.
This is where you can try on gear that you bought a few years ago and realize that you did indeed get a good size. There is the option of a friend giving you a suit from their collection, or you sharing what you have with your friends. There is a better availability of larger sizes of swimwear in the 2nd hand market such as op-shops , but op-shop wetsuits tend to be too small for me.
STYLE AND SWIM CODE RULES
Then what exact style do you prefer?, or for that matter, what fits the rules for a particular swim to qualify you that they are not too much of an assistance device? Actually if the code allows jammers or high coverage, then you could be in for big bucks, but if leg coverage or jammers are not allowed, then things can be simpler and cheaper.
THE BATTLE AGAINST DISPOSABLE
Unfortunately in some codes of swimming, swimmers took to the notion that they can use the swimwear to make them go faster, and rules still allowed a lot of this even if not needed for thermal reasons.
This means that swimmers bought very expensive gear that cost hundreds, and was only good for a few swims if that. With these swimsuits you would have to wriggle into them while still dry, and if you were not careful you could easily rip them. They were costly and disposable basically. That is why many swim codes limit the coverage to something reasonably brief, and not allow legs to be covered.
LESS IS MORE SUSTAINABLE
Lower coverage will be cheaper and less burdening, including not as cold for you when you exit the water in colder weather and also improve the integrity of any achievements or records you set in them - that they are not so much an assistance device. Not allowing leg coverage in competitive swimming means that there are not a whole plethora of requirements. An inexpensive swimsuit can qualify you for an English Channel swim. It just needs to be form-fitting and within the coverage limit, without the need for set brands and models.
WATER TYPE
For salt and fresh water, bright (saturated) colours will look good on you. If you are going to do extensive swimming in a strongly chlorinated pool then black, grey and white colours will be better, as they won't tend to fade.
GETTING USED TO YOUR SWIMWEAR
Yes, the fear of wearing proper swimwear does afflict both male and female swimmers. It may seem funny that wearing swimwear was a new thing for a lot of people.
You can try your swimwear on at home for a few hours and find out how it sits on your body. Wearing bathers alone at home is good for overcoming initial fear, but to really advance your comfort levels, you have to get out there and wear them with others.
I don't want to be constrained by jammers or boardshorts when swimming. I had to clock up quite a lot of swimming with others in speedo or sunga style briefs to get it to feel completely normal, and I guess it would be the same for females for low coverage. You may have to wear them for an extended time surrounded by people you are with, to attain this "normality" - the benefit of doing it socially.
AFTER YOUR SWIM
In a beach situation you can dry in them, but especially after swimming in chlorinated pools, you should remove them and shower and wash the chlorine off ASAP. The swimwear can wait until you get home or you can wash them in the shower.
Better to hand wash, not in a washing machine, especially not on hot. For fresh water, no real need, for salt water a quick rinse will do, and after swimming and in chlorinated pools, a bit of a soak will be ideal.
To dry them you should just hang them up in the shade, not tumble dry. In some climates you can even just hang them to dry indoors in your bathroom, if you make up a small clothes-line for them above your bath or shower. Then they will be ready for you next time without any further effort.
NOT ALLWAYS NECESSARY
If you are at a place, and especially don't have them, people do just skinnydip. That was the way people swam from time immemorial. It is something you should do at least sometime in your life. It is easier to do if you are with people in a similar situation, or in a boat on the water.
It was invented by the bourgeoisie in France, the notion that it was not OK back in the late 1700s. In the course of the 1800s the idea spread to the UK, and in the 1900s reached the Americas, where until the mid 1970s - naked bathing at least among males was quite common in America. Females first suffered from the notion followed by males.
Now the situation is being turned around by the influence of the internet, where any general shame about the body, including wearing swimwear or the way you look - has now peaked and is being wound back. This is noticeable compared to even just a few years ago.
I hope this is helpful. Actually I think we are returning to a more sustainable approach.