Best Cap for Marathon Swim?
KNicholas
ArizonaCharter Member
I've used a silicone cap but often times it starts to slide off. Do people prefer latex? It seems like a silly question but I have more cap issues than goggle issues and tugging it down frequently only slows me down.
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"I never met a shark I didn't like"
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
Nice and thick, so good for cold water. Also has ridges on the inside, that stick to your head.
I was checking out that forum link that you sent out, and I read your post about your cap sliding off. The problem is not the type of cap you are using, it is your head position. Your face should always be looking straight down toward the ocean floor. If you are looking forward, the water that is flowing by will take your cap off. Swimming is the one sport where it is best to not look where you are going!
Head position is not just about keeping your cap on your head. When a person is looking forward it actually causes their hips to drop and makes their shoulders work harder. I think that when swimming across the English Channel, you will need to conserve all the energy you can!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
I have a great cap made by TYR that is silicone, but a much thicker version than the typical silicone cap. I use it for my cold open water swims because it does keep my head warmer. I believe I remember that the packaging touted it as decreasing drag and increasing speed by virtue of it's type of silicone, but no mention of extra warmth, although that is precisely why I use it. My question would be to wonder if it were to be deemed legal by the Channel Association. It is silicone, but, it does provide warmth.
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
tiny head here. I use latex and hope for the best. It's fantastic to swim with your head down, but I know for swims without a kayak I do a lot of sighting and thats when my cap starts to slip- especially the silicone ones. My sighting is probably poor and inefficient though!
I like a silicone cap because it doesn't pull my hair and it's warmer. I shave my sideburns and about an inch and a half of the hair on the back of my neck, which helps my cap stay on and keeps the hair pulling to a minimum. I get weird comments about my "haircut" and end up explaining that it's a "sport specific haircut". In salt water, I put body glide on the back of my neck (messy with hair) at the edge of my cap to prevent chafing. I've gone out for swims of an hour in rough water and when I got out, most of my hair was actually dry.
If you have a small head, there are lots of kid-sized silicone caps and usually they have the most awesome designs and colors. Speedo and TYR both make silicone caps for long hair, so if you have a big bun or pony tail that makes your cap come off, they might be worth a try.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I prefer latex caps, but found that "Mack's" silicone earplugs helped me out considerably.
The best cap is the one that stays on. Or the one that you can take off and put on if needed. Or the one that the RD says you MUST wear., even if it's ugly or badly fitting .. Worse one? A light blue cap given to EVERYONE at a Trans-Tahoe swim in the early 80's. Heads disappeared in 5 min in the blue of Lake Tahoe.
Someone wasn't thinking that one through
Ok, what about for a long, warm water swim? I am so accustomed to wearing a silicone cap because I swim in cold-ish water most of the time. If silicone keeps you warmer, should I plan on wearing a latex cap for a warm swim? I'm worried it might slip or be too tight over time.
I've taken to wearing a lycra hat for pool swimming due to the heat. Maybe that would be good for warm open water?
Like others have said, swim caps and my head don’t work well together. One idea I give credit to Ed Riley for, especially for warmer swims, is to cut the top of the cap off. Effectively turns it into a headband, but it stays on, covers the ears, and still provides the visibility that event organizers like.