The winter swimming gloves and booties debate

Outdoor Swimmer readers share their opinions and advice on the use of neoprene accessories for cold water swimming

In a recent issue of The Dip, our weekly email newsletter, we shared our thoughts on the question “Should you wear neoprene gloves and booties for cold water swimming?” We then asked for your opinions. Here are some of the responses from your fellow swimmers, which came in from around the UK, Canada and the USA. You will see there isn’t a definitive answer but there is lots of valuable information in the community. Scroll down for some interesting in-depth replies, including from readers with Raynaud’s and arthritis, and another who suspects swimmers’ behaviour is sometimes sheep-like.

Short answers

Thanks for another great issue of The Dip. In answer to your question: Yes, I do wear gloves and boots in the winter, along with a wetsuit as I like to stay in for a longer swim, but within my own limits. Helen

Yes, I prefer to wear gloves in the winter and colder temperatures it prevents the numbness and circulation issues. Kelly

No. I don’t like gloves I prefer to stay in for a shorter time but be as naked as possible to feel the water, especially on my face when I go under. Cindy

Definitely a bootie wearer in winter. I have Reynard’s which effects just one big toe, if I don’t wear them, I can feel that toe all winter and it stays a reddy colour. Also, I can get out of sea across the pebbles more easily and quicker. Win win for me. Nicky

I am a neoprene fan. I’ll start wearing booties and gloves when it gets to about 10C. I’m already wearing my neoprene cap. I rinse them out at my car after every swim and put them on a PVC drying rack I built when I get home. They will be dry the next day. Mark

I put on booties and gloves when dips to 10 degrees. When the undersides of my upper arms start to tingle I know it’s time to get out. Julia

Medium length answers

Yes, I do wear my gloves and socks in winter seas! For comfort. I get very cold if I don’t keep some warmth in my hands and feet, my fingers can go white & my feet numb, even on shorter dips. If the sea temps are at their lowest here, ie 7 degrees C for me it is actually painful to go without, even for a few seconds! Vikki

I have been going into the ocean year-round for 20 years in the Northeast, USA. I have always worn neoprene low-cut boots. Never gloves. The reason isn’t comfort, it’s because my feet would be so cold/numb, that I risked stepping on a shell or something sharp, and not even feel it. That said, I am sure that it also makes the swim a little more tolerable. I actually like the COLD on my hands because I have arthritis in them. Joseph

I don’t like the feel of neoprene. However, there are a few factors that will get me into reef shoes and 1.5 to 3ml gloves and that is if the combination of air temperature and wind chill puts me in the minuses. The reef shoes get me up the beach quickly, especially if the tide is out or there is snow. Gloves keep the wind off my hands so I still have fingers to get myself dressed. But I don’t enjoy swimming with them. There is always a trade-off. Liz

Yes! I wear gloves and booties and 2 hats. I swim every day in the sea. Temperature isn’t low enough yet to pull on the hands and feet. As soon as we’re around 10 degrees I’ll give in and get the kit out. And I’ll get the scraggy dog blanket square out to stand on when changing. Why? Because I want to enjoy my swim. I’m not bothered about how long I stay in the sea but how much I love being there. And gloves and booties help. Stef

In-depth replies

I prefer not to wear gloves or boots. It allows me to monitor early warning signs of when I need to be exiting the water. This isn’t a weak argument; we are all unique individuals. I know from experience once I cannot feel the water when kicking it’s time to exit. It’s a strategy which works for me. I encourage swimmers to become experts in knowing their unique early warning signs, and regularly completing a body scan.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my swim journey having dropped my wet suit during 2016 which was an emotional response, raising funds for charity following the birth of my granddaughter. I swim purely for pleasure seeking sanctuary in the sea and other swim venues.

Over the years I’ve tolerated temperatures to1km at 3.6 degrees C, an official ice mile at 4.6C, and 6hrs swim at 10C. I’ve done 3 English Channel relays, 1 North Channel relay and a 15hrs dnf EC solo.
Having a career working in mental health (nowadays part-time I’m in my 60s) I tend to have a bias towards the psychological benefits of swimming.

Andrew

As mentioned in your article, some people have a higher tolerance for pain and can put up with cold hands and feet longer than others, but I find that if my head, hands and feet are warm I can enjoy my time in the water longer. So, from about November through to March I wear neoprene swim boots and gloves. I swim head-up breaststroke and wear a woolly hat – been going all through the year like this now for the last 10 years or so….

I think there is too much emphasis put on what ‘should’ be worn and I live by the maxim “whatever keeps you happy and safe in the water, is what you need to wear for however long you choose to swim.”

Andy

Last autumn I read an article about one of the subjects you touched on, that wearing neoprene booties and gloves slows the body’s response to the cold and the swimmer might stay in the cold water longer than perhaps is safe or comfortable. So, this past winter I tried going in without the booties and gloves. What I experienced was that I wasn’t as tolerant of the cold water as in previous years, so I was getting out earlier (although I was still able to attain the goals I had set) and because of that, I didn’t experience the severe afterdrop from previous years. So even though I was more uncomfortable in the water, the post-swim experience was much more comfortable. I liked that!

The difficult part of not wearing booties, of course, was getting out of the water, and even sometimes getting in when the tide was a bit lower and I had a rockier entry. To keep my feet “safe” I chose to wear booties.

I have Raynaud’s syndrome in both hands and feet and have found no difference in the degree of post-swim warmup whether I’m wearing neoprene or not. Also, my symptoms have gotten less severe over the years, particularly in my hands.

If I am swimming with a group and we are doing a longer swim (more than 15 minutes) I cover everything in deference to what the group has decided to do. My swim is much more comfortable and I can enjoy the camaraderie and still get the benefits from a cold water swim: fun, satisfaction from doing something challenging, a shorter afterdrop, and something yummy to warm up with afterwards.

I am also fortunate to have a place in my home where I can rinse and hang everything: the shower. A friend made a creative hanging system for each of us, which we call the Octopus. It holds each piece individually including the wetsuit.

Thank you again for your timely article and for inviting us to respond. I so enjoy the magazine and all of the information available on the website.

Denise

When I started cold water swimming (in the sea on the Isle of Wight four winters ago), I automatically purchased gloves and socks because that seemed to be the advice. I wore them for the first two winters without questioning but was always too lazy to rinse or dry them and I wasn’t about to buy additional pairs like my friends to keep on top of having a dry pair for the daily swims.

Last winter rather than put them on when everyone else did I decided I would wait till I felt I needed them. It eventually got warm before I’d needed to put them on. So this, my fourth winter I don’t expect to wear them.

I have to say the temperatures down here in the south don’t drop much below 5/6 degrees and more often average around 8/9, so it’s not as cold as many places.

It does intrigue me that we can be sheep when it comes to what we wear and how long we stay in etc. We tend to follow the vocal mass of the group that we are with. When I’ve swum with different groups from my regular one, there’s been everyone in wetsuits at one place and no one in wetsuits at another. Some groups are in and out within 5 minutes, whilst others will stay in for 20. I like to hope that “our” group tries to foster a sense of “you do what’s right for you” and “it’s not a competition”. I always encourage people to wear as much or as little neoprene as is right for them, be that just socks and gloves, or head to toe wetsuit. Also, we also advise particularly new people to get out when they feel good.

Jules