What's in My Lap Swimming Bag

What’s in My Lap Swimming Bag

Even though everything is now shut down and I’m not lap swimming, a couple of people asked me to write a post about what’s in my lap swimming bag.

As someone who competitively swam for years, I had everything in my swimming bag. Now that I’m recreational swimming, I have trimmed it down. Somewhat. Of course, it also depends on what your local swimming pool has. Does it offer a kickboard or pull buoys?

Here is What I have in My Lap Swimming Bag:

The “Essentials”:

First, it would be essential to have a Swim Team Bag, Right? Something to hold everything in? Like a gym bag, just find what works for you. I’ve had the Speedo Teamster Backpack (35L) Speedo Bag since college, which holds everything. The Teamster Backpack is a lap swimming bag for swimmers. The swimming backpack has shoulder straps, side pockets, and can pretty fit all swim equipment in for the pool.

Now there are plenty of fun swim bags that have all sorts of fun prints and color options with Teamster Backpack 35L now. The swim team bag dries quickly, holds everything I need, and is durable. The pool bag also has a separate compartment for wet and dry gear.

What’s Inside My Lap Swimming Bag?

A Swim Suit:

A swimsuit seems like the most important thing to have in a swim bag. I like Speedo suits as they always seem to fit me and I don’t have to worry about them falling down while swimming. If it worked for 15 years, I might as well not change it. If you are looking online, go to the competitive swimmer section (even if you are not “competing.” They’ll have the best swimsuits for swimming laps. Like anything, it’s important to experiment and figure out which swimsuit works and feels most comfortable to you. You want a swimsuit to be tight but not suffocating.

A Swim Cap:

The next thing in my lap swimming bag is a bunch of swimming caps. Swim caps (bathing caps) are going to protect your hair from chlorine. If you are swimming laps for a while, it’s important to have one. You don’t need your hair getting in your face. Believe me, it’s just better to have a swimming cap in your lap swimming bag (or a few).

There are two types of swim caps out there:

Silicone: Silicone Swimming Caps are better for your hair because they don’t rip your hair. If you wear any type of gel or product (gel, mousse or whatever) in your hair, you might be faced with them slipping off while swimming. They are more expensive, but they are better for your hair. Sadly for me, they fall right off because I use mousse most days in my hair.

Latex Swim Caps: Latex Swim Caps are thin and tight. They stay put on your head and are cheap. It’s what I use (which I’m in the minority with it) because I don’t have to worry about them falling off. I have about 10 in my lap swimming bag.

Swim Goggles:

I would argue goggles might be the most important thing in my swim bag. If you swim laps, you’ll want goggles to protect your eyes from the chlorine. It’s next to impossible to swim consistently without goggles. I have two types of goggles I like:

Speedo Vanquisher: I used the Speedo Vaniquesher from middle school to finish my career in college. I probably went through 25 pairs of them. They are great goggles, anti-fog, water-resistant, don’t leak and fit most faces. I have 3 extra pairs in my swim bag (all over a decade old).

Form Goggles: A new type of goggle I’ve been using are Form goggles. Form Goggles count the laps for you. You physically see how much you’ve swam projected in the goggle while you are swimming. I’ve found Form Goggles to keep me more engaged now that I’m not practicing with a team. While pricy (about $200), I’ve found them to keep me motivated to swim laps. I wrote a review here.

Towel:

A towel seems essential in a swim team bag. I like orange mud because in the summer I can also attach it to my car.

The Extras:

If you are swimming, you may or may not need these in your lap swimming bag. You might not even use them and that’s okay too! Sometimes lap swimming pools have these things, other times they do not.

I keep all of my “extras” in a drawstring bag (the technical name is Ventilator Mesh Bag). The mesh swim bag dries out quickly can be brought on the pool deck. Having a smaller mesh swim bag, just easier than trying to carry everything out. We might have started doing this in club swim practice; I don’t remember.

Kickboard:

If you are practicing kicking, having a kickboard in your swim bag is essential. That way, you can stay buoyant while focusing on your kick.

Hand Paddles:

Hand Paddles are great to have in your lap swim bag when you want to work on your form for swimming. Hand Paddles are designed to build strength and alow practice form. I’ve been using my hand paddles a lot to minimize kicking (while my foot heals).

Pull Buoy:

What is a pull buoy? Pull Buoys help your body become more buoyant but also help you focus more on your arms. Since they force your body not to kick, your arms do all of the work. I’ve used this more as I try to minimize my kick. You can tell my pull buoy has been around the block a few times LOL.

Swim Fins:

Fins will help you feel faster and smoother through the water. I haven’t used them at all lately, so they aren’t in my swim bag, just because I don’t want to use my feet. They are great for swimming and help you feel faster in the water.

Aftershokz XtrainerZ Headphones:

These are one of the newest additions in my swim bag. As most people know, I’ve been listening to podcasts while I swim laps. It’s truly a game-changer. Aftershokz XtrainerZ headphones allow you to listen to podcasts crystal clear underwater (and I’m not just saying that). It depends on the podcast sound quality, and you’ll have to experiment with your preferences. I never even dreamed this was possible until recently. I like them so much; I’m giving away a pair in the newsletter this week.

Water Bottle:

You get thirsty when you swim. Like any workout, it’s important to stay hydrated. Keep one in your swim bag and remember to wash it.

Showering:

If there is one thing about the pool, is it wreaks havoc on your skin and hair. Chlorine and Bromine do body no favors.

Chlorine Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash:

In my swim bag now, I’ve been using TriSwim to get the extra gunk out of my hair. While using a swimming cap and showering immediately after the pool will help, I find TriSwim has been great to remove a lot of the chlorine and helps keep my hair less damaged.

And that’s everything in my lap swimming bag. When I thought about this post, I actually didn’t realize I had so much in my lap swimming bag.