Courtesy of dryrobe®, a SwimSwam partner.
With winter on the way don’t let the weather stop you from getting into the water and doing what you love. The dryrobe® Advance change robe is designed to protect you from the cold and keep you open water swimming through to spring, as well as helping to enhance your performance and improve your post-swim recovery.
What is a dryrobe® Advance?
Often described as the ultimate swim parka, the super-warm dryrobe® Advance is designed to protect you from the elements and it’s spacious enough to easily get a wetsuit or swimwear on or off, without exposing yourself to the elements.
The waterproof outer shell combines with heat-sealed seams to create a solid barrier against wind and water. The advanced synthetic lambswool lining not only keeps you warm, helping to maintain your core temperature, it also wicks water away from your skin helping you dry quicker.
As well as being designed to withstand whatever the weather throws at you, it’s also built to last. Made with super-durable, 100% recycled fabrics, no expense is spared in its construction.
How can it improve your winter swim sessions?
When it comes to cold water swimming, staying warm both pre and post-swim is crucial to improving your performance and recovery. dryrobe® Advance gives you the edge on both fronts, whilst providing a space to get changed comfortably and quickly – wherever you are.
Keeping your body and muscles warm before getting in the cold water gives you a performance advantage when training or competing, helping you get an explosive start to your swim. The super-warm lining of the dryrobe® Advance, combined with the weatherproof outer, keeps your temperature up before you hit the water, so you’re ready from the get-go.
When open water swimming in cold conditions, your core temperature is a key factor to consider. The human body is able to regulate its own temperature pretty well, but it doesn’t cope with big changes in core body temperature. In cold water, the body can lose heat quickly, water is 25 times more conductive than air, so it strips heat away from the body very quickly.
Whilst swimming you’re moving, generating heat, and can maintain core temperature pretty well. As soon as you get out of the water and stop exercising you stop producing heat and body temperature can plummet very, very rapidly. This is often referred to as the ‘after drop’. Failure to warm back up properly can not only hamper your recovery, but it can also be dangerous, potentially leading to hypothermia.
Here is where the dryrobe® Advance comes into its own! Pulling it on a soon as you get out of the cold water helps you thermoregulate and get your core temperature back up to where it needs to be. The synthetic lambswool lining not only locks in warmth, it also wicks water away from your skin into the pile of the fabric helping you dry quickly. The water-resistant and windproof outer layer protects you from the elements (rain, wind, snow) that would cause your temperature to continue to drop.
Changing out of a damp wetsuit or swim gear swiftly is also key to your post-swim recovery in cold conditions. By being able to change right by the water, means you can dry off straight away, get into warm clothes, and get your body temperature to its optimum level.
Knowing you’ve got the warmth and support of a dryrobe® Advance waiting for you at the water’s edge means you can push yourself harder for longer in the water, helping to take your cold water swimming to the next level.
Find out more about dryrobe®, the original outdoor change robe
Founded by Gideon Bright, a UK-based surfer with over 30 years of experience in the water, dryrobe® creates products designed to let you get active outdoors, whatever the weather.
The original dryrobe® change robe was based on a poncho Gideon’s mom made for him when he was a teenager. Surfing all year round, Gideon got pretty cold changing outside in those wet English winters! She created a change robe with waterproof material on the outside with a hood and a towel lining.
Now a familiar sight on beaches and on the back of the elite athletes at sporting events all over the world. The dryrobe® client list includes Red Bull, GoPro, and the British Olympic Swim Team.
