KIT
"I'm sure it will come to a point where I'll want to get the socks and gloves. Yeah, every year I'm like, oh, I should do it, I'll be able to stay in for longer blah blah. But there is something nice about just going in in my swimsuit."
Almost all of my participants wore the same kit when they swam: like most swimmers at the ponds they eschew a wetsuit and swim in sports swimming costumes/bikinis, with neoprene gloves, boots, and occasionally a bobble hat. One participant did not wear gloves or boots or bobble hat as they favour dunking their head in. From what I observed at the ponds this is fairly standard garb for seasoned swimmers.
The question of what kit my participants wore to swim was one of the few areas where they would seek out other swimmers online. Several participants had used forums for advice on what gear to get, or messaged cold water swimmers on Instagram to see if they had advice on dry robes that were not bank-breaking.
"I use online cold water swimming groups for finding alternative swimming locations, but also good bits of kit. I think through them I learned as well about the neoprene booties and gloves and also the tradition of wearing a bobble hat when you swim"
I got gloves and shoes fairly early on and swam with them until my very last swim of this project (not because I had become too hardy, I forgot them). I can attest that they make a real difference.
Kit also fed into what several participants identified - and anyone who has read about cold water swimming online - as a "smugness" of the cold water swimming community that comes up a few times in my findings. One participant commented that they look down on anyone in a wetsuit, and has no doubt that people in just a bikini with no neoprene feel the same about them - and that that's all part of the fun.
A phone drawing a participant made of their kit. The rubber duck electric thermometer is included here, but is not used at the pond as the daily temperature chalked up on a board does the job - it's for sea swimming.