Wondering what to get a wild swimmer or looking for gifts for sea swimmers? This blog series gathers together all sorts of wonderful gifts for wild swimmers, sea swimmers, open water aficionados, and lovers of a chilly dip.
And if you’re new to wild swimming, hopefully this blog series will give you some more ideas about what to put on your own “gifts for wild swimmers” wish list!
In my last blog post, I looked at some of the things a wild swimmer might need in the water. In this one, I’m sharing some ideas for when you get out of the water… hopefully buzzing like this…
Where possible, I’ll try to highlight the eco-friendly options as I go along – because those who love swimming outdoors, usually want to protect what we love.
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Post-swim gifts for wild swimmers
The changing robe
My husband got me a Dry Robe several winters ago, and it’s been a life-saver. Probably quite literally a life-saver, as it gets cold out there…
Those first five minutes when you get out of the water are vital. Your body is still cooling down (it’s cold on the inside, but kind of warm and tingly on the outside – a bit like a perfectly cooked Baked Alaska), but you’re buzzing from being in the sea, so you don’t really notice the cold.
Now’s the time to get warm and dressed as quickly as you can. And a changing robe is a brilliant first step – throw it on straight away, then dry off and get changed underneath…
The Dry Robe is probably the best known brand, waterproof and windproof, reassuringly bulky, and it certainly does the job (mine is still going strong). It’s also a big investment at £160.
There are many others – and the Outdoor Swimming Society compare four options in this post.
Sustainable options for changing robes
I’m really keen to see us all using more sustainable options for changing robes – if I need to buy one again (hopefully not for a long while), I’d love to try SmocSmoc who have a bamboo-lined eco robe for £142 (shown above), which aims to prevent more unnatural fibres (from your usual robe lining for example) from getting back into the sea. Their robes are due to come back into stock in December.
There are other eco-friendly options available too. The Alpkit Haven (£129.99) is still made from manmade fibres, but Alpkit have good eco-credentials as a sustainable B Corp Company. Finisterre are another registered B Corp company, and they offer the Finisterre Tego (£125 – currently reduced) made from 53% recycled material. Last but not least, there’s the Charlie McCleod Eco Sports Cloak made out of plastic bottles (£129.95).
It’s worth noting that a changing robe doesn’t have to be a big budget item. Many of the swimmers I swim with have made their own robeys by sewing two towels together. So if you’re nifty with a needle, you could make one yourself. Maybe you could even start your own line in homemade eco robes for wild swimmers, there seems to be a big appetite for that right now…!
Flask
As the swims get colder, having a hot drink to hand afterwards to warm you from the inside out becomes a necessity. There’s nothing quite like starting to feel your fingers again because they’re gripping a steaming flask lid of sweet smelling tea or coffee – warming your chattering teeth up enough that you can actually have a celebratory post-swim chat with your friends.
Global WAKEcup have a gorgeous looking eco-friendly flask for £25, crafted from responsibly sourced, organic bamboo apparently. it comes with its own infuser (oooh!) for fancy teas, has a leak-proof lid, and an airtight screw top. The double-walled, stainless steel inner sleeve will hopefully keep your drinks hot for 3 hours – and there’s no way you’ll be in the water that long!
For that extra gift-giving flourish, and a few pounds more, you can even get your flask personalised with your name or an amusing message (£26). Mine would probably have to say “Now do up your bra”, since that’s the hardest thing to do with cold fingers, and if you don’t attempt it almost immediately you get out the water, you might as well be at Woodstock.
Hot water bottle
Another great way to warm up as a wild swimmer is to tuck a hot water bottle into your towel or your clothes while you swim. You can stick it down your top when you’re dressed too. So, naturally, hot water bottles and covers make great gifts for wild swimmers.
Just do a search for #hotwaterbottle on instagram and you will find all sorts of wild, wonderful and eccentric options from chunky merino knit to patchwork Harris tweed. Celtic and Co do a sheepskin hot water bottle cover which looks super soft and cosy (£45). Right now, I’m loving the mermaid hot water bottle from Donna Wilson shown above – it’s made from 100% lambswool, and knitted in Scotland (£61.50, including the hot water bottle).
Looking for more sustainable options, zero waste shop, Boobalou offer a natural rubber hot water bottle for £22.99 – it’s made from natural latex rubber from the forests of Hévéa in Sri Lanka (Certified FSC) in a plain cover made from 100% organic cotton.
A hot water bottle carrier
Belinda from Pothies makes the first and only hot water bottle carriers I’ve ever come across, and they look like a stroke of genius for cold water swimmers who can barely get their gloves or bra on after a swim… I’ve just shared them in my 20 (well actually now 20+) gifts for sea-lovers gift guide, but they clearly deserve a place here too…
Pop in your hot water bottle before your swim, get out and snuggle them over your shoulders, sticking your cold hands in the blanket-lined pockets – and hopefully you’ll warm up in no time.
They range in price from £75 to £95 with the more expensive options being one-offs made from thrifted materials (like the rainbow beauty above), so extra sustainable. They’re lined with blankets, made to last, and as snuggly as carrying a gurgling baby (not a weeping one) on your chest – what more could you want when you’ve got out of the water?
A core-warmer
Now this is a new one to me, but the lovely people from Seabirds Ltd (home of Brighton’s Salty Seabirds swimmers) swear by this extra bit of stretchy cosy kit to keep your core warm and toasty when you get out. Apparently, it also doubles as a bra if necessary…!
The price for these ranges from £15 for a cotton and lycra mix to £36 for the wooly core warmer pictured below.
Lip balm
A good lip balm protects against those cold wild winds and lips drying out on land, so they can make lovely stocking-sized gifts for wild swimmers. I have LOADS, in fact as I write this I realise that I may have developed a small lip balm habit…
Lip Warrior is a lovely one for the wild water warrior in your life. It’s £6.99, and made in Cornwall as a collaboration of the amazing Hayley of Downs Side Up and her naturopath friend – it’s an all natural lanolin-based lip protectant with herbal extracts and oils to heal and soothe. And not just for lips – Hayley says “Lip Warrior also works wonders on chapped cheeks, red chins as well as peeling cuticles. It helps protect the skin for those who dribble or who work in the elements.”
For something a little fancier and more gift-wrapped, in my popular Gifts for Sea Lovers post, I recommend Bloom Remedies’ Cocoa Butter Lip Therapy (£10) – it’s natural, organic, vegan and plastic free.
While the lovely Morrab Studios in Penzance stocks some cute seaweed-based organic vegan plastic-free peppermint and cocoa butter lip balm from The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co (£7.50)
Socks and Boots
Now socks get a bit of a bad rep as a Christmas present – implying you haven’t really thought about it and just grabbed something safe. But that’s not the case here! Having something easy to slip onto your feet with barely working fingers is another key part of most wild swimmer’s post-swim bag… It also helps guard against the dreaded chilblains (be careful not to go from a cold water swim to a hot bath too quickly…).
Whether that’s lovely soft socks to go in your wellies, or fluff-lined boots, warm toe-snugglers of all kinds make great gifts for wild swimmers.
Seeking out some sustainable options, Sea and Stream, (a shop stuffed with wonderful gift ideas for wild swimmers) has these very cute sheep socks above made by Pachamama Knitwear (hand knitted on a fair trade basis in Nepal) for £24.
Patagonia have merino socks from £17 upwards – and Finisterre (the husband’s favourite for socks, though their merino boot socks seem to be unavailable right now) do UK-made wool socks from £12, and thicker wool socks from £15 to £18.
As far as fluffy-lined boots go, my hardcore surfing husband swears by his long-lasting Ugg boots, but after working crazy hours for the past couple of months, he’s hinted that Christmas may involve treating me to some waterproof sheepskin boots (£175, but hopefully super long lasting and great protection, and maybe even coming sooner than Christmas, fingers crossed…) from Celtic and Co (the Cornish company who invented Ugg boots originally…).
And I think that’s mainly because I kept stealing his Uggs, so I’ll have to remember that as a strategy.
Mindful moments
Well of course I have to include Sea Soul Blessings cards and Sea Soul Journey Oracle Cards in my list of post-swim treats, as they always add something special to my own swimming experience and that of many others.
These inspiring little cards and book sets are easy to fit in a pocket, and great to use before or after your swim – on your own or with friends.
Build a mindfulness ritual around the cards to bring a deeper dimension to a swim. Some swimmers like to take their message into the water with them (not literally, the cards are plastic-free, so they’re not waterproof…!). Others prefer to draw a card afterwards, sharing its message with their fellow swimmers – as another final boost before they all head back into the day, refreshed and revitalised.
When you give Sea Soul Blessings Cards or Sea Soul Journeys Oracle Cards, you’re giving the swimmers in your life some extra encouragement to keep swimming, to find a positive focus, motivate themselves with kindness, and get the most out of their time in and around the water. It’s a gift that keeps on giving long after their toes and fingers have finally warmed up again.
Cakey Sustenance
Now, a lot of wild swimmers swear by the absolute necessity of a good cake to follow a good swim. I definitely have an appetite when I get out of the water, though these days I tend to go for a green smoothie, (being peri-menopausally obsessed with kale and currently unable to stomach caffeine, sugar, wheat or dairy…).
Whether you’re into cake or not, it’s very likely that the wild swimmer in your life would appreciate a delicious tasty treat to enjoy post-swim – they might even be prepared to share some of it with their swim buddies.
Chocolate
Chocolate is usually another post-swim winner. And we have some wonderful “healthy” chocolate providers locally. The Raw Chocolate Pie Company recently rebranded as Snacksy – I haven’t tried the new look bars yet. Right now, I’m loving the date and sea salt chocolate from Food of the Gods.
Maybe my ultimate favourite “healthy” chocolate treat for after a swim has to be Booja Booja almond salted caramel truffles. And they’re small enough that I even seem to be able to sneak an occasional one of these into my week without having a caffeinated breakdown, thank goodness…
You can buy them in batches of 2, 6, 8 or 12 (Planet Organic has the first three sizes for £1.39, £3.99 and £5.29) but we can get them locally in both our lovely health food shops, so if you like the look of those, see if you can support your local store. Warning – do not expect your wild swimmer to share these, or it may cause a breakdown of your relationship. Speaking from experience… luckily we found a way through (just buy more).
That’s it for my post-swim treat ideas for now – and for my second lot of suggestions for the wild swimmer in your life.
To be the first to hear about my next lot of gift-giving tips for the outdoor swimmers in your life, sign up for our Sea Soul Newsletter here.
What’s next in my gifts for wild swimmers guides?
In the next posts in the series, I’ll look at inspiring reading materials that would make great gifts for wild swimmers, as well as swimming experiences, and all sorts of other lovely swimming-themed goodies.
In the meantime, let us know your top recommendations for post swim treats below – what do you need after a wild swim to make it extra special?
If you liked this post, you might also like these:
20 great gifts for sea-lovers (updated for 2020, with 29 gifts and counting…!)
Books for sea-lovers.
And the first blog in this series: Gifts for Wild Swimmers 1: the Swimming Gear.