Your Choices Of Material When Looking For Swim Caps For Competition
When you are looking for swimming hats for competitive racing you can use a different type of hat for racing in a pool from that which you would use for racing in open waters.
Swimming hats and caps can be made in a variety of different materials, including latex, spandex, lycra, rubber, neoprene, and silicone. By far and away, the most popular material is silicone, but if you were looking for triathlon swim caps you might want to consider neoprene. This is because neoprene is a fairly thick material – thicker than silicone – and when you are going to have to swim 1.5 km, which is the standard recommended by the Olympic authorities, in cold water, you want to keep as much heat in as possible. Neoprene is the same material which wetsuits are made from.
Of course, it does depend on the time of year and also the area that you will be swimming in. If you are on the equator you will probably want something a lot cooler, but in many instances a triathlon will be swum in water under 62 degrees and if this is the case, neoprene is the recommended material. However, if you have never worn a neoprene swim cap before, you should try it on and get used to it a couple of times before racing.
This is because neoprene swim caps are quite tight and feel restrictive, so you don't want to pop one on your head for the first time just before diving into the water at the start of your triathlon because it could put you off your stroke – in this instance quite literally! Some neoprene swim caps also have a chin strap which covers your ears, and you want to get used to this as well if you are going to wear that design.
However, if you are going to swim in warmer waters you could well consider silicone for nec telephone system. This is not as thick as neoprene, by any manner of means, and is certainly more comfortable to wear, but it is thicker than latex, so will keep in more heat than a latex cap. Latex is a better material for a pool or in warmer waters because it is thinner so it lets more heat out than the thicker silicone caps do, but it does tend to wear out quite quickly – again because it is thinner. It also has a tendency, which some consider unpleasant, to become sticky after many uses and pull your hair as you put it on and take it off.
Of course, whichever type of material you are going to use, you can have it printed with your club name, your own name, or – if the race authorities permit it – you could even have it printed with some advertising from your sponsor. This is always a great idea, especially if you win the triathlon, because there will be film of you receiving your trophy resulting in more publicity for your sponsor as well.