Swimming Gear and Accessories – Guides and Reviews

Over the years we have had the chance to test out and review some of the most popular pieces of swimming gear for the chlorinated athlete.

Our swim gear buyer’s guides include full reviews and how-to’s.

Whether you are looking for a new pair of swim goggles to hit up the lap pool, a high-end racing suit for competition, or anything else in between, we have guides and reviews of all the best swimming gear and accessories for crushing your practices and races.

Goggles & Caps

The swim cap and your trusty pair of swim goggles are one of the essentials to your workouts and competition.

Over three decades I’ve tried almost all of them, so you don’t have to. Here are guides and breakdowns of my favorite goggles.

• 12 Best Swimming Goggles. Our breakdown of the best swim goggles on the market for competitive swimmers.
• 5 Reasons I Love My Arena Cobra Ultra Goggles. There’s plenty to love about the goggles that British breaststroke ace Adam Peaty wears. I put them Cobra Ultras through their paces.
• Prescription Goggles for Swimmers. Ready to take on the pool, but want to be able to take your prescription with you? Here are the best prescription goggles for swimming.
• The Speedo Vanquishers 2.0. Comfortable and stylish, the Vanquishers are a fan-favorite for its versatility, comfort, and aesthetic appeal. They are also crazy durable.
• The Best Swim Goggles for Kids and Toddlers. For your budding Olympian, here are some of our favorite and most functional swim goggles for kids.
• 7 Best Swim Caps for Children
• How to Pick Out the Perfect Swim Cap. The swim cap is one of the more misunderstood pieces of swim gear. Here’s what you need to know about picking out the perfect cap for swimming.
• The Best 8 Swim Caps for Swimming. Our reviews of the top swim caps on the planet include offerings from Speedo, Arena, Michael Phelps MP brand, and more.
• What Kind of Goggles Did Michael Phelps Wear? I get this question all…the…time. He’s been fairly consistent with his goggle selection over the years.

Swimsuits

• 9 Best Tech Suits for Fast Swimming on Race Day. Our flagship guide to everything tech suit, including the history of the suit, the current rules and regulations governing their use, and our best-in-class racing suits for men and women.
• Speedo Tech Suits. Here is everything you need to know about Speedo Tech Suits, from features, reviews, their history, to where to buy ’em.
• The Fastest Jammers for Racing. Looking to pick yourself up a new jammer? Here is a full breakdown and set of reviews on the most popular swim jammers on the market.
• Suits for lap swimming (men). Need a new suit to crush your swim practices? We review the best swim briefs, jammers, square-cut suits, and drag-suits for swimmers.
• Arena Powerskin 2.0: My Favorite Cheap Jammer. Looking to ball out in the water on a budget? Here’s why the Arena Powerskin ST 2.0 jammer is my favorite of the cheaper racing suits.
• Arena Carbon Pro Jammer Review. The Carbon Pro is the most compressive of the Carbon suits. It’s raw, unbridled power.
• Arena Carbon Flex Jammer Review. The Carbon Flex is the most versatile of the Arena high-end suits. It’s ideal for breaststrokers and medley swimmers who need full hip mobility in the water.

Swim Training Equipment

Whether it’s a kick-board, pull buoy, paddles or fins, or any other type of equipment you can think of to throw on while you are at the pool, here are guides and reviews of all of the best ones we could get our hands on.

• Best Pull Buoys for Competitive and Recreational Swimmers. Confused about what kind of pull buoy to get? Here’s what you need to know about picking out the best pull buoy for crushing it at the pool.
• The 9 Best Kickboards for Swimmers. Here’s a full rundown on the top kick-boards for better swimming and stronger legs.
• The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to Swim Paddles. Swim paddles are a staple in just about every swimmer’s training. Here is everything you need to know about making the most of this piece of equipment.
• The Best 6 Swim Paddles for Crushing It In the Pool. Ready to pick up a new set of paddles? Confused about kind to get? Here’s a breakdown of the best paddles for swimmers.
• Finger-tip paddles. Finger tip paddles can help you boost your feel for the water and become stronger in the pool. Here are the benefits of these bad boys and our list of the best finger tip paddles for swimmers.
• The Best 6 Swim Fins. Ready to drop some of your chlorinated cashola on new fins? Here’s our listing of the best swim fins out there for swimmers.
• 8 Benefits of Training with a Swim Snorkel. There are lots of reasons to use one—here are eight of our favorites, plus a quick buyer’s guide featuring the best snorkels on the market.
• 7 Best Snorkels for Swimming. Ready to throw down on a new swim snorkel? Here’s are reviews of the best swimming snorkels for competitive swimmers.
• Swim Parachutes: How to Power Up Your Swimming. The swimmer’s parachute is a power development tool that increases resistance in the water. The result? Faster, more powerful swimming. Here’s the 411 on swim parachutes, including the best ones for swimmers.
• DragSox. One of my favorite power-building tools in the water, DragSox are relatively cheap, super portable, and can be used in about a million different ways.
• Nose Clips for Swimmers (Why You Should Wear One). From why you should train and race with a nose clip to the best nose clip for swimming, here’s your guide to the tool that plugs your nose in the water!
• Swim Backpacks and Duffel Bags. Looking for a swim bag to haul your swim gear? Here are the 5 best swim bags on the market.
• Ear Drops for Swimmer’s Ear. Protect your ears so that you can come back to the pool tomorrow with our collection of the best ear drops for water in ear.

Wearables & Electronics

The electronic gear swimmers can take with them to the pool has come a long way over the past decade. Nowadays we can strap on a super-computer to our wrist and detail every last meter or yard of our workouts.

That said, it can be easy to get lost in the chlorinated sea of data and numbers–here are the tools and electronics to focus on to maximize your time and effort in the pool.

• Best Waterproof and Underwater Music Players. Ready to level up your swim workouts with music? Here’s a breakdown of the most popular underwater and waterproof iPod/mp3 players on the market today.
• Our Favorite Waterproof Headphones for Swimming. Need a little extra push to crush today’s swim practice? Here’s your ultimate breakdown of the best waterproof headphones for swimmers.
• The Best Waterproof Heart Rate Monitors for Swimming. Heart rate monitors are not all made equal. Some downright suck, in fact. Here is a breakdown of the best waterproof heart rate monitors to take with you to the pool.
• FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro Review. For when you want to get some coaching in your ear, the FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro can help you master stroke rates, stroke counts, intervals, and more.
• Garmin Swim Watch Review: A Simplified Wearable for Swimming. There is a reason the Garmin Swim watch ranks as our top wearable for swimmers. It kicks butt. Here’s a review of why we love this swim watch so much.