Inside my Swimbag

3W, SEasy, 75frees: P was there after a long hiatus. I finally did a successful Elemback to Tread switch, and again, it is using sidestroke as transition. Timing is critical though so the face doesn't submerge. The trick is from a horizontal position in the transitioning sidestroke, slightly incline the body by lowering the legs and do a frog kick. I'll do this fun routine for my warmups from now on.

When I started swimming, my first days (and weeks even) were a little chaotic as far as changing after the swim is concerned. I'd bring a plastic bag (supot) and put all wet stuff there. I'd have another smaller plastic bag to put in the shampoo and soap. I'd also bring a bulky cotton towel to pack. This was what I (and I guess many others) would typically do when going swimming.

Now, my swimming has come to a point where I have a routine and go on "auto" mode when I shower and change clothes. And this is mostly due to the way I pack stuff in the swimbag. Here's what I have: (hey, note the really nice banana leaf background!)


RashGuard, Swimcap, Goggles

This is a big tube and takes in the rashguard which I wear for cold mornings. The red mesh pouch holds the folded swimcaps and a comb. I bring two swimcaps. One to use and the other is a spare or just in case the kids want one. Would you believe the red pouch used to be a pencil case? It's made of plastic mesh and the contents inside dry up easily.


Ear Drops, Cologne, Roll-on, Sunscreen

The white and the small clear plastic bottles have ear drops (to prevent ear infection). One bottle is an old eye drop bottle. Of course, I took the old label off and relabeled the bottle. They're all encased in a sealable box. I just love these sealable boxes.


Soap and Shampoo

Another sealable box and these two always go together. Yah, the soapbox looks GROSS. All is clean though, and that seeming scum really comes from old soap bits. This box is the dumping place for all unusable soap scraps from home. The small plastic bottle is for shampoo. It's like the tiny plastic shampoo bottle that you find in hotel rooms. I just replenish the contents as needed.


Swim Trunks and Sports Towel

The yellow tube contains the swim trunks. The yellow tube used to be a storage tube for an auto chamois washcloth. Even when wet, the trunks stays safe inside the tube. Same with the chamois towel. It stays damp but safe inside its own tube. The one on the far right is my sports towel. I always buy the Body Dry sports towel by Arena. When it's on sale, it's the cheapest I could find - and it does the job.

Swim Bag with Contents

Here's where a big bag with a zip-around dual zipper is a big plus. With the huge opening afforded by the zipper, I can see EVERYTHING inside. I don't need to yank the opening to peer in and rummage for stuff as with a normal zipper.

With a big bag, there's plenty of room where I could leave my dry clothes as I swim. When I'm all done, I just toss all my swim gear packed in their respective tubes/ boxes inside with no fear that something else will get wet.

Neat, huh?


That's all the gear I have and with it I'm ready to go swimming anywhere, anytime. Occasionally, I'd bring a pair of fins (flippers) to add a little variety, but that's basically it. How about you? What's in YOUR swimbag?

Go ahead, post your comment below!

arGlene said...

I really hope someday, I'll have my swimbag too, that means I already know how to swim.

BUT I do have a 'bag' post too. :P

Blackdove said...

It is not hard. Believe me. And I learned at a late age. But you do have to put time into it. That means plenty of pool time. First, to conquer all fears and be comfortable with the water, and then to make the water your "home" and learn to move in it.

You literally become a "creature of the water" - no matter how silly or corny THAT sounds. :-)

rol said...

Can you recommend a shop in SM or Trinoma where I can buy a sports towel?