Sea bags - Recommendations

Sea bags are practically a mandatory part of the gear for open water swimming, especially if you want to be spotted by ships, surfers and paddleboarders, because they are all in very visible colours.

Because of this a sea bag is the open-water-swimmer’s guarantee to be spotted, and feel safer in the water.

That is, however, not the only function of a sea bag.

The large sea bags can be used to have a rest in the middle of the ocean. This makes it a lot easier to plan for rest and restitution, without having to go to shore.

In addition to this, most of the sea bags also have watertight compartments for storing personal belongings (towel, wallet, phone, keys) in the bag itself. By doing this you avoid having it lying around on the beach, which would also mean that you have to go to shore at the exact spot you get in the water from.

Some sea bags are also a lot more specialised, so you can for instance carry a drinking bottle with you and have it easily accessible during the swim.

Another important detail is the built-in whistle in the buckles on the top for emergencies. These have saved numerous lives.

When you pick your sea bag, you should consider:

• Which colour: Orange is the most visible colour on long distances, meaning this is a clear advantage for safety. After this comes pink and fluo yellow. As such, you won’t be able to find black sea bags
  
  
• What’s important to you during your swim: Is it that the sea bag is cheap - then you need to pick the simple sea bag that only gives you safety. Do you want your belongings with you on your swim? You should pick a sea bag with a built-in dry bag. If you want the possibility of using your phone out on the water, you should pick one with a window (all of which are touch capacitive). If you swim long distances and need to drink along the way, you should pick one of the hydration-models. If you want to run to the water and back again, you should pick a swim-run swim-bag that can be transformed into a backpack
  
  
• Size: The standard size is 28L, which is a suitable size to pack a towel, a change of clothes, belongings etc. inside the bag itself. And then some are bigger, and some are, of course, smaller
  
  
• Material: The sea bags are typically either made of nylon or PVC. The nylon sea bags are a bit more expensive, but a lot more resilient from sharp objects, and keeps the air better, which is why they can be used for longer. Nylon is the most popular choice

It’s recommended to have the sea bag towed behind you approx. 30 cm after your feet.