Tools

Wild swim kit planner

Build a printable preparation checklist for open water, with honest limits on temperature and wetsuit recommendations.

Start with the conditions and your plan, then organise what to take. This tool makes a preparation checklist; it cannot assess whether you should enter the water.

Useful without the planner

RNLI recommends a wetsuit, a bright swimming hat, a tow float and a means of calling for help. Pack a towel, dry layers, a windproof outer layer and a warm drink for afterwards. Swim with others and check your entry and exit.

How the planner works

Your measured water temperature is recorded, rather than converted into a universal neoprene thickness. There is no temperature-to-thickness formula here: fit, suit design, personal experience and conditions differ. Follow the manufacturer's model-specific guidance and ask a managed venue or qualified coach about your proposed activity. Month and water type cannot establish the temperature at a particular spot.

Worked example

If you enter 12 °C, sea, dip and wetsuit, the checklist records your own measurement and asks you to check tides, wind and an exit. It includes visibility equipment and dry clothing. It does not prescribe a thickness or a time in the water.

A tow float is a visibility aid, not a lifejacket. Equipment cannot remove cold-water risk. Read the safety guidance first and check the official water-quality information.

Checklist example from the planner

You entered 12 °C. This is your measurement, not a live reading or a suitability assessment. Check tides, wind and your exit.

• Brightly coloured swimming hat
• Tow float appropriate to the activity; it is not a lifejacket
• Means of calling for help, protected from water
• Goggles and a manufacturer-fitted swimming wetsuit
• Dry towel, dry layers and a windproof outer layer
• Warm drink for afterwards
• Discuss neoprene gloves, socks and a hood with your venue or coach; check fit and event rules