Depends on your tolerance, or lack thereof, and the swim distance.
For me, 57 or below for the cap.
Have never worn booties, but have never swum in water colder than 57.
What was Alcatraz water temp? How was the race?

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Karen ST Concierge

I'm a wimp...so maybe around 62 before the neoprene camp goes on. Raced an ITU event this June at 57 degrees. I had brought booties specifically for the race, but ITU would not allow them.

I'ver never had a need. I swam at IMCDA '12 when the water was pretty freaky cold and was OK after about 90 seconds, and also at the Triple T one year when the water temp was in the high 50s.


The only time I would have found the neoprene cap and booties helpful was when I tried to swim across Swiftcurrent Lake at Glacier. That was ridiculous, and even then I think that if I something for just my feet I probably would have been OK.

I have had never had a need for either cap or booties. I used to lived in SF and swam in the Bay all the time.

Swim semi-regularly in northern California ocean waters, happy to have a neoprene cap anywhere below the low-60s, and low-50s and high-40s it's really unpleasant not to have it, though doable. Never used booties.

The same temperature I stop swimming outside :)

I did a 2 hour 15 min ocean swim this summer at 58*, no booties or cap, was just fine.

EDIT - changed temp from 63* to 58* after double-checking training log

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

63 is pretty balmy for northern California ocean temps...we have folks who stop using wetsuits at those temps. :)

 

I don't have a lot of body fat.

I actually would love to be able to do that particular 2:15 swim w/o a wetsuit.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Who you callin' fat? :)

Booties below roughly 12-13c, only wear neoprene cap in really cold water (below 9-10c) but I wear two regular caps usually.

Damn I'm a pussy, neoprene cap at around 59F. I get a building headache otherwise, its like my forehead is a superconductor of sorts.

57-58F and below I'd wear the cap.

I might be one of those outliers that doesn't help the OP.
I've never worn a wetsuit for swimming other than a few demos.

I'd consider a neoprene cap below 56 F or so; booties probably not to 53 F or so.
Swims up to at least an hour plus have been manageable at those temps to me with just two latex caps; sans wetsuit.
That said, I don't own either of those and wouldn't be wearing a wetsuit either; so those things are kinda superfluous at that point.

I'd say 55 or less.

I wearthe neoprene cap below 60, the booties go on at 55 or less.

oh man. i'd be dead.

i did a one-mile ocean swim this summer. water was low 70s (F). my teeth were chattering for more than 30 minutes afterward.

The water around here rarely gets above low 70's; this summer has been exceptionally warm.
When I've done the Waikiki Roughwater swim; I basically overheat in that 78ºF water.

Trying to swim off Tampa/St Pete was ridiculous - 88+ºF was a sauna.

I've raced a number of times in high 50s. Yeah that's cold but not cold enough for neoprene cap or booties. I never wore them. I'd say mid 50s.

X2

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Did a 40 minute ocean swim last summer in 57F (14C) water. Dried off and put a t-shirt on then sat on the beach for an hour shivvering in the sun. (I'd walked to the beach.) Was sick for a week.

Not ever doing those temperatures without a wetsuit, and below 60/15 I'd probably now use a cap for my health's sake.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Below 60 cap and below 58 booties, except IM Lake Tahoe the water was around 63 but the beach sand was 30.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

Years ago, Ian Murray suggested two regular swim caps for cold water. I used that at Santa Cruz when the water was 55F and it worked great!

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

My coldest race was 52 degree water - I tried a neoprene cap the day before and didn't like how it felt. once I got past the 1st couple hundred meters it really wasn't an issue. I have never tried booties (nor needed them). Something that REALLY helps in cold water is ear plugs - I use Mack's (sp?) wax ear plugs. They do water than a cap ever will. Interestingly the only thing that really bothered me at all was cold/numb hands.

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David
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