Hi, I have now lost two sets of goggles (Barracuda Wire mask - similar to Seal XP) while removing my T1 top. The first time was in practice before I really thought about my doffing technique, and yesterday I lost another pair in a race. I thought I had a good technique down, which I had practiced in the few days prior to my race. Luckily, my friend at the race recovered my goggles, and perhaps more luckily I was not penalized for littering (there is such a rule isn’t there?). Here is what I did that worked in practice but not in the race.
I use the recommended technique on the DeSoto website (unzip, then cross arms to pull the bottom of the wetsuit top upwards). Before I pull the wetsuit neck hole over my head, I grab my goggles and remove them. Then I get my head out of the wetsuit top and then my arms. Somewhere in this process I must have let go of my goggles and dropped them.
Here are some limiting factors to which techniques I can use:
Although I believe Emilio and some other experienced members on this site recommend swimming without goggles, I like my big dorky mask. It makes a huge difference in warmth. Current temperatures in most Seattle lakes are about 60F and when I started training about a month ago they were like 57F.
Because I am using a mask, I have to remove the mask before I can fit my head through the neck hole.
If the first thing I do is remove my mask, one of my hands is stuck holding the mask, which makes it difficult to pull the bottom of my wetsuit top upwards.
I am thinking my next attempt may be to remove goggles, then put their strap around my arm while I remove the wetsuit top? Who here has the best ideas?
I pull my goggles and cap off as I am removing the top and when my arm is coming through I’ll either leave the goggles and cap “in the arm” or just hold on tightly and pull them out. 9/10 times I leave them in the arm of the T1 pullover.
my goggles stay in the sleeve very nicely. So nicely that usually the day after a race when I’m hunting for the to go to the pool…I can’t find them because they’re out on the clothesline still in the wetsuit.
Will your mask not fit in the sleeve? Because what I do is put my goggles in my swim cap, then hold the cap and let go of it inside the sleeve. Works very well.
Like the other two said, I pull off my cap and goggles after I unzip, but, before I cross my arms and pull over my head. I have the cap and goggles in my hand as I pull off the top. I release the cap and goggles in my sleeve. I have done this dozens of time and have never lost my goggles.