The finest swim cap for both training and competition can be difficult to come by. Here’s all you need to know to get the perfect swimming cap.
For the purpose of this guide, we’ll cover everything from training caps to competition caps to the best cap for long hair, and we’ll also go over which caps are most appropriate for different types of swimming.
Prior to getting started, let me make a little PSA about the benefits of swimming with a swim hat on.
Why Should You Wear a Swim Cap to the Pool?
If you’ve never heard of it, here’s a tidbit of trivia for you: The purpose of a swim cap is not to keep your hair dry.
If not to keep our hair dry, why do we wear these chlorine hats in the first place?
When it comes to swimming, there are several reasons why you should always wear a swim cap:
- Keeps your hair out of your face. The last thing anyone wants to experience during a swim practice is having their hair slide down in front of their goggles, blinding them halfway through. Consider your swim cap to be a hair styling tool.
- Keeps hair out of the pool. Swim caps have the unheralded benefit of preventing your hair from floating on the pool’s surface water. Swimming, I’ve seen a hairball come at me like an asteroid from outer space more times than I can remember. Protecting the pool’s filter from being clogged is a major benefit of wearing a swimming cap.
- Protects your hair from chlorine. If you’re a head-up breaststroke swimmer, your cap will not keep your hair completely dry, but it will block most of the chlorine-soaked water from coming into touch with it. When it comes to hair, chlorine isn’t exactly a savior (which is why you should also be using a decent swimmer’s shampoo). Hair is less likely to be exposed to chlorinated water when wearing a cap.
- Makes you a little more hydrodynamic in the water. Swim caps reduce the amount of drag and resistance that swimmers experience in the water. Wrinkle-free silicone caps, such as those mentioned in the competition caps section, help to reduce your drag in the water.
When swimming in frigid open water, a neoprene swim cap, such as the one reviewed here, keeps your head toasty warm. Another option for swimmers is to wear two different kinds of swim caps (one latex and one silicone).
Here we go! Let’s get down to business with our selection of the greatest swimming caps!
Best Training Swim Caps
Everyday use in the water is made easy with these swim caps.
These swim caps are designed for swimmers of all levels, from weekend warriors to those who devote their lives to the sport.
Arena Classic Silicone Cap
My go-to training cap is the Arena Classic silicone swim cap.
In the past four years, I’ve only purchased three of these, but they’ve been able to withstand my everyday use with ease. Unlike the Speedo silicone cap, which ranks as our best competition swim cap, this cap is not as thick as the Speedo cap, which means it is more breathable while maintaining the durability of silicone.
Caps and goggles are two items that frequently feature silicone as the material of choice.
Speedo Silicone Solid Swim Cap
Cheap and created by Speedo, you know these swim caps are made to be worn while swimming.
You can also choose from more than a dozen colors, so you’ll be sure to stand out in the pool.
To give you an idea, here are two examples:
Speedo Silicone Long Hair Swim Cap (**Best Training Swim Cap for Long Hair**)
There is a special headgear for swimmers with long hair that Speedo has developed. Because I don’t have this problem, I asked a few of my long-haired swimming buddies for their favorite caps, and they all said this one was their favorite.
That the cap didn’t snag their hair when they put it on or take it off, and that there was enough room in the cap to accommodate their hair while keeping the drag to a minimal was complimented by the reviewers.
Speedo Solid Latex Swim Cap
These swim caps are mainly made of silicone. As a result of their wrinkle-free fit, silicone swim caps are both more durable and more hydrodynamic than standard latex caps.
Especially for those of you who practice in a warm pool, the main difference I’ve seen between a latex and silicone cap is that the former is more permeable.
For swimmers who frequently overheat during training, Speedo’s basic latex swim hat is a great solution at a low price point.
TYR Lycra Swim Cap
For the more casual swimmer, the TYR Lycra Swim Caps are a comfortable and durable cap that is suitable for a base cap if you choose to wear two swim caps in the pool.
80 percent of the material is repurposed nylon, and the remaining 20 percent is lycra. It’s a one-size-fits-all for adults and older kids, with five various colors to choose from.
As long as your swimming goals are more recreational than Olympic, the Lycra Swim Cap from TYR is a great option for keeping your head cool while also allowing you to get your hair a bit wet.
Best Competition Swim Caps
Once the training have been finished, you can stand up on the starting block and challenge yourself to a new personal best time. Now all you need is something to cover up your dome.
We’ve put up a list of the top racing hats for swimmers below.
Speedo Silicone Aqua V Swim Cap
As far as race caps go, this one is my go-to. Aside from losing the first one when I moved, I’ve had no issues with the two I’ve acquired since 2013. They’ve been used at numerous competitions, endless warm-ups, and even some training sessions, and they’ve maintained their original shape and form.
You may notice that your head gets hotter more quickly when you wear a thicker training silicone cap like this one, as opposed to a regular training silicone cap. Using the cap in the pool at a local YMCA, I was able to experience this myself.
Domed-shaped to prevent wrinkles, the cap is designed to fit securely on your head and reduce drag in the water.
While there aren’t quite as many hues as with the Speedo Silicone Solid, there are still “just” five distinct tints available.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the sizing of this cap is a touch smaller than what you’d expect from silicone and latex caps. Speedo suggests sizing up if you are unsure of your size.
MP Michael Phelps X-O Competition Cap
The X-O cap was used by Michael Phelps in his final two years of competition, along with his Xceed goggles, most notably in Rio de Janeiro at the Olympics in 2016.
When stretched over your head, it won’t wrinkle or add extra material like the Speedo Aqua V cap does.
The hat fits well and reduces drag at the same time.
The hat is FINA-approved and constructed of silicone. For what it’s worth, it’s also Phelps-approved.
Speedo FS3 Competition Swim Cap
Fastskin3 is part of Speedo’s Fastskin “system” created in the wake of the tech suit craze in the late 2000s. If you’re looking for anything that works with the Fastskin goggles and Fastskin tech suits, this isn’t it. Fastskin3 caps, for example, do not “work” with an Arena racing suit.
Many great swimmers wore this cap during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Tokyo thanks to Speedo’s sponsorship. Several swimmers on the medal podium wore this cap, including Florent Manaudou, Cam McEvoy, and Pernille Blume.
This cap has a few intriguing qualities, such as the fact that it has a visor.
An alignment marker on the cap makes it easy to line them up with your goggles. In other words, it aids in the proper placement of the cap on your head, ensuring that it does not lean to the left (like my swim caps always seem to end up).
Speedo’s “Fastskin3 Hair Management System,” which is basically a fancy way of saying put a spandex or elastane-based cap underneath it to assist manage all your hair, is recommended for swimmers with longer hair.
SwimOutlet.com carries the Speedo Fastskin3 competition cap in a range of colors.
Arena Domed 3D Ultra Competition Swim Cap
In addition to Chad le Clos, Tom Shields, and Adam Peaty, Arena’s sponsored athletes include Olympic gold medalists Tom Daley and Ryan Lochte.
When it comes to design, the Arena Domed 3D Ultra racing cap looks and feels a lot like the others we’ve already discussed.
You won’t have to worry about damaging your hair when you remove the cap after a race because it is constructed of 100% silicone and has a slick interior.
Swim Caps – FAQ and Buying Guide
It’s possible to find swim hats in virtually any style or color combination you may possibly desire.
It all comes down to personal preference and what you plan to accomplish in the water when it comes to choosing a hat.
Here’s all you need to know about swim caps before you spend your hard-earned money on your next purchase..
Latex vs. Silicone Swim Caps
Latex and silicone are the most popular materials used to make swimming caps, but there are others.
Although latex swim hats are more breathable and cost less, they are less durable.
Swimmers of all shapes and sizes benefit greatly from the excellent range of stretchiness that latex caps give.
As a result, they are less likely to slide around on your head when you’re in the water.
Swimmers of all levels, from the most experienced to the most casual, can benefit greatly from wearing a latex cap while practicing their strokes.
Caps made of silicone are more expensive, but they also last longer and keep your head warmer.
Because silicone caps have less creases, they are more hydrodynamic. In comparison to latex caps, which tend to bunch up in the rear or front, silicone caps are much more comfortable to wear.
Because they won’t pull or drag on your hair when you put them on, these hats are ideal for swimmers with long hair. It’s great for open-water swimming and swimming in chilly pools because of the extra thickness.
For swimmers with longer hair and those who compete in cold water, silicone caps are a better choice because of their hydrodynamic capabilities.
What about Lycra Swim Caps?
If you’re looking for a good Lycra swim cap, don’t overlook the latex and silicone alternatives.
In order to keep things simple, we refer to them as “Lycra” caps, but they’re actually a blend of Lycra and polyester.
In addition to being more permeable than latex and silicone caps, these caps are less constricting on the head, making them ideal for casual swimmers who spend time in hot pools.
It’s well-known that lycra caps don’t yank on your hair when you put them on and take them off, and that they provide sun protection in outdoor pools (Lycra caps are commonly certified SPF 50+).
Lycra swimming caps allow for greater water absorption into the hair than silicone or latex caps, so if you want a cap that keeps your hair dry-ish but not completely dry, avoid these.
Why do Olympic swimmers wear two swim caps?
You may have seen some of your favorite swimmers sporting two swimming hats during the most recent Summer Olympics.
Swimmers do this for two key reasons.
You can keep your goggles on your face and head when you leap off the blocks by wearing two caps.
Ask any swimmer, and they’ll tell you that their worst fear on race day is that their goggles will come off or leak water when they plunge in.
In order to “lock” goggles into place, swimmers can double up on swim caps and place the goggle straps under the second cap.
Two layers of swim caps, on the other hand, have a hydrodynamic function as well.
For swimmers who prefer to wear two caps, a latex cap is used as a “base” and a silicone cap is layered on top.
As a result of the wrinkles that occur in latex caps, swimmers may experience a little amount of extra resistance and drag in the water.
Silicone caps are more streamlined and less prone to slipping. They’re also great for removing goggles, latex, and even the natural shapes of the skull’s lumps and ridges.
Latex is used as a foundation layer, and a silicone cap is used to smooth out the combination.
A fraction of a second can make the difference between victory and defeat in the most minute of races!
Finally, if you’re swimming in a chilly pool, consider using two swim hats to keep your head warm (or in open water).
They are better at keeping heat in since they are more dense, especially when they are used with a second cap.
Can swim caps make swimming safer?
Children and adults alike can benefit from wearing swim caps because they are a simple and quick solution to improve water safety.
For children, drowning is the second biggest cause of mortality after motor vehicle accidents according to the CDC.
Proper supervision and proficiency in the water are always essential, but a swim cap can help ensure swimmers’ safety by making them more visible. Swim caps also prevent hair from getting in the way of our vision and breathing while submerged.
Using a cap prevents swimmers with long hair from getting tangled and snagged on other swimmers, lane ropes, goggles, and other items.
Inexperienced swimmers might also benefit from the protection provided by a swim cap, especially in open water. You’ll be more noticeable to other swimmers and boaters if you wear a bright swim cap.