How To Change In A Car Park Without Losing The Will To Live

Nobody puts this bit in the brochure. The wave is the easy part. The car park is where the day actually gets decided.

The order matters more than the gear

Most of the misery isn't the cold, it's the sequence. Wetsuit off first, standing on a towel big enough to actually stand on, not one you're still unfolding after your feet are already numb. Change robe on, not because it looks good for the socials, but because it buys you the ninety seconds you need to sort yourself out without an audience or a chill.

What actually helps

• A towel big enough to stand on, not just dry with. One towel, two jobs. Bring a second if you're precious about it.
• Bottle of warm water, not hot. Poured over hands and feet before you try to work zips or buttons. Frozen fingers don't negotiate with car keys.
• Something warm that goes on in under ten seconds. Joggers built for exactly this moment beat a jumper you have to think about.
• Bin bag for the wet kit. Sounds obvious until you're the one without one, wringing out a wetsuit into someone else's boot.

The bit nobody says out loud

Everyone in that car park is doing the same undignified shuffle. Nobody's watching you, they're all busy not watching themselves. Get comfortable with that and the whole process gets about 40% faster.

Real UK cold-water surf gear, made for the car park as much as the water. svrf.uk