The Best Changing Robes for Swimmers and Surfers
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Changing robes are pretty self-explanatory. They’re designed to make it easy to get changed in and out of your swimming or water sports gear while you’re on the beach, camping, or in the parking lot. With super-soft fleecy linings, waterproof exteriors, and oversize designs for discreet changing, they can keep you warm and dry and protect you from the elements. They make a lot of sense, for both style and convenience, when you’re open-water or wild swimming, taking part in a triathlon, or surfing, paddleboarding, or kayaking. If you’re swimming in cold conditions, drying and covering yourself can help you warm up gradually and avoid the “after-drop” decline in your core body temperature when you get out of the water.
To test these changing robes, WIRED took a dip in the sea on a cold winter’s day. We also asked for the feedback of a group of open-water swimmers varying in age, size, and shape to find out how well the changing robes protected us all after the swimming. We put on the changing robes immediately after coming out of the water and assessed them on design, material, size, choice of color, heat retention, and overall ability to keep us dry, warm, and comfortable.
Update December 2023: We added the Vivida All-Weather Puffer changing robe.
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Our Fave Changing Robe
Launched in 2010 by British surfer Gideon Bright, Dryrobe was one of the first sportswear companies to start manufacturing changing robes—and it shows. The Advance Long Sleeve robe is waterproof with a wide range of sizes for both adults and kids. We tested the medium robe, which is aimed at people around 5'8" and comes in a range of eight colorways, including navy and gray, for the exterior and the interior lining. The Dryrobe isn’t as light as other robes, but the overall look and finish feel premium and well tailored (if you don’t mind the large logo on the back). With its synthetic lambswool lining made from pure recycled polyester, this robe feels like it offers the thickest lining of all the brands we tried in our test. Its exterior is made from waterproof and windproof pure recycled nylon fabric.
The long and short of it: The Advance Long Sleeve robe dried us quickly after we got out of the sea, and it absorbed the water effectively so it didn’t feel too damp after use. The robe hangs nicely on the body, and while it doesn’t feature stretch panels on either side, it felt very roomy, so we could comfortably and discreetly change inside it.
There are two pockets on the interior: an oversize “poacher’s” pocket for drinks and a zip-up pocket for valuables such as your phone. Plus there’s a nifty opening for your headphones. Two zipped-up exterior pockets feel secure. While there aren’t any toggles on the hood, the zip does come up high enough to keep your face protected from the elements. We also tested the kids’ version, which has the same styling (except that the outer pockets do not have zips) and comes in a great range of colorways, including a camo print with pink lining. The deep fleece-lined external pockets were a hit with our young tester: great for keeping hands warm and collecting shells.
Sizes for the Whole Family
Best known for its paddleboards, Red also offers long- and short-sleeve Pro Change EVO robes for men, women, and kids. What we instantly liked about this line is its wide offering of colorways, including a bright “Hawaiian” blue, Parker green, Fuchsia red, and the Teal robe we tried. We tried the medium design that gives plenty of room inside for people who are 5'4" to 5'10". Its exterior is a breathable waterproof fabric, and a moisture-wicking fleece lining inside felt super soft on our skin. The robe has a nice floaty feel to it as it hangs on the body—as opposed to the fabric feeling rigid—and it made us feel nicely warm and dry after our swim without weighing us down. There are two stretchy side panels to make it easier for you to change in, too.
The robe is in fact compact enough to fit into a 10-liter dry bag. We found it one of the easiest designs to fold, due to its flexible material, which is handy if you're using it on a paddle or a hike. We also liked the toggled hood and long sleeves that could be adjusted at the cuff, which helped to keep the wind out. The Long Sleeve Pro features two inside pockets, one for a snack or water bottle and the other with a zip for your wallet or valuables. An extra zippable outer pocket gives you the option of not having to reach inside and open up your robe when you want to get to your phone, while two magnetic closing outer pockets are deep enough to keep your hands warm. While there is a Red Original logo on the two cuffs and a discreet one on the front, there is no large logo on the back of your robe, which makes you feel less like a walking advertisement.
We also tried Red Original’s Kids Pro Change Robe, which fits children from 4'2" to 5'0". There’s a choice of five colors with either a red or gray interior. There is one open pocket on the inside of this coat and two magnetic closing outer pockets. There are stretch side panels, which come in useful as children inevitably wriggle and faff around inside. Our young tester found the toggles on the zips easier to pull up and down than a standard zip, especially when they had cold and wet hands.
A Swim Robe for Fashion Fans
There are four adult changing robes in the Cosimac collection, including this eye-catching leopard print design. Its water-resistant and weatherproof exterior is designed to handle all but full downpours. We tried the medium robe—designed to be worn by adults who are 5'3" to 5'7"—and strutted our leopard-print-clad bod on the beach.
What we instantly noticed when putting on the robe is how light it is, while still managing to make us feel suitably protected and comfy with a very soft fleece-lined interior. The robe comes with long sleeves for warmth, and we found it did well at soaking up the water and keeping us comfortable after we had changed. Its very large fleece-lined hood also kept us cozy and our faces well hidden from the elements.
We liked how the interior “hot water bottle” pocket was positioned halfway down the robe, instead of at the bottom, which gave the design a good sense of balance. There is also an interior zipped pocket with an opening for headphone cords. Its long sleeves come with Velcro straps that can be adjusted, while there are two fleece-lined zipped pockets on the exterior for convenience. Cosimac also sells a kids’ robe, in a more sober black finish with an “Ocean Blue” interior, designed for those that are 4'2" and under.
Style and Sustainability
Vivida is the only company we discovered to offer a puffer-style change robe, which is good for insulation over long periods. With its sophisticated tailoring, the coat has been designed so that it wouldn’t look out of place on the commute or school run. This alone would make it feel like a sustainable choice as you can double up. With Aventurine Green, Fossil Grey, and Mineral Blue finishes, we fell for the subtly stylish colors offered. The robe comes in four sizes, and we felt medium was a cozy option that seemed to work well on both tall and shorter people. It provided us with enough room to change with our arms inside the coat.
The company prides itself on the coat’s eco material, which features 100 percent “post-consumer” recycled polyester. The “post-consumer” part is important as most brands just use recycled plastic, which can be made solely for the purpose of recycling into the fabric. The coat also has a Bionic Finish Eco, PFC-free, water-repellent (to 5,000 mm) coating that allows the water to bead up and roll away effectively, while the honeycomb fleece lining, wadding, and hem fabric are all recycled materials. Attention to detail adds a luxury feel to this coat, with an Erin Hanson quote printed on the inside pocket.
The Vivida’s insulated design immediately felt cocooning when we put it on. We found that its padded finish was reassuringly warm and the material was very soft on our skin after we got out of the cold sea. Its QuiltedClour synthetic filling is designed to mimic the properties of down for a warm, lightweight feel, and we felt that the coat really did make us feel like we were wrapped up in a quilt. The interior is made from 200-gsm moisture-wicking fleece that is designed to warm up your body effectively.
We felt that its padded structure helped to dry us up that bit quicker than some of the robes we tried. Like the Red Original, it has a toggle hood that helps keep our heads warm too. The pocket offering was impressive too, except there's no headphone cable opening in the interior pocket. Otherwise, there’s a large open pocket that houses a coat bag with enough room for a bottle or lunchbox, and an ample-size zip pocket. Two large exterior pockets come with both zip and velcro openings, which is useful as it lets you store quite a bit of kit on the go.
Almost a Jacket
Alpkit sells a nice range of clothing and equipment for hiking, biking, running, and swimming, including this Haven Change Robe. The unisex robe comes in a simple yet stylish black finish (though with a big logo and slogan on the back), and it’s oversized and lined for convenience and warmth. We tried the Haven Change Robe in small, which is designed for the average 5'2" person. It comes in four sizes (though some are currently out of stock), with a windproof fabric, long sleeves, and a shower-proof PU coating to keep you dry. The polyester insulation doesn’t have the fluffiest feel, but it did well to dry off our testers and keep us warm after use.
This is the most compact robe that could pass as a standard jacket in design. Inside we found two pockets. One is placed on the lining of the coat, as opposed to on the fleece, and can be zipped up. The other, big enough to carry a bottle, is on the bottom right-hand corner. The two exterior pockets have been left with open entry—as opposed to a magnetic or zip closure—and aren’t as deep as on the other designs we tried, but they are suitably fleece-lined to keep your hands warm. Slightly different in design from the majority of changing robes we tried, the Alpikit has a drop hem in back that is long enough to sit on, with the slides split for more freedom of movement.
Cocooning Comfort
Available in up to five sizes spanning from small to extra large, this Sundried robe is an elegantly cut waterproof garment. It has a pure polyester outer layer and an acrylic and polyester red fleece lining to keep you warm, dry, and protected from all types of weather. We tried the Swimming Changing Robe in medium, which is designed for people who are 5'2" and above.
Our testers found the design particularly roomy, with a good amount of space for stepping in and out of a wetsuit. When zipped up, the group found it easy to pull their arms out of the sleeves and inside the robe to rummage around. As the robe is large, you can use it to wrap yourself up nicely, keeping you cocooned and comfortable inside. The Sundried robe has adjustable sleeve straps, which let you tighten the arms at the wrist to keep out the cold air, while the two exterior fleece-lined zip pockets felt deep and snug. The design has a large reflective Sundried logo on the back that helps you get noticed when the light is low, which we thought was a useful way to use a logo.
Super Soft Finish
Passenger is best known for its colorful waterproof jackets, polar fleeces, and surprisingly stylish “fisherman” beanies, many of which are made from recycled materials. Its range of changing robes and ponchos are ideal for the beach and walks in the countryside alike. The Escapism Recycled Sherpa Lined changing robe stands out not only for its vibrant range of color finishes but also its luxurious, super-soft interior. The moment we put it on we appreciated just how lightweight the jacket feels compared to some rivals. This is no doubt due to its fluffy Sherpa fleece that lines the fully recycled polyester changing robe. Though do note that this may feel a little too wide and puffy for some.
The Escapism robe comes in five sizes, and we found that even the smallest size (which is designed for those between 5'4" and 5'9") is incredibly roomy, so there’s plenty of space inside to change out of a tight and hugging wet swimsuit. A two-way zip makes it easy to undo and zip up, while the two front pockets with a hand-warming tricot lining will keep your extremities suitably toasty when you come out of the water and get hit by the cold. There’s really not much to fault with this design, and it comes in a range of chic colors including Rust, Larkspur Blue, and Wine.
Perfect for Camping
Voited’s Outdoor Change Robe and Drycoat is ideal for camping, wild swimming, and van life. It’s constructed from 100 percent recycled 50D Ripstop fabric, with 2,500-mm water resistance on the inside and a Teflon EcoElite coating on the outside.
While this wasn’t one of the lightest robes we’ve tried, it was one of the most compact, alongside the Red and Alpkit options. The Voited robe comes rolled up in a sleeping-bag-style carry bag and folds up neatly for traveling when not needed. It has a polar-fleece-lined hood and arms, with an extra layer of Voited’s CloudTouch insulation in the form of a panel inside that is designed to hug your lower back. What we liked most about this design is the quality finish, conveniently zippable pockets, and discreet logo. It’s not too puffy, either, which means you can get away with wearing it in town as well as at the beach and outdoors. Cons? It’s currently available in just two colorways, a bold black and attractive sea blue, with limited sizes.
