Surfing Waves

Hi, I'm new here...my name is JJ, 31/M/5'11"/200 lbs. I just moved down to a 6'4 Tuf-Lite...I like it, i took it out last weekend, although my 8' would have probably been a better choice for the conditions, i still managed to pull some nice rides...my question is....I was looking at some traction pads and hoping someone on here who rides with one can give me a good idea of the benefits of using one and if so, could you recommend a good one. Thanks.

i wouldnt dream of riding my shortboards without a traction pad. They not only provide traction (obviously* sp) but also give your back foot the perfect position to pull off manevours.

Most tail pads are pretty much the same i have tried dakine, xtrack, o&e, creatures of leasure and can hounestly say i couldnt tell the diff so just go for the one that looks the best

I'm so glad I saw this thread!
I'm a sort of in-between-boarder (not short or long, just kind of a weird type board that a mix of 'egg' and 'minimal'), so the idea of having a traction pad is weird to me.. I tried one once and it tripped me up all the time.. but I finally know the proper name for it!

I've been calling it a 'rubber board thingy', made me feel kind of stupid that I didn't know the right word for it.

Thanks for inadvertantly educating me... I'll leave you to your proper discussion now... : )

traction pad without it on a shortboard makes you slip more. tried to surf my new board with just wax and it doesn't seem to work that well. Also the traction pad helps you to duck dive since it has that kick pad.

I've just had my first surf on my 6'8 with a pad on! Man its mega. So much grip...couldn't believe how grippy it was. My back foot just felt so much better with it! I was a bit hesitant at putting it on...but then just went for it, and so glad i did. No looking back now!

X-track is the best imho. Creatures of leisure is terrible, I had one of their pads and my foot would slip off all the time. I will only buy a pad that has the same material as x-track, otherwise my foot slips.

Sweet...thanks! I'm def gonna get one, i base coated the board and put a decent amount of wax on it, but i kept slippin'...well, thanks for helping me make my decision.

I’m not sure you’ll be slipping and sliding on your board with just wax. Two of my boards have grip and one does not. My footing feels firm on all of them.

I would still recommend grip since it does help. As mentioned, it helps in duck diving. But it also lets you know quickly where your trailing foot is positioned relative to the tail area of the board.