Surfing Waves

Anyone have an opinion on front traction pads?i was thinking on getting one for a daily driver and a groveler so i dont have to deal with waxing my board and dealing with melted wax,i heard alot of good things about them but i would love to hear more opinions

I have a secondhand board that already had a front pad when I bought it.. I never thought I would like them because I move my feet around a lot when I surf.. but it worked out better than i expected. I still wax the areas between the front and back pads, and also where my hands grip during popups.. but I just use less wax in those areas, because I dont really use them as much

Unless your feet stay planted in the same spot all the time.. my suggestion would be to use a bigger trac pad up front. I think some people do go waxless with them.. but I just haven't found that it works with my setup.

Dyyy.lan_ wrote:Anyone have an opinion on front traction pads?

Without my opinion, look how many of the "good" surfers have them compared to how many of the "not so" good surfers have them.

Dyyy.lan_ wrote: so i dont have to deal with waxing my board and dealing with melted wax

What's wrong with the TROPICAL temperature wax ? Why is the wax melting, are you keeping the board in your car ?

Dyyy.lan_ wrote: heard alot of good things about them but i would love to hear more opinions

Where did you hear / what website did you read said good things about using a front traction pad ? I don't think you heard that from one of the locals in Hawaii. That front pad is going to tear up your chest ( and maybe your inner thighs )

waikikikichan wrote:

Dyyy.lan_ wrote:Anyone have an opinion on front traction pads?

Without my opinion, look how many of the "good" surfers have them compared to how many of the "not so" good surfers have them.

Dyyy.lan_ wrote: so i dont have to deal with waxing my board and dealing with melted wax

What's wrong with the TROPICAL temperature wax ? Why is the wax melting, are you keeping the board in your car ?

Dyyy.lan_ wrote: heard alot of good things about them but i would love to hear more opinions

Where did you hear / what website did you read said good things about using a front traction pad ? I don't think you heard that from one of the locals in Hawaii. That front pad is going to tear up your chest ( and maybe your inner thighs )

1.I see jamie o'brien use front traction pads on some of his boards and it seems like a pretty good thing to use but hes also a pro surfer so thats why i ask this forum

2.living here in hawaii im surprised tropical wax melts at all but it does,i surf later in the day so its not as hot but i use roof racks on my car so its in the sun on the drive there,even though my break is 5mins away from my house the wax gets a little melted and its a little more slick even if i try to put more wax on and these past couple days we have a high surf advisory from anywhere from 5-12ft so its a little scary when my board doesnt have that much traction as it should have,But when i keep it in my garage its fine my wax doesn't melt ,its just on the drive to the beach.

3.i read multiple article online about the pros and cons and i also read reddit posts, they are definitely not from hawaii but they did say it will tear up your chest if u dont use a wetsuit or rash guard.I personally use a wetsuit top, i dont have much body fat to keep me warm in the water even in the middle of the day when it can reach over 90F so all the time im using a wetsuit top 1.5mm.

for melted wax put board in water to cool it down then use sand to rough up the wax

I have similar issues with melted wax because I carry the board under my arm when I OneWheel to the beach. It can get brutal when the sun's beating down.
As far as surfing.. I think it's better than wax for certain things like paddling because the cushion under chest is like a Cadillac compared to a typical glass board. Once you're up it gives a little better grip too.. makes it easier to get footing for airs because you can kinda gauge where your feet are more... and just has a better feel IMO. I havent noticed the issues with skin burn/rash but maybe its because my trac pad doesnt have much of that diamond cut texture stuff up front.
Here's my setup..