I recently switched too riding strapless... I get cold fast, and my old booties were great for straps, that's about it... I need too buy some really good warm booties that will be best for riding strapless... Any suggestions? Brand? And where in Victoria can I go pick up some good ones?

another question... What about split toe booties? anyone wear them? do they get colder faster than non-split toe?

Split toe are definitely a bit colder. I am still on the fence as to whether they provide anything extra in the way of traction on a surf board. At first I thought they did, but now after several pairs of split and open, I think I am leaning towards open. There is more slop in an open toe because your big toe can't grip the split, but the sole tends to also be more flexible because it lacks that extra rubber. In my experience, that extra rubber and resistance counteracts any advantage of the split, and you actually loose feel on the board. So I think I've converted to open toe for good. Also, and this might be counter intuitive, but I found splits to actually work better in straps because the bootie is a bit more solid.

I'm not a strapless guy BUT after decades of windsurfing/kiting I would suggest you buy booties made by wet suit manufacturers. DO NOT buy cheap MEC booties, they will last about 3 sessions before you have no traction. DO NOT buy booties with zippers, they just are a hazard Kus has some booties & I've been happy with products from COASTLINE in Victoria. Split toe increase the 'tactile' feel ... For Juan de Fuca I like 5 mm & have used 7mm in the past for winter use

I was hesitant about the split toe but tried them and they remove the possibility of the end of the bootie sliding and don't seem to impact the warmth. I had a great pair for a while but the soles became trashed quickly. I use a pair of NRS Titanium booties now and they have very thick soles. They protect me first and foremost from the rocks and muscles and have indestructable soles. They take away the tactile feel but are bomber and protect in the cold. As soon as I can get the booties off in July I do and go barefoot, but often have wounds, especially from Nitinaht.
http://www.nrs.com/product/2313/nrs-cross-4-wetshoe Mine do not have a zipper as the image shows. Yes JL is correct. Stay away from zippers as the water force will unzip them quicker than a stud in a nuncamp.

My next booties will be Atan from Kus here on BWD.

The Atan look like the ultimate in tactile feel on the board. I was looking for max durability in the rocks. The Atan look excellent yes!

I have the Atan's....they are excellent, feel like being barefoot. NOT good for walking on sharp rocks and barnacles though. Mine are the 3mm, which are warm for summer but I wouldn't wear in winter. The only other negative is they are ungodly stinky, after being left in truck back with summer sun....they don't hold open and air out as easily as regular neoprene boots.


I like the split toe membrane inside the bootie, gives grip. I don't like the idea of the actual separated split toe....more seams to fail, plus likely colder.

OtLunch wrote:My next booties will be Atan from Kus here on BWD.

Thanks. I have put it out there to order more and got no responses, all I have left is size 11.5-13mens (Atan size 4). If I get some orders, I can stock up but not doing it for one or two pairs, it's a serious pain coming from France to the US w/ transport and EURO costs way up.

thankgodiatepastafobreaky wrote:The Atan look like the ultimate in tactile feel on the board. I was looking for max durability in the rocks. The Atan look excellent yes!

IMHO split toe for better control, negligibly cooler than round toe. 7mm booties and you can forget about any tactile board control ...there is going to be a trade off. Want bomber protection or mega warmth, can't have all that other stuff. People have to stop looking for this "does everything super well" gear, it doesn't exist
The usual Atan's are 3mm and hurt some on JR or CB rocks and maybe are a bit more susceptible to barnacle damage, mine I use in sharp barnacles off Clover and they still last 70-80 sessions. They usually wear thru at the big toe, esp if you drive your board hard on waves, I am sure other products would too and not provide me with the barefoot feel. I tried the 6.5mm Atans, warm as hell and thicker, nice and cushioned on rocks but you have the sponge feel.

I don't barefoot. Ever. It's like the helmet thing, surfers and SUP guys don't seem to use one, a romantic leftover perhaps, I wear mine almost all the time. Last time I tried SUP in bare feet and I was out for a week while in Maui, costly error. One cut or bad rock and your weekend's shot, don't do it. The Atan's are basically barefoot. They also save your $80 straps by having a one-layer pour with no chafing.

One thing overlooked with split vs. round toe discussions are bunions or long second toes. If you have a Morton toe like me or hockey feet bunions, chances are you have issues. The split toe is a great way to prevent or help with bunions (they did for me, perhaps our foot specialists can add something) that can sideline you almost indefinitely. The split forces the big toe in line and over, the mortontoe doesn't claw as much. It's a big deal as you get older, trust me

hockey feet bunions....had to look that one up. OUCH, that looks painful.


Thankfully I don't have that.

I do have Morton's Toe....another thing I had to look up, never heard the term. The only negative I have experienced from Morton's Toe is repeated broken toe from running on the rocks to try and out before a set ... holy crap does that hurt.

Anyways, that's a thread hijack. The connection could be I once had a pair of windsurfing boots (used for surfing) that were a fairly hard rubber boot with a neoprene top. May as well have been wearing running shoes, in terms of board feel, but sure protected the feet. [/url]

for kiteboarding, just go with whatever is cheapest because you will probably be wearing socks over top of them anyway.

just went on a lunch time search at: Sports Rent, Sports Traders, and Ocean River.... zip, zero, zilch, nada for my size and split toe 3mm...

guess the only place for selection would be Coastline, HTO??

"Professor, what's another word for pirate treasure?"

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqajEd_DKgk[/youtube]

(sorry, can't resist)

I swear by a pair of Xcel 5mm split-toe booties I've had for years. They're fairly low profile for footstraps and toasty warm, not to mention they have good traction for surfing and SUP surfing too. When they wear out I'll replace them with the drylock version for more watertightness. Coastline seems to have better prices on Xcel than Ocean River, at least last time I checked.

If in doubt, buy on the small side. Not only will the boots stretch, but you'll also avoid water bulging inside the boot. The more water gets in, the colder your feet will get and the more they'll slip around in there (not good for grip).

Whatever... went too frank whites dive shop... got a good thick pair with good soles... I will adapt. but they are comfy and warm.