whats your style? straped or strapless for riding the waves on a surf board.
If you ride both. When do you ride the straps? when do you ride strapless?
i've done a search buit can't find any dedicated topics. obviously my searching is poo. link me some threads to read.
I'm more interested in blokes riding both strapped and strapless to see what conditions they prefer each style.
Plummet I enjoy both, as much as you have been red thumbed it is a good question. To get the most out of any session you need both options available to you. I ride strapped if it's blowing 25+ knots or it looks real choppy on the faces. It seem like a waste to me to go out strapless in those conditions, you just can't smash it controled the same as when you have straps. Strapless for me is awesome for Down winders, lighter winds to 25+ or quality waves with straight cross shore. Strapless enables you to freely move your feet around and trim the board better in lighter winds and while riding the wave, it's definately a closer feeling to surfing. Also if you are lucky enough to be in waves that allow you to get barrelled, being strapless is much better to avoid ankle and knee injuries if you wipeout.
My observations are that kiters that come from prone surfing background find strapless easier to pick up, kiters that come from wakeboard background just can't get their head around it and stick to straps/training wheels no matter what the conditions.
My 2c
Thanks Sammy. i'm thinking along the same lines as you.
The reason i ask is because i've just started learning to kitesurf with surfboards. So i'm trying strapped and strapless.
i'm of a good standard on the twin tip and come from a lanboarding back ground. So straps are the usual for me. But i'm in the land of glorious waves so i need to be slashing them on a surfboard
my thought process is to keep my 3 fin thuster straped surfboard fro crazier days and a bigger volume wider strapless surfboard for the lighter days.
Despite the "nego" replies, you are obviously after some useful help.
I find strapless better, as you can adjust your stance depending whether going up wind, riding over powered or for backhand waveriding.
Often fin selection can help alot and make a big difference to how your board rides in different conditions too.
If your new to the waves, try straps to get used to it. Then maybe ride flat water strapless to get a feel for the board.
Good luck.
Straps are for kooks!!!! Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!! Sir Rowdy where are you? Mooohoohahahaha!!![}:)][}:)][}:)] But seriously, I want to know if you should buy your straps online or in a store if they are obviously cheaper online?
If you want to go and surf the waves - strapless.
If you want to go out and surf the waves and charge at faces and boost off them then go strapped
If its light a bigger board strapless
If its honking straps to keep control of board in the windchop/slop
To those that red thumbed his question - its a forum, you pose questions and discussion. 
Seems like now is the good time to ask the following question...
I am considering getting into kiting however having recently had a knee reconstruction I am not overly keen to stick my feet into straps when learning.
Given this situation, would learning without straps be any more difficult?
Cheers for any feedback.
If you want straps, I reckon your better of with a front strap and leave the rear free. That's if you only want it for a bit of a hand when new on the surfboard. This probably helps get your weight forward when tacking, instead of having all your weight over the fins.
Hi Plummet,
Age old question and there has been a lot written about it in the past. Problem is, it's hard to get a non biased opinion. It seems that the kitesurf community has polarised into two very distinct opinions and rarely do the two meet.
I ride straps and strapless, and hooked and also unhooked. My decision on the setup to ride is based solely on the prevailing conditions. Some conditions can only be ridden strapped and some offer the choice. The choice then is yours.
Strapped is easier for sure and under normal conditions. Comparing two riders strapped to unstrapped can't really be done in terms of performance or difficulty if they are both performing the same manoeuvres. However, if the strapped rider is a good rider and fully exploiting the use of straps to pull of tricks or moves which will never be pulled off strapless, then the level of difficulty is similar.
In general, strapped riding is for when the wind is above 25 knots. In these conditions, the water becomes like a washing machine with gnarly chop making it hard to stay on an unstrapped board. Most one eyed unstrapped riders will continue to ride unstrapped and will be bounced off and pulled over the front of the board fairly regularly making it a bit difficult for others in the break to avoid them as they body drag around for their board.
In bigger onshore frontal conditions, you simply cannot ride strapless. The need to boost over 6 foot walls of foam is the only way you'll get out the back. Straps are essential for this riding. I've never seen any unstrapped rider get out in a strong westerly in big surf, seen a few try, but fail.
Wave size is irrelevant in terms of strapped or strapless. Any size can be successfully ridden if conditions are clean side, side/on or side/off. You can even ride offshore if you have a kite that de-powers enough.
If you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks is cool or acceptable and push your own ability in all conditions all the time, using the tools at your disposal, then you will be a much better balanced and all round kiter.
Go ahead and do your own thing and worry less about what's cool or acceptable. Dicover your own boundarys and then push them to the limit. If you're totally comfortable, then you need to push it a bit further.
Have fun, both are sweet when applied to the correct conditions. The only way you'll know what works for you though, is if you have a go yourself and take others advice with a pinch of salt.
DM
When riding fully strapped,
you too can do this cool move. ^^^
lol.
And you don't have to grip the rail with your free hand to stay connected.
Wavekiting can be like religion,
when some preachy kiter starts banging on about how their way is the best way,
the cool way, the only way ...
ride away.
I was riding strapped the other day and my back strap came off.
Rode strapless for the first time,
Wasn't much difference at my level of learner talent.
