Solid, thorough review, Rich. A couple of things. 1) The debate is still out on whether or not you want to actually come out of your bindings on a crash. If both feet come out, that's the best scenario, but if 1 gets stuck and the other doesn't, that's not good. That's how I broke my femur and others have blown knees/ankles because the board swings & torques around loosely and can really injure those joints/bones. 2) If you wear a pair of Hyperlite System bindings on the boat, DO NOT put the boot portion on until you're on the swim platform. I've had people start putting them on in the cockpit and then walk over the back vinyl and I was like, "What the hell are you doing?????" That's like walking in the boat with shoes so don't do that!

@LifetimeShred

2 ай бұрын

Good call on the bindings. I would say they should either be cinched tight or super loose. Id also add that the loose mostly just applies to lower end open toe that have less support and a shorter cuff anyway. Plus only for people just learning to get up and turn etc. Don’t go loose if you are jumping. Maybe ill add something to the description to call that out. Yeah with the Systems I agree. In general I just think of them as cable bindings. I know there was a moment when the HL team used them on the boat a lot but I think inly Maur does now. Id say systems and removable liner boots are just extra crap to deal with on a boat.

Hi, do you think the Hyperlite bindings are easier to break? As there are more parts, I think there is more chance of breaking, however maybe it's better to break the binding then the board. I train mainly air tricks, what do you think it's better? Bindings or a closed boot fixed to the board?

@LifetimeShred

24 күн бұрын

I do think they have more maintenance as there are more screws to lose. On my old low backs, I lost a strap screw in the middle of a lap. It does happen. The other downside to them, I would say it specifically with the low backs. If you catch a heel edge, the back of the boot kind of folds over the heel cup. I think the systems with the high back could be good for you. I would just avoid the low back otherwise a normal pair of walkable liner closed toe are great.

Is there any disadvantage for system bindings? Why is it not widely used by the pro's?

@LifetimeShred

20 күн бұрын

Since Hyperlite has a patent on the systems, it limits who will ride them at the pro level to their team. It is interesting though that while JB Oneill and Trevor Maur seem to love them, other cable/winch riders like Graeme use a removable liner closed toe binding. I rode lowback systems with JD Webb and then Murray boots from 2017-2021. Here’s my take on them: Positives: -Protect feet when walking and good support -Easy and fast to get in and out of bindings -Lowbacks give lots of ability to tweak grabs hard -Can replace them in parts instead of all at once to spread out cost -If you travel, makes the board bag not as tall which makes packing easier. Negatives: -Boot can fold over back of the lowback heelcup on a hard edge catch. -Had this happen and tore open the heel of my JB Webb boots. -Boots are bulky to swim in. -Noticeably harder to swim in than a removable liner and much hard than bare feet. -The boots need to fit your foot shape. Only Hyperlite makes them, so options are limited. The JB Webbs were never great for me. The Murray was perfect but they stopped making them. Neither are made anymore. Tried on the Freepress and it was bad for me which is when I switched to Space Mobs. Make sure you try them on before buying. -Have to be mindful of screws on bindings as you can lose a strap easily otherwise Neutral: -Feel different than normal wakeboard bindings. Closer to a snowboard feel. For me this meant a little less of a uniform connection to the board and more of the feeling of 2 tight straps holding you down. Some love, some don’t. If I were to ride them again, I think I would give the highback “pro” version a try. I don’t love the look of them, but I think the support would be a plus.