Clear Grip XM Surfboard Traction
Accessory Reviews
Overall Rating
Pros
Resists dirt, heat, and UV
Does not degrade
Comparable grip to medium coat of wax
Allows artwork to show through
Cons
More expensive than wax
Good grip on a surfboard is critical. Whether you're riding for the title or for fun, you'll need good foot-to-board friction. For the vast majority of surfers, wax provides that necessary grip. Wax is cheap and relatively easy to apply. But it's far from perfect. Fortunately, there's an alternative, Clear Grip XM surfboard traction. Clear Grip provides heat, UV, and dirt resistant traction. That means you'll never have to reapply a coat of wax or worry about hot days from ruining your wax coat. Also, as the name implies, the material is clear so your artwork can finally shine through unabated. Overall, Clear Grip feels like a medium coat of wax. For shortboard riders, this is just the right amount of grip. For those that require a lot of grip, you can apply a light coat of wax to Clear Grip to enhance the traction. Clear Grip does not come cheap - it'll run you about $30-50 to cover a 6-7ft board and $70-100 for 8-9ft board. But if you've ever had the heat or sun ruin your wax coat, the premium is worth not having to deal with the mess. Click here to buy Clear Grip!
The Test
Pre-Session
Clear Grip comes in 10.75 inch x 1.5 foot sticker sheets. You can place them in series down the length of your board and even cut them out for additional grip along the side for your hands. At first glance, the Clear Grip is barely visible, which leaves you free to enjoy the artwork, see the close up image of the Pro II below. Dry, the Clear Grip material doesn't feel that tacky. But once in the water, the material becomes porous and tacky, while expanding slightly like a sponge. Approximately 5 minutes in the water the material reaches its full tackiness.Paddling
Paddling on a shortboard with a wetsuit, the Clear Grip was comparably tacky to a light to medium coat of wax. This was sufficient to keep the board in place when paddling even in textured conditions. On bigger boards, the Clear Grip will give you ample paddling grip. To enhance the grip you can add a light coat of wax at the chest area. We found that the Clear Grip worked well enough without the wax.Riding
Once up on the board, the Clear Grip provided ample grip for turns and maneuvers. For big snaps and airs, we used the tract pad to drive the board, but the front foot had plenty of grip for these maneuvers. The Clear Grip worked just as well for any foot adjustments. The traction should hold up for boards under 9 foot. But depending on your size, board weight and surfing style, you may require more traction. There are two options: you can add a light coat of wax, which greatly enhances traction or wear booties which tract well with Clear Grip. Also, the manufacturer recommends lightly sanding the Clear Grip to enhance the texture and grip.Benefits
So what are the benefits to Clear Grip? You'll never need to reapply wax every couple of sessions. Sand and dirt won't stick to it. You can also wash off any stains with soap and water. And you won't have to worry about your wax smearing on a hot day or getting on the underside of your board. We didn't get a chance to stress test the durability of Clear Grip, but it's suppose to last the life of your board, so you won't have to worry about replacing it.Conclusion
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