Surfboard Tail Pad & Boardbag. Do you need them?

How to Apply a Surfboard Traction Pad

Beginners’ guide to surfing

Read Time: 5 Minutes

In our last few articles, we’ve spoken about most of the major accessories to your surfboard that you need to know about – fins, leashes and wax. These are the most important to know about and are necessary from the get-go, but there’s a couple more accessories which will likely come in handy further down the line which we’re going to talk about in detail in this piece. 

Tail/Traction Pads

Let’s start with traction pads, also known as tail pads. You’ve probably noticed that on a lot of boards, particularly shortboards, there is an almost-square shaped piece of what looks like foam tacked onto the tail-end of the deck. This is a tail or traction pad, and, as the name suggests, helps to keep your back foot connected to the board. 

“But isn’t that what the wax is for?” you might be wondering, and you’d be correct. The tail pad performs a similar function in providing an extra bit of grip for your back foot, but it also helps with foot placement and can be particularly useful when performing high-level manoeuvres.

Of course, if you’re just starting out this might not be hugely relevant to you, particularly if you’re on a longer board. Tail pads are generally reserved for shorter boards because you will always have your back foot in the same spot – if you’re surfing a nine or ten-footer, you don’t need to be as tied to the same part of the board and typically your back foot will be a little further up the board, meaning a tail pad would be redundant.

Having said that, if you’re not starting on a super long board they can still be useful, particularly in acting as an aide for you as a beginner in consistently setting your back foot on the correct part of your board. And even if you don’t use them now, it’s important to know about them because one day, they might come in handy. 

Though it probably sounds like a straightforward piece of equipment, tail pads can actually vary enormously. There are all sorts of different elements to them, from the number of pieces to the arch to the kick tail. The number of pieces is relatively self-explanatory; the arch refers to the raised central part of the pad which roughly mirrors the arch in your foot; while the kick tail is the raised, ramp-like section at the back of the pad. These all impact performance in a different way and most surfers have different views about what is the most suitable for them – it mostly comes down to personal preference.

Unless your board comes with a tail pad already installed – which is very possible – you’ll need to know how to put it on, something which is pretty important since you only get one shot at it. Fortunately it’s not too complicated. Beforehand, make sure you clean the tail of your board to remove anything that could impede the pad from sticking to the board. The rest of the specifics will vary a little and there are plenty of good instructional videos which are easy to follow, but make sure you line the pad up well before placing it on the board just above the leash plug. 

Boardbag

Another important accessory that you’ll likely want to invest in at some point in your surfing life is a boardbag. As you might have guessed, this is a bag in which you put your board. Do you absolutely need a boardbag? Not necessarily, but they do make life a hell of a lot easier.

Surfboards can be pretty sensitive, and since you have to regularly lug them to and from the beach it’s very easy to accidentally damage them in transit. Try to carry a board – particularly a long one – through a house full of narrow doorways and put it in a car a few times a week without ever accidentally dinging it – it’s not as easy as it sounds. A boardbag minimises this risk, and also makes it a lot easier to store them away from the harm of natural light.  

Boardbags come in many different sizes and materials. The size that you want is relatively self-explanatory – it of course needs to be big enough to fit your board but not so big that your board will slip and slide around inside it. The cheapest options are typically more like a sock than a bag, made of a cloth-like material, while a range of more durable options will cost you more but do a better job of protecting your board. 

An extension on these, if you’re ever going to be travelling with your board – something plenty of people do – you’ll need a travel bag. Airlines, unfortunately, don’t care about the condition of your board anywhere near as much as you do, so a bag which provides adequate protection is a must in this case. Typically this won’t be the same as your boardbag – and certainly not if your boardbag is a surf sock – though some travel bags are lightweight enough to double as a regular boardbag for use at home.

Boardbags and tail pads aren’t necessarily at the top of the list in terms of accessories you need for your board – they certainly aren’t a must in the same way that fins or a leash are. However, even if they aren’t one of the first surf-related item that you buy in your life, there’s every chance that if you stick with surfing you’ll eventually want them, so it’s important to understand their function and how they work. 

Next up we’ll veer away from the board and towards something equally as important – your outfit. We’ll talk about the different types of wetsuits and their pros and cons, and even touch on general swimwear for those of you who are lucky enough to have access to water warm enough to justify surfing without a wetsuit.