Strapins (Snowboard Boot Accessory) Review

I had never heard of Strapins, until I was contacted by them and sent a pair to test out.

Honestly, it seemed to be something that was only useful if you had ill-fitting boots – or for emergency repair – but I now actually use them every time I ride (unless I’m testing snowboard boots). And I’ll give you the reason further down in the review.

First, let’s look look at what they are, what my testing process was and how well they work for the things they are proposed to do.

What Are Strapins?

Essentially Strapins are just Velcro straps that you can use to wrap around your boots. The idea behind them is that they:

• Allow you to keep riding when your boots break (temporary boot repair)
• Reduce heel lift and gaps in the boots, to increase response
• Emergency binding repair
• Keep boots tight throughout day without having to keep tightening them

Let’s take a look at my testing process for the Strapins and then, I’ll give you my opinion on how well they worked for these purposes.

My Testing Process

So that I could noticeably test the difference, I only added the Strapins to one foot at a time. And I only added one strapin at a time. So that I could tell the difference. This was the order I did it in.

Note: You get 2 Strapins in a set. To use 2 per boot, you need to get 2 sets (free international shipping on 2 or more sets).

Day 1 on the Strapins: 

1. I started the day with a run without any Strapins, as a control.
2. I then re-tightened both boots evenly
3. I attached one Strapin to my right boot – around the ankle area – I did a few runs like this
4. I then attached one Strapin around the ankle of my right boot and one around the top of my right boot (so two Strapins on one foot) – i did several laps like this
5. I re-tightened both boots and re tightened the Strapins on my right foot and did another run

Day 2 on the Strapins:

On the second day I wore all 4 Strapins all day – 2 on the left boot and 2 on the right.

Results

So how did the Strapins perform? And did they do what they’re supposed to do?

With One Strapin around the ankle

At first I didn’t notice any difference. But I have boots that fit me very well, and have very little heel-lift, so I wasn’t really expecting that much.

After a few runs though, I started to notice my left boot feeling noticeably looser around the heel. I find with my boots, on a typical day, that the liner of the boots gets loose and I usually have to re-tighten them once every few runs, to keep them at their best. It doesn’t take that long to do, but it is quite annoying.

With one Strapin on the ankle of the right boot, I noticed that it felt considerably tighter and with less heel lift than there was on the left boot, which didn’t have the Strapin.

With Two Strapins around the Right Boot

Again, the biggest difference I noticed was that after a while the left boot felt like it needed tightening – both in terms of heel lift and in around the shins – but the right boot didn’t.

This to me was the best thing about Strapins and why I still wear one Strapin per boot, around the ankle.

After re-tightening them and doing another run. I didn’t notice any difference between the two boots. So with good fitting boots, they I didn’t find any noticeable initial difference, but they do reduce the need to tighten them, which is really convenient.

Day 2 Results

On the second day I just wanted to see if I could just strap on the Strapins and forget about them and not need to tighten. I didn’t tighten them (did half a day on the mountain) and they were still feeling good at the end of the half day. Perhaps I would have had to tighten them at some point for a full day (but I would probably have loosened them for a break anyway half way through a full day, anyway).

So what about increased response?

Whilst I didn’t get any initially, I certainly did as one of the boots loosened. And if you have boots that don’t fit perfectly and/or have quite a bit of heel lift and/or a big gap at the shin, then they would make a difference from the first run of the day, for sure.

Particularly handy if you’re getting hire boots.

Other Benefits

I can definitely see how these would be good to have in case of any boot (or even binding) breakages. This would be even more beneficial if you’re out in the backcountry.

If you have dodgy ankles that require a bit more support, then this can offer it – especially with ill-fitting boots.

Get more life out of your boots. If you’ve had a pair of boots for a long time and they’ve packed out and lost some of their stiffness and are softer flexing than you would like, but want to keep them going for a bit longer, that’s certainly another use for Strapins, too.

Conclusion

Strapins are a great little inexpensive way to improve ill-fitting boots, reduce or eliminate tightening of your boots throughout the day and are a nice insurance policy for any potential breakages.

Riding on a resort, with boots that fit very well, the biggest benefit I found from them, was not having to tighten my boots – and for this reason, I still ride with these on my regular everyday boots. And it’s nice to know I have them, in case of any breakages.

You can check out more about Strapins at Strapins.com