Snowboarding gear advice?

[aznutx]

Looking for some advice on bindings/boots, i got everything else, i consider myself slightly above intermediate level, i can basically hit boxes/rails but none of the halfpipe stuff, though i can make it up and that's about it haha

so to narrow it down, im going to start off with bindings
any opinions on Flow's? i just like the convenience but that one wire looks like it'll come loose or break
any opinions on Unions? lots of people are going for these some reason, they just look normal

[kaos2774]

I'm a big fan of ride Beta bindings.

[chasemyaccord]

I'm a big fan of Ride bindings. When I bought mine, the choice came down to either Ride SPi's or Burton Missions. It should come down to whether or not you like a stiff or loose binding. Main difference is Rides are aluminum and don't flex much, versus Burtons which are plastic and flex more. I'm not high on the idea of having plastic bindings, but they are fairly durable from what I hear. I don't like flex, so the choice was simple for me. It's a matter of personal preference.

I'd say you can't go wrong with Ride SPi's. I grabbed them at Costco for $130 a couple years ago (although Ride won't warranty them because they never authorized Costco to resell that batch). I think can find them for under $200 if you look online. Before I found that deal, I was on a pair of Ride EX bindings which are pretty affordable and they were great too.

Flows are the ones that you "step into" (not literally, but you pull the heel support up to latch in) right? I was never a big fan of those either, although my friend has them and he likes them.

For boots, I didn't shell out much money on them. I think I bought Burton Motos which were cheap. They have two draw strings on each side (one for upper laces, one for lower) and they're extremely quick and easy to get into. I'm not an expert on boots, so I can't recommend anything. But I did talk to an avid snowboarder who told me NOT to get those boots where you twist the dial knob to tighten. He says they have poor ankle support, and when I tried it on, I could see what he was talking about. Boots aren't very hard to shop for, just go to the store and try them on until you find one you're comfortable with.

[heff]

FLOW SUCKS!!!!

I work at a boardshop that carries technine (****), Drake(alright), Flux(****), union (amazing) etc. Ive had my experience with it all and here come my opinions!

Burton is amazing equipment, they are a huge company and have plenty of RD in their equipment but is VERY OVERPRICED!!!! if ur rich and wana look good buy their stuff, not to mention their new setup with their bindings are kick *** if u wana have a gangster stance : P

Union Bindings are by far the best I have ever rode! Very forgiving in harsh weather, never had a strap break or bolt come undone. Ive rode ride bindings burtons, u name it ive rode it, and nothing compares to the Unions. Get a pair of forces imo, the datas are the same thing with some extra print and they are $40-$75 more!

FLOW SUCKS DO NOT BUY THEM! DONT BE LAZY AND IT DOESNT TAKE LONG TO DO UP A NORMAL PAIR OF BINDING!!!! I HAVE HAD MANY PEOPLE BITCH AND COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM LOL!!!

As for boots get something comfortable and get the boardshop to mould them for u! I really like the 32 line up, relativly cheap with lots of RD in them! Id recomend the TM-Twos they looks like they have a lot of fwd lean but it really isnt much, i switched to them last year and loved them for the day i rode them then broke my ankle....

I wouldnt recomend the ultra lights becuase they will break down quicker than any boot just for the fact that they have less material and they are made for the people that dont want heavy duty boots and only get the the hill 3-4 times a year. Any other promodel boot is guna rape u in the pockets, adding walkers name to a boot bumps it up in price!

Burton boots suck. I rode many of burton setups and loved them all minus the boots, my last pair(hails) sucked, werent comfy, broke down super easy, I bought them becasue they were wicked looking and I thought they were the BEEZZZNEEZZZ lol

honestly try on a few and buy wats comfy, dont worry about price because its like anything you get wat u pay for, but somtimes the $$$ boots dont feel right for some ppl so do some shopping, compare prices but in the long run get wat feels good!!!

If u have any other questions shoot me a pm, ive been riding for like 10 years so i know my stuff a lil : )

[J.Oh]

boots - get whatever fits your foot without heel lift, its all based on preference for boots fck company name its w/e fits your foot. i have an exceptionally wide foot so i ride with salomons they have a great wide boot selection compared to burton which i also own a pair of which i have terrible heel lift
i went from a size 13 burton to a 10 1/2 W salomon

unions/burton = durable

anything else... lets just say you dont want to go down in a blizzard with em

[aznutx]

ya thx for the quick replies, i was hesitant on the flows, i came from a pair of old drake stepins for 5yrs, i actually love them, mostly for convenience, as far as feel, i wouldnt say they were the best, but definately werent bad, so that's why naturally i was thinkin flows, but yeah i might just buckle down and waste the extra 20secs to strap in

all ur advices were pretty much what i wanted to hear, im probably going with unions, and boots, ill just buy wutever fits well, though im from west tx there's nothing for em to try on, so ill try to buy some when i go boarding before hand or something

thx again

[ShanesG]

Boots - everyones foot is different so different brands will feel different for everyone. For me i ride with 32's they fit my feet real nice. try on a handful and walk around and feel which ones are most comfotable.

Bindings - Flows DONT GET, they have the convienence but EVERY person i know that has had them wanted to throw them into a fire. I ride with Ride bunding, again because i feel they are the most comforable and i like the support they gige for my style. Not a huge fan a burton bindings, had friends that had their straps break a fair amount for some reason. Maybe they fixed that, they also tend to run more expensive just because of their burton name. I would say check out some ride, rome, technique bindings.