Long a staple of ski and snowboard boots, heat-molding has finally made its way into surf booties. Photo: Body Glove
Ever pop up on a wave only to realize that your booty, which doesn’t quite fit right, is folded under your toes? If you have, it’s probably ruined your wave — stepping on your bootie isn’t exactly conducive to high performance. Nor are brick-like tootsies resulting from leaky, ill-fitting booties.
The cure is a better fit, and a new, first-of-its-kind heat-moldable surf bootie from Body Glove, the Red Cell Solite Bootie, could help make chilly sessions less miserable.
Heat-moldable liners are already standard in ski and snowboard boots but as of now haven’t made their way into surf gear. The moldable material, EVA or ethylene-vinyl acetate, is actually the same material standard surfboard foot pads and yoga mats are made of.
Molding is simple: Pour boiling water into the booties. Quickly rinse them with cold water so you don’t scald your dogs. Then slide on the booties, wait five minutes, and ka-blam: the booties are molded. Heat-moldable neoprene gloves are apparently on the horizon, too, and heat-moldable booties could be available from other companies soon.
The Red Cell Solite Booties are available now in 3mm ($80), 5mm ($85) and 7mm ($90).
Molding is as easy as this:
