High Quality Surfboard Grip Pads in Australia

Surf Pads: How to Find the Best Product For Your Needs

The waves are calling and that tingle that runs through your body just says, “Surf!” With surf pads, you can honour that call anytime, get in your car, and live your best life.

What Are Surf Pads

Surf pads are rack accessories that you strap down to your car’s roof racks or platforms to help you safely and securely load and transport your surfboards, SUP boards, canoes, kayaks, and more.

Why You Need Surf Pads

Getting surfboard roof rack pads promises many advantages for the savvy shopper. These include the following:

Safe and Secure Way to Load Your Boards

Surfboard pads for your car roof protect your boards or other equipment during transport. 

Surfboards, SUP boards, kayaks, and other equipment are not exactly tiny accessories that can be stowed inside your vehicle. Wet boards, in particular, will not make for pleasant companions on your ride back home. And even if you can bear the inconvenience, there's a high chance they'd get damaged due to the cramped conditions.

Additionally, it's illegal in many jurisdictions to load boards inside a vehicle if doing so would present a significant safety risk. You can be at risk of paying for penalties -- as well as endangering yourself, your travel companions, and other motorists.

With surf pads, you can free up interior space for other important things (or people!), and also feel confident that you won't be breaking the law. At the same time, your boards will be protected from scratches, as pads are designed to provide a great cushion between your roof and the boards.

More Cost-Effective Than A Full Racking System

Surf pads are also less expensive options, compared to surf racks or SUP racks. But this doesn't mean they're inferior, since these accessories are meant to offer lasting value.

First off, surfboard roof rack pads are made of weather-resistant, durable material for superior performance, even through inclement weather. Also, they work with various types of roof racks, so you don't need to worry about getting a pad customised for your specific car.

Easy to Use

Finally, surf pads don’t require difficult installation. Many of them come with Velcro straps that you can easily wrap around your car roof racks, and off you go.

They’re also non-permanent solutions, so you can easily take them off your car roof after use. Additionally, they’re easy to store and don’t need maintenance. Just throw them in your trunk and feel free to forget about them -- until you need them again!

Things to Consider When Choosing Surf Pads

Interested in finally getting your hands on some high-quality surfboard roof rack pads? Here are some things to keep in mind.

Choice of Manufacturer

There are plenty of brands that design surf pads and related accessories, but not every single one of them is a good choice. To make sure that your purchase is a worthy one that you can be proud of, make sure to choose a trusted name with a proven track record of delivering only quality products.

Aside from quality, your choice of manufacturer also plays into the after-sales support that you can expect. Some products, for instance, don't have extensive warranties, which may cause issues down the line. 

Range of Features

What you need in a surf pad also matters; the general rule of thumb is: the simpler the product, the more affordable it is.

However, surfboard roof rack pads that are on the pricier end also tend to offer better and more features. For instance, some pads come with straps to easily hold your board down on the racks. On the other hand, you might need to purchase straps separately for other pads.

Additionally, there are surf pads that are made from superior materials, harnessing patented technology to ensure optimal performance, year-round.

Consider your specific feature needs when shopping for a surf pad. If you're constantly hitting the beach, you'll want something that doesn't easily wear off -- while still providing excellent functionality.

Size and Built-in Accessories

Some surf pads are more suited to some types of boards; alternatively, some pads work better with more equipment because of their wider size. When choosing, make sure that you have a good idea of the dimensions that you'll be working with so you can find the ideal product.

Aside from the boards themselves, some pads may also work better with certain racking systems than others. Pads may be too small for some crossbars, for instance, and vice versa. Always check to verify that you won't need to return the accessories after.

Your Budget

To top it all off, set a definite budget and stick to it. This will ease the process of searching so that you won't find yourself spending more than you planned to -- or settling for something you didn't really want because you didn't know there were other, better alternatives within the same price range.

Get Your Surfboard Pads at Roof Rack & Towbar World

At the Roof Rack and Towbar World, there’s a wide variety of high-quality and performance-tested surf pads from different brands to conform to your needs and budget.

Talk to our team about your requirements. Call us at 02 8999 8878 today, or drop by our Artarmon or Burwood location.