Is Boa Better Than Traditional Laces?

Years ago traditional laces were the only option for snowboard boots. Today we have approximately 3 different options. Boa System, speed laces and traditional laces. Below I will list the pros and cons of each and tell you why I think Boa is the best.

 

 

 

Traditional Laces

We learned how to tie our shoe laces back in kindergarten and while Velcro was cool for a bit everyone on the planet uses laces to attach shoes and boots to their feet.  They have thousands of years of testing and still do the job.

Pros: 

• They are easy to use. 

• They are easy to replace and you can always find a spare lace if one should ever break.

• You can tighten or loosen key sections of your foot for added control and comfort.

Cons: 

• Sometimes it’s difficult to get them tight enough. This results in sloppy loose boots that have to be constantly re-tightened throughout the day. 
• Slow

 

Speed Laces

Much like regular laces, speed laces have almost all the same benefits with the added convenience of speed.

Pros:

• Easy to use. 
• Most have dual or quad zone control.
• Fast

Cons:

• If they break they can be extremely difficult to replace. 

 

Boa System

 

It was designed by a heart surgeon who was tired of waiting for his son to lace up his snowboard boots. The Boa System allows riders to adjust the tightness of their boots at any given moment. This is great for little hikes you might want to do in the backcountry or avoiding tripping over your laces while having an end of the day beer. 

Pros: 

• Convenience of loosening or tightening at any moment throughout the day
• Lifetime warranty on parts
• Fast
• Double Boa Systems exist for zonal control
• If you have spare parts they are very easy to replace

Cons:

• If you don’t have spare parts you are going to have some trouble