Slyde handboards?

'Sup SI? Now that I've got a few months and sessions under my belt with the Slyde I want to share an update.

TL;DR: This thing is probably the best ~$150 I've ever spent on surfing. It has quite literally revolutionized my surfing.

Ok, so longer version. I've ridden the board in everything from 1' slop to about chest-head high and relatively clean, and it is rideable and fun in all of those conditions. I mentioned a while back in another thread that I was debating between taking the train to work and driving, with the caveat that if I take the train I'm unlikely to surf that day. Well, I decided finally that the drive on the I-5 every day was killing me and have been taking the train exclusively for almost two months now. And, I was right, surfing during the day has been almost impossible (although it is possible after work now that the days are longer). However, it turns out that the Slyde is just the right size to stick in a backpack with some Churchills strapped on the back...perfectly convenient.

By the time I get done work the surf is usually blown out. But, on the Slyde it is still possible to have a lot of fun. As you guys know, bodysurfing can be awesome even in trashed surf. So what I've been doing is taking the Slyde and fins with me to work and back, and when I get off the train if there is any surf at all I just throw on the fins and paddle out. I'm actually getting more time in the water than before! And, I'm finding that I am paddling out more often because riding the Slyde is still fun in waves that I would have otherwise just blown off if I had a regular board.

It gets better, though. Last week I had to travel to Norfolk VA for work and I threw the Slyde and fins in my suitcase. On Wednesday afternoon I was able to bodysurf 1st Street where it was almost unrideable on a surfboard, and no way would I have spent the money to rent one (or bring one) for those waves. Thursday I drove down to the Outer Banks and bodysurfed this little 1-2' hollow wave on some sandbar near Nags Head...85 degrees, straight offshore winds, and this tiny little peeler that was perfect for the Slyde. I even got a little barrel...a 1' barrel is pretty awesome when you're only 6" off the water.

Last Saturday it was about chest-ish and fairly clean and I decided to take out the Slyde instead of a regular board. It was nice; when I'm bodysurfing I can weave in and out of the crowd easier, and catch a lot of waves that the rest of the crowd misses. When it got too packed, I just moved down the line and caught some corners. There is just so much less pressure when everything is fun to catch.

So, all that is to say that I give the Slyde a solid two thumbs up. Yes, it's expensive for what it is, but I also think it is a very well made. The creators really put some thought into it and the more I'm riding it the more I'm appreciating its quality. I find myself regretting not having something like this years and years ago...all those days I checked the surf and then just went home because it was blown out, too small, whatever, and this thing would have enabled me to get an hour in the water. It really has been an amazing experience for me, and, if I'm going to be honest, I find myself just pulling out the Slyde rather than a board even when it is surfable sometimes. I'm just having more fun swimming out and catching 20 waves in an hour and not worrying about crowds, winds, boning a takeoff, getting dropped in on, missing waves...it's just no hassle fun.

If you're sitting on the fence, I say definitely give one a try.