For this traction project I decided to work on traction for a surf bootie. Important context for this product is that it in the world of surf it is only acceptable to wear booties if the water is between 54F and 59F roughly. At these temperatures surfers are wearing wetsuits to accompany their booties. If the water is much warmer it is surf culture to go barefoot, giving a more natural ride and superior control. This attitude within the surf community was key to understanding the importance of a natural ride.
To start off I looked at exiting products in the realms of surf, water shoes and traction in wet conditions.
Moving forward it is clear that traction is critical, it’t interaction with a waxed surface must be taken into consideration and that tiling patterns from wet road tires could be useful.
Below is a two page condensed report of the steering and body weight mechanics in the sport with where I feel existing traction could improve.
