An integral part of buying a wakeboard is choosing bindings. You could almost say that choosing the right binding is crucial, as the way the binding fits you affects the whole ride and your feeling of it.
We therefore strongly recommend that you try the binding before purchasing. The correctly chosen binding must not limit or pull you anywhere, the foot must feel completely comfortable in it, but at the same time it must be strengthened for perfect cooperation with the board. If you are buying a binding only for yourself, look after a boot with a closed toe and your toes will be protected. If you share the binding with friends, try a boot with an open toe, which allows you to wear it on different sizes of feet. However, the toes should never protrude from the boot, so if there are more of you in the group, choose the size of the binding according to the size of the largest foot.
The System binding is a Hyperlite brand domain. These are separate bindings and boots, as you know it from a snowboard. So you only detach yourself from the bindings and when you fall on the cable you go back to the start comfortably wearing boots, which is an advantage especially on a stony path, uncomfortable for bare feet.
Riders like Shaun Murray or Rusty Malinoski, who tested The System, praise it for its strength and support on the one hand and excellent comfort on the other. At the same time, they point to the excellent transfer of energy from the rider's body to the board, which results in precise and, most importantly, immediate mastery of tricks.
With this type of binding, the boot with the binding forms one unit, it is not two separate units as with The System binding, or on a snowboard. The boot with the binding is attached to the wakeboard firmly, so when you fall, you take off your boots completely.
Closed toe binding allows better transmission of forces, protects the toes and prevents movement of the foot in the binding. Buy a closed binding if you know that you will not lend it to friends and you want more protection for your feet.
The boot with the binding again forms one unit, the difference is only in the open toe. Open toe bindings have the undeniable advantage that you can use it in a group of friends, where everyone has a different foot size. Thanks to the open toe, it is also easy to rinse out the sand that gets into the binding during putting 'em on, but the fingers are not so protected.