Review on Dakine Deluxe Fin Leash Black by Nate Ducey

The Dakine Delux Fin Leash is a climber's brainchild. It should be noted that neoprene wear occurs under adverse conditions and does not typically rot or separate from the Velcro liner. The straps are packaged fully assembled and must be disassembled to fit the fins around the heel strap. This can be a problem for someone with large or weak fingers. At first glance, it might seem impossible to fold the belt's band over the buckle since the end of the band is sewn, but slipping part of the belt through the opposite side of the buckle gives you enough slack to end around the end to turn around back through the perimeter of the buckle at a 30 degree angle and pinch back the sewn end, which is actually a failsafe to prevent the end of the strap from slipping out of the buckle. The straps are woven through the grommets carefully protected by a thin layer of neoprene cement around the grommets. The buckles must also be pulled through the grommets before the pads can be fitted around the fin heel strap. Once the neoprene pad is wrapped around the heel strap in the fins, the nylon strap and buckle can be re-attached through the grommets on the pads and the buckled strap reinserted into the buckle end clip. Neoprene padding is not heavy but comfortable and will not affect the size of your swim fins, no need to buy half a size larger to meet recommendations elsewhere. It's best to leave the fin pads on when fitting, but if you have other sets of fins you should probably buy a pair of Dakine pads for every pair you own. Once installed, it is very easy to attach and tighten the slats. A fin strap with a buckle at the top of the foot and removing the fins is as simple as unbuckling the buckle and then removing the fins. No velcro around the ankle or laces to get tangled, they really aren't a problem once they're on.