: Is it worth upgrading to Yakima footbraces?
: Are Keepers that bad?
: Is Yakima pretty much the industry standard?

My experience seems to correspond to everyone elses. Yakima: Strong but can jam with sand. Keepers: Can pop off in extreme bracing conditions, but typically work fine. I am equally happy with both.

If you go with Yakima, be sure to mount the draining slots on the bottom so the sand has a better chance of cleaning out.