How many traction boards to buy? 2 or 4?

Zero! Especially for what you're doing. In the woods you can always find rocks or branches to toss under there for free.

Those flashy plastic shit pieces areonly good for the overland pussies to shine on the 'gram lol.
It's an idiot badge. Don't fall for it

 

Obviously the answer is 5.
1 for each tire and one to walk on so your boots don’t get dirty.
If your in the mountains or wooded areas I don’t see the point in them. 15 years in Colorado I never needed them. I got a set now cause I go out by myself. There aren’t many trees in the prairie. There are a few other uses for them but they don’t justify the cost.

 

I only got stuck once (knock on wood). But the MaxTraxx did not help and I was sure glad one of the other guys had a snatch strap. I bought one the next day.

 

I have tred 1100 and the super cheap xbull 5 ton boards. Xbull stack really nice and are a little longer than my 1100s.
I'm happy with my cheap xbull boards for the little I've used them. Paid $110 for 4 boards.

 

they're pretty fucking amazing for what we use them for here, beach driving. Never a place to winch and its annoying to bust out the shovel when some boards will do the trick. Use it literally every single time we go to the beach to help people. That seems like the only time it'd be great though... i'd rather have a winch

 

Sand and snow are definitely their best use cases. Recovery gear is just like the tool kit you carry for emergency repairs. The more comprehensive it is the more likely you will have the correct tool for the job. Dismissing them as worthless is foolish.