Yay ME!! I learned nothing!!! IMO anything except straight braid is superfluous. Conversely, backing is a time/money saver. I have a reel with backing from 1998 when it was still a flat weave.
FUN TIP: After splicing/trimming; superglue (tiny drop) the knot and roll between fingers to eliminate/streamline the tag ends. I guess don't try this with FlexSeal superglue as one could lose flesh instead of partial fingerprints according to the loud assed commercials.
BTW: All my braid splices are double Palomar. This requires removing the reel/BC or spool during the
first beer. Dooming a great fish due to knot slip or no wire with a mouthful of lure is tantamount to wounding and not recovering an animal. Negative experiences gave me the conclusion the only logical knot for braid is the
Palomar. A "double" is likely unnecessary and results with 12in tag ends IME joining lines.
This "Palomar Splicing" concept came to me in a dream from a pyramid architect
Another tip about straight braid: