go for the paddle, world of diff. out there. A front directional is worth the 40$ as well. This is alot less harsh on your bikes b/c no excessive wheel spin. I have rode both nobb/ and paddle, and after the paddle i will never ride the dunes w/o one!
u can still ride nobbie, i know i do! i don't feel like spending more money just to buy a different tire that i would have to spend time changing from track to dunes to track.
I've ridden everything there without a paddle without any trouble. A paddle would be great, but is not needed. There aren't any real big hill climbs a newer knobbie can't handle.