Greatest Bouldering Crash Pads of 2023

Bouldering was as soon as thought of a easy coaching exercise for longer climbing routes and massive partitions, however has since develop into one of the widespread types of mountaineering.

In comparison with different climbing disciplines, bouldering is approachable and straightforward to grasp. All you might want to get began is a pair of climbing footwear, chalk, and a very good crash pad.

The item of the sport is easy: climb to the highest — no rope required. As you enhance, tougher routes confide in you with recent prospects, providing a satisfying technique for monitoring progress. It’s a social world, the place hanging out with fellow climbers is as a lot part of each session because the precise climbing.

Properly-placed crash pads are important for secure outside bouldering. And now, as new merchandise arrive to satisfy the rising calls for of pebble wrestlers all over the place, there are extra crash pad choices than ever earlier than.

From recognizable and well-established manufacturers like Metolius and Natural to newer, modern designs from the likes of Asana and Trango, we examined and compiled the very best crash pads accessible in 2023.

Scroll by way of to see the entire crash pads we suggest. On the finish of our listing, you should definitely try our comparability desk and complete purchaser’s information.

Editor’s Notice: We up to date this text in September 2023, including 4 new crash pads and many recent shopping for recommendation.

The Greatest Bouldering Crash Pads of 2023

Crash Pad Comparability Chart

How We Examined Crash Pads

This listing of suggestions has been compiled by Austin Beck-Doss, an avid climber and climbing teacher who has been bouldering and falling repeatedly on crash pads for a few years. Primarily based in Lander, Wyoming, Austin is surrounded by world-class bouldering areas. GearJunkie Climbing Editor Seiji Ishi additionally examined and reviewed a number of pads.

With a number of many years of bouldering expertise between them, Austin and Seiji have developed a eager sense of how a crash pad ought to carry out, and which of them stand out above the remaining.

Whereas testing crash pads, we paid explicit consideration to foam density and sturdiness, versatility, design, and general worth. Accounting for every of those elements, this listing comprises the top-performing bouldering pads accessible at this time.

Along with subject testing, we polled opinions from elite climbers and novices alike. Our last listing of suggestions is the mixed results of thorough first-hand expertise and quite a few nerdy conversations about options, material, foam, and sketchy landings.

Purchaser’s Information: The best way to Select a Crash Pad

When selecting the right crash pad for you, you’ll first wish to establish your particular wants as a climber. If you’re new to outside bouldering and seeking to purchase your first pad, purchase a very good, all-around choice that’s sturdy and matches your funds.

If you’re in search of one thing to guard your 30-foot-tall highball undertaking, you’ll need one thing with thick padding and many floor space.

A number of elements contribute to the general safety {that a} crash pad provides. Dimension, thickness, foam kind, outer materials, and hinge kind ought to be issues for anybody seeking to buy a crash pad.

Dimension

Crash pads are available quite a lot of sizes. After all, extra floor space is a constructive trait in a crash pad. Extra floor space equals extra safety.

Nevertheless, merely buying the biggest pad accessible may not be the very best transfer for everybody. Giant pads are costly, and so they additionally are typically fairly heavy.

If you happen to drive a small hatchback or a sedan, you may not be capable of match a big pad inside for transport to the boulders. Typically, a big pad is any pad with a touchdown space measuring over 20 sq. toes. These behemoths usually have names just like the Mondo or the Magnum, and so they’re particularly useful for prime bouldering.

Pads with a touchdown space of lower than 20 sq. toes may be thought of regular-sized pads. This class varies fairly a bit in measurement, and it’s often a very good place to start out for these seeking to purchase their first pad.

The Natural Full Pad and the Metolius Session II are each choices within the common pad class. Pads of this measurement can generally stand alone as safety for brief boulder issues with flat landings. Extra usually, climbers use a number of regular-sized pads collectively to create a secure touchdown zone.

One more measurement choice is the supplemental pad. Anticipate pads on this class to be lower than half the scale of open common pads, and a bit thinner, too.

These smaller, lighter pads are designed for use as dietary supplements to common or giant pads, and so they don’t provide a lot on their very own. As a substitute, a supplemental pad can present a key piece of protection over a sharp rock or ankle-threatening crater.

Supplemental pads are nice for boulder issues with a sit begin — particularly when the bottom is moist or muddy.

Thickness

After floor space, pad thickness is an important attribute to contemplate. Common pads are often between 3 and 5 inches thick. Giant pads are nearly at all times no less than 4 inches thick. Supplemental and sit begin pads are often round an inch thick.

A pleasant, thick pad goes a protracted technique to cushion your fall from that precarious high out on the lip of your undertaking. If you happen to plan to pursue tall boulder issues with doubtlessly scary falls, go for a thicker pad.

For sure falls, the thickness of a single pad is just not enough. You’ll must stack a number of pads on high of one another. Bottoming out and feeling the bottom by way of your pad is an expertise that each boulderer needs to keep away from.

Nevertheless, thickness alone doesn’t inform you how efficient any explicit pad is at softening a fall. Supplies are additionally an element.

Supplies and Layering

Two major forms of foam are used within the layers of a crash pad. Open-cell foam comprises small compartments which can be open to the air. When compressed, the air inside every of those cells can escape. After compression, air will rush again into these cells to pump the froth again up and assist it return to its authentic form.

Closed-cell foam doesn’t have practically as a lot give as open-cell foam. Closed-cell foam is agency and pretty inflexible, because the air contained in the cells is just not in a position to escape, even throughout impression.

Most crash pads use a layered system that mixes closed-cell foam with open-cell foam. Typically, these layers are configured in order that the stiffer closed-cell foam can disperse the impression throughout the pad’s total space whereas the gentle open-cell foam absorbs the impression.

Totally different producers select to layer their foam in numerous strategic configurations. Some pads are stuffed with chunks of froth moderately than giant, flat layers. This ends in a extra pliable crash pad general, which is nice for specialty use however is just not as efficient as a standalone pad.

When foam wears out, which it inevitably will with heavy use, firms like Natural Climbing provide substitute foam to present the pad new life.

Crashpad foam is housed in a sturdy outer casing — usually created from abrasion-resistant nylon. Since your crashpad will keep in touch with rocks, timber, and dirt, ensure it comes with a high quality outer protecting.

Kinds of Hinges

Due to their giant touchdown zones, bouldering pads should be folded to develop into sufficiently small to simply transport. Just a few completely different folding strategies exist, and every comes with its personal execs and cons.

The most typical forms of crash pad hinges embody the basic hinge, the angled hinge, the taco, and the hybrid.

Basic Hinge

Crash pads with basic hinges are the commonest. A basic hinge is discovered on a pad that merely folds in half alongside a crease made from nylon or different material. All sides of the pad is a separate compartment of layered foam, and the 2 sides fold completely collectively with out creating any area in between.

Whereas folded, the basic hinge doesn’t compress any of the pad’s foam, which is sweet for longevity. When compressed, foam loses its integrity over time.

The draw back to the basic hinge is that, when the pad is laid out throughout a climbing session, there’s a small hole between the 2 symmetrical compartments of layered foam. This hole — also called a gutter — can create a hazard as a result of there isn’t any foam to soak up impression beneath the nylon.

When utilizing a pad with a basic hinge, it’s vital to make sure that no rocks or different hazards are sitting contained in the gutter’s open area. Some producers like Black Diamond have added Velcro to the within of the hinge to assist get rid of destructive area.

Angled Hinge

To resolve the gutter drawback, different producers, together with Metolius, make the most of an angled hinge that’s lined with Velcro. When the pad is open, this hinge fashion creates overlapping foam layers and significantly decreases your possibilities of bottoming out.

Taco-style Hinge

The taco-style hinge is hardly a hinge in any respect. As a substitute, taco-style crash pads are one steady piece of layered foam that merely folds in half and will get secured into place for transport. Whereas tacos completely get rid of the gutter drawback, they should compress rather a lot to fold, which may hurt the froth’s integrity over time.

Taco-style pads just like the Petzl Alto are nice for storing a number of gear, however they are typically tougher to change into backpack mode. We suggest that taco-style pads are saved open when not in use to stop extreme compression.

Hybrid

Lastly, a couple of pads mix a basic hinge with a taco fold in an try to get the very best of each worlds. These hybrid pads embody a minimize hinge that’s coated by a floor layer of froth. With hybrid hinges, the gutter is hidden beneath foam and tends to be much less of a hazard.

Outer Supplies and Sturdiness

Crash pads want to satisfy the calls for of tough terrain and heavy use. Over the lifespan of a pad, it’ll cushion falls and be dragged by way of the dust again and again.

The inside foam is contained by an outer layer of nylon material that’s tasked with going through the stress of fixed put on and abrasion. For that reason, search for a pad with a sturdy cowl.

All nylon comes with a denier rely that measures its thickness and abrasion resistance. Typically, the higher the denier rely quantity is, the harder the material might be. Most crash pads include 1,000-denier nylon or higher.

The Black Diamond Mondo pad has a rubberized underside floor so as to add sturdiness and stop pad slippage. If you already know you’ll be bouldering in areas with a number of extremely abrasive surfaces, like Joshua Tree or Vedauwoo, you want an additional sturdy nylon cowl.

Suspension System

Whereas the touchdown floor is an important practical a part of any crash pad, another options can lower trouble throughout transport. As soon as you already know the pad measurement and thickness you’re after, you’ll be able to start to contemplate different traits that will impression your choice.

Relying on the place you prefer to go bouldering, approaches may be lengthy and strenuous. If you happen to’ll be coping with troublesome hikes throughout your climbing day, you’ll wish to choose a pad with a well-designed suspension system.

Some pads on this listing weigh over 20 kilos — even earlier than you account for any additional gear. After you add your snacks, water, layers, footwear, chalk, digital camera, tripod, fan, and supplemental pads to the load, chances are you’ll find yourself lugging over 30 kilos to your undertaking.

Approaches to boulders notoriously embody talus scrambling and bushwhacking. In these circumstances, a very good suspension system could make all of the distinction.

Padding and Straps

The bigger the pad, the extra padding you’ll need on the carrying straps. Some straps are adjustable, so be sure you’ll be capable of customise your pad to suit your physique.

Some pads have a built-in sternum strap, which provides extra assist and helps the pad transfer in sync along with your physique. The Black Diamond Mondo has a noticeably snug suspension system, whereas the Petzl Alto has bolstered straps that encourage confidence within the suspension system’s longevity.

Throughout bouldering classes, straightforward seize straps or handles mean you can shortly modify the pad’s placement. Too many bells and whistles could make a pad cumbersome and overly advanced. Nevertheless, well-placed handles are price in search of out.

Lastly, do not forget that the very best crash pad is the one which meets your climbing wants and matches into your way of life. Take into consideration how you’ll transport your pad from your private home to the boulders. Usually, a single regular-size pad will match within the again seat or trunk of most small sedans. Bigger pads require bigger automobiles for transport.

If you happen to spend a whole lot of time touring, bear in mind {that a} crash pad may be troublesome to move by airplane. Most crash pads are too giant to be checked, and you need to pay additional to deliver them alongside.

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