UKC

Hi All,

I own a Snap Pad and Metilous Session. I want a third pad as I am off on a little trip soon. I want the safety of three pads so willing to load myself (as donkey) with three pads but carrying a taco and hinge and possibly a third is wee bit complicated.

Have thought about dropping the Metolious and opting for a larger pad but this would need to be a hinged system as the likes of a Saturn with my Snap (taco) wont work when strapping them up. An Organic Big Pad would do the trick but the cost is... er.... high. As a seperate question is there a lower cost but realible big crash pad which is a hinged system that peeps would recommend.

Or, is there a piece of kit out there will be able to load the three pads together with an independent shoulder strap and waist system to then carry all three at the same time.

Cheers

Most use a webbing strap with a metal ratchet to strap them together then put the whole lot on your back.

If it's just two pads it may be easy enough to hook the rucksack straps of the second pad over the corners of the first pad. That's what I do, then carry pad 3 and 4 in each hand. Most of the places I climb at are only a few hundred metres from the car though.

Agree with somerset, just get some compression straps, I've carried 3 pads of  taco and hinged design without any problems. 

The main problem with be the strength of the shoulder straps. If you regularly use the biggest one, for the one on your back, I would reinforce the stitching.

I use bungees, one round both pads horizontal and one round both vertical. 

I prefer hinged mats as they stack easier both on my back and for leveling out the floor. 

At the moment I strap the Snap to the Metolious (around the top) and this works ok. Snap have dreadful straps so has to be the Metolius to carry the Snap (this is sounding like the wolf, sheep and cabbage problem).

Ok, I think the only option is to buy a larger pad and strap the Snap to this. And just accept that for balance I will need to carry the Metolius. Stating that The Organic Big Pad is pretty robust so guessing this would be bomber for carrying the Metolius and the Snap. Thoughts?

Eyewatering really but I would have spent £1000 on pads if I go for the Organic Big Pad.... I suppose its cheaper than a crack addiction. lol

Have you seen the recent big pad review

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/bouldering_mats/large_bouldering_m...

I would add the Ocun Dominator to your list of possibles.  I really like it and good value compared to some of the others in the review.

Has no-one come up with some sort of trampoline system yet? Imagine what you could highball with something like that.

I like the idea of wee bounce... this could perhaps a whole new dimension that falling off could be a postive in bouldeirng.

Thanks for the post on pad reviews. Its a lengthy beast but when looking at £300+++ it pays to know what is on the market and how I can sole my Wolf, Sheep and Cabbage saga

Still think there is scope for someone, somewhere, to invent a better solution for combing multiple pads together - there is finite limit on this when you think 3 pads could be 25kg.

I have a metolius on my back and an ocun moonwalk that attaches to it just using the provided strap, no need for a ratchet thing or a dedicated strap. The pad that goes over the back needs to have a strap that you can put in shoulder carry mode rather than rucksack mode, so that it will wrap over the pad you are carrying - pads with only fixed rucksack straps are no good.

I have a couple of smaller (<5kg) ones that I carry in my hands. Two is much more effort than one on a long walk in as with only one you can swap arms regularly. It's not really a problem at all.

I have also put my old large pod pad (normally unused now) over the top of the metolius as well so that I had three on my back and one in each arm, to pad out Art of White Hat. Unfortunately I was so knackered by the time I got there I could hardly climb, that method is not recommended

I've been using the metolius like this for 5 years now and it's still going strong.