UKC

Looking for a new pad and i've narrowed the selection down to the DMM Highball, Moon Warrior, and Snap Bun. They are all around the £150 mark, all similar in size and all reputable brands.

The DMM pad is the only hinged unit and the other 2 are taco style - never used any of these so not sure about foam quality... Found a few reviews online for each but nothing extensive. This would be my main pad.

In reply to chrissys:

If you have your own transport, get the highball. It's the best mat I've used and always the 'main' one when we're blanketing an area outdoors. Good foam that lasts forever, takes high drops with less fuss than others and just gets the job done. Only problem I'm having with mine is the straps are starting to unstitch at the back, after 2-3 years of high use.

If you don't have your own transport I wouldn't get something as big as a highball. Total bitch to move by bus/train.

In reply to Removed User:
FWIW, I don't have a car, and found the Highball was a good size -- about as big as you can get while juuuuust wedging into luggage spaces on trains, etc.. And it's definitely a great quality mat.

So, your mileage may vary depending on what you feel prepared to wrangle on public transport.

If you know you're always going to be bouldering with friends who have their own mats, then you could go for something smaller. But the Highball is great if you're climbing with only one mat.

In reply to chrissys:

http://www.bergfreunde.co.uk/bergfreundede-paddy-kava-v2-crash-pad/ - free shipping, too. Nearly the same as DMM Highball (although never used), but 1.5cm thinner.

I have this one and it does its job (I am not a big boulderer, so use it rather rarely). I like that it can be either 120cmx100cm or 60cmx200cm, hence you can sleep on it, too (I did that and it works quite well).

In reply to Removed User:

We properly love the Snap pads and use a Bun as our main one and would highly recommend. Only used a Highball pad once and it was decent.

In reply to PPP:

I had seen these OCUN pads but they do seem rather cheap in comparison which makes me a bit skeptical - reviews would prove otherwise though as they seem very positive.

In reply to chrissys:

Well, if that helps, Ocun and DMM collaborates to some extent, Ocun makes harnesses for DMM*. I imagine that DMM products can still use higher end materials than Ocun does, but general build quality should be fairly similar. As I said, I own an Ocun Kava bouldering mat (it was on sale, so I paid like 60 quid or so for it) and it works. It is slightly different design and has different thickness, so at least you don't pay twice for just the same bouldering mat with a different logo. Also, DMM uses 3 layers of foam where Ocun Kava has 2 layers of foam.

* Source: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=336158

In reply to db79:

Does the Snap Bun have any type of enclosure at the bottom of the pad when closed to stop stuff inside (guide book etc.) from falling out? - I can't see from any photo's i've found weather it does or not... it's not listed as a feature on any product descriptions i've come across so i'm assuming not?

It's looking like a Snap Bun or the DMM Highball - taco or not to taco is the question!!!

In reply to chrissys:

It's got a velcro strap at the bottom which stops shoes and most things slipping out - I've had a guidebook fall out of the bottom though, so you'd be better putting small things inside a bag or something before stuffing it inside the pad.

There tends to be at least a couple of us when we go out bouldering, and someone often has a rucksack, so the guide gets shoved into that.

In reply to chrissys:

Had my DMM highball for 5 years and its still going strong. Great foam and it hasnt gone all mushy like other pads do after a while.

I have had to repair some shoulder strap stitching with floss but that's cos i travel with a ridiculous amount of kit in the pad sometimes. (7kg tripod, 4L water, shoes, chalk, stick brush, etc)

Also purchased the Moon Warrior at christmas time, again it's a fantastic pad but it's quite a bit bulkier to move around and doesn't fold nearly as small as the Highball on account of the Taco style.

You can't really go wrong with either one so it depends if you want one to pack down slightly better or you want the slightly bulkier (and thicker) pad. Warrior has a great closure system for filling it with gear also.

In reply to Removed User:


Take the foam out and use floss to stitch it back on. Works better than the original stitching!

Do any of you store your taco pads unfolded? I'd probably just be keeping my pad in the boot so folded a lot of the time.

Just seen this pad too http://www.exxpozed.com/edelrid-mantle-2.html?s=309957&currency=GBP&...

Doesn't look bad for £130, can't find many reviews though but the one's I have found seem promising...

In reply to chrissys:

One thing to beware of with folding mats is that they can often get blown shut by the wind, I had it happen to me last week and it took about 2.5 hours to repair. I'll likely be getting a second mat soon and it'll definitely be a taco style mat!

Im leaning more towards the Snap Bun for £140 purely because its a big, fat pad that is slightly cheaper than the DMM Highball. After all the main function of the pad is protection so the bigger and fatter the pad the better.

My only concern is the taco pad being folded a lot due to storage...

In reply to chrissys:

We store ours flat, either under the bed in winter, or anywhere it fits and we can grab it quickly in summer. Not sure what the effects of storing it folded would be, but I think the manufacturer recommends against it.

Final decision time - Moon Warrior @ £140 for 130x100x12cm or Snap Bun @ £135 for 135x100x12cm

The warrior has the folding flap to allow for secure gear loading where as the Bun does not but the Bun is slightly bigger...

In reply to chrissys:

Get the one with the flap

In reply to Hamfunk:

Does your moon warrior have the plastic bag lining inside around the foam?

In reply to chrissys:

I've got an Ocun Paddy Moonwalk - exactly the same as a Highball, same 3-layer foam, same size, thickness etc...but it also has Ocun's L-shape zip, so you can open the pad like a normal mat, or along it's short side, for sleeping on or traversing, it's been really useful on many occasions. Foam is still good after two years.

In reply to chrissys:

Yes.

Does anyone else store taco pad folded? I could put it in my garage unfolded but it might go mouldy and it leaks in a few places...

Quite like the idea of just keeping the pad in the car folded so I can just nip straight off after work if the weathers good rather than faffing about getting home and stuff to get the pad out.

In reply to chrissys:

Yes I store it folded. Get the warrior.

In reply to chrissys:

Ordered the new Moon Warrior from Taunton Leisure for £135 delivered so will see what's it like when it turns up next week sometime!

In reply to chrissys:

Moon pad turned up today, it's a lot bigger than I anticipated and a such does not fit in the boot of my car but I do drive a Mini Clubman which has a small-ish odd shaped boot so I kind of thought this may happen - seat droppin' time!

Pad seems solid enough, very firm foam, looks like only the corners are made from Ballistic Nylon though and not the whole pad - this seems to be some kind of Ripstop fabric.

Taunton Leisure have been great, speedy delivery with regular updates with the parcels whereabouts.

In reply to chrissys:

You'll be glad of it's size and thickness when you fall on it!