UKC

Hi everyone,

The time has finally come to admit I might boulder more than is normal for a self respecting trad climber. I'm sure I can stop whenever I want but out of interest can anyone recommend a first pad? For a friend obviously.

I'm looking for something affordable (I don't have a big budget) but with a fair area (it will be my friends only pad). I've looked at an Alpkit phud but I was convinced by just a shoulder strap. How uncomfortable are these on longer walk ins? The cheapest rucksack style I can find is a Moon Pluto.

Any advice really appreciated.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks: I've been very happy with my Metolius Boss Hog. It's held up pretty well , shoulder straps are good but it's a bit big.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I know this is out of stock at the moment, it seems to periodically come in and out of stock, may be worth it if your happy to wait. I bought one a couple of years ago and its been great. Really well made and although not as cheap as it used to be, I think still good value.

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/ocun-paddy-kava-v2-bergfreunde-edition-crash-p...

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Moon Pluto is very small. Our club uses Metolius Sessions and they're pretty good and very hard wearing.

Alpinetrek/Bergenfreude sometimes has an own brand Ocun pad, it was about £80 a while back and was probably better than the Phud. Currently out of stock though. Similar to this https://shop.epictv.co.uk/en/bouldering-mats/ocun/paddy-sundance-crash-pad

They're good because you can set them up as a square, or a long narrow pad.

If your budget is strictly limited to £70 I'd keep an eye out on the ads here. Its simple to tell if a pad has had an easy life and therefore pretty safe to buy secondhand.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Have you though of what you want it an pad? Taco or folding design? Thickness? Type of foam? Size? (both layed out and stored), nice (removable) shoulder straps? Metal of plastic buckles?

- Cheapest option; make (more) friends with people with pads.
- Second option; buy used.
- Third option: wait for a great deal

The decathlon simond mat is really cheap even without discount, but at 8cm thick rather thin and has plastic buckles. (not that heavy, so the buckles seems ok for the application). It is really compact and easy to carry, so if space is a concern a great secondary mat.

Don't forget; sometimes getting two cheaper pads can get you more total surface area to land on ( bonus points, if they can be joined), more flexibility and it's easier to stuff in a smaller car.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I tend to think that the thin (~8cm) mats like the Phud are a bit of a false economy as a first pad. They don't actually work nearly as well as thicker pads and they don't last as long either. I've always found myself wishing I had a thicker/better mat when I've used them. As a lightweight extra pad which you can choose to use on days with longer walk ins (seriously, how often will you want to lug any pad up to samsons stones?) they're good but you'd probably wish you had a proper carry system for that.

That Ocun pad looks a pretty good deal. It's worth looking for their other pads direct from eastern europe. I got an Ocun Dominator (the best ad on the market in my mind) from Slovakia for £135 delivered so the Moonwalk could be pretty affordable - that's a great mat.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Does anyone have an opinion on this one...

https://www.holdz.co.uk/collections/bouldering-mats/products/bouldering-mat...

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


Size looks good for the money but no idea on quality, you don't see many of them about.
For your only pad, don't consider any smaller than about 125*91 or ideally 130*100. A small 100*90 type pad won't cut it. They are good second or third pads but not on their own.
Ps the ones that come in 91 cm width are usually American brands, mainly metolius and organic, as they are actually 3 feet. Pretty much all other brands do a standard 1m width.
This is useful knowledge if your car has narrow wheel arches in the boot.