UKC

Bouldering pads

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 Joseph Taylor 01 May 2019

hello fellow climbers, I’m after a new bouldering mat, any recommendations on an affordable yet decent mat? Probably going to head to decathlon for a browse but if anyone has any suggestions I will be highly grateful, cheers 

 mrphilipoldham 01 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

I’ve been mightily impressed with my Psychi one!

 Fishmate 01 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

A little more info would help. What is your budget, one man's affordable and decent could be next climbers dream. Do you want taco, folding or triple design?  Where do you intend to use it? For example, a triple would be very useful at Portland due to plenty of horror show landings, whereas a taco or folding design may suit The Peak better as landings are easier to protect in general.

I personally use a Moon Saturn and Warrior and would definitely replace them like for like come the time.

Post edited at 22:56
88Dan 01 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

Check out V12, they have some great deals on right now. I just replaced my mat and bought another DMM highball for £165. even better for a mat that should have been £220. I was never a fan of the one piece mats as they can be hard to store and carry. I did have a Metolius mat years ago, the angled hinge was great but the mat it's self wasn't very thick and wasn't very durable.

Post edited at 23:30
 Lord_ash2000 02 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

Moon warrior for me, recently replaced my old one with another. A good balance between cost, quailty and functionality. RRP is £175 but you can usually get them for about £150-160.

 tjdodd 02 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

Ocun Dominator.  It is not the cheapest (£190 at bananafingers at the moment compared to £240 normally) but it is really good.  It is big, thick and can be set up short and fat or long and thin so is really flexible.  Personally I think you are better off paying a little more now to get the pad you really want and need.  It will last a good amount of time so the cost per use and enjoyment is what gives you value for money in the long run.

Also worth looking at

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

and

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/bouldering_mats/mid-sized_boulderi...

 UKC Forums 02 May 2019
This thread was started in the ROCKTALK forum and has now been moved.
Please could you try and post in the correct forum, it makes life easier for both users and moderators.

Bouldering
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 HeMa 02 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

Not really What you want to hear, but cheap and good (and durable) don’t exist in the same product for pads. 

I’ve had or used Moon, BD, Ocun, and Metolius pads. And all have had issues. Moon turns to mush in a season. BD, Ocun and Metolius had material issues. Also some older stuff (prolly don’t exist anymore).

Currently have Organic and Snap pads, which seem to be durable and good (but spendy). That said, even they ain’t perfect. The P’Tit Wraps I have are great unless you’re into doing lots of sitstarts. The construction makes them pretty thin for that. And the additional load-flap has some serious design flaws (pretty strange, since Organic is mainly a pad company, so you’d imagine they’d be able to get that right).

That being said, If limited funds are an issue, Ocun seems the best budget option. Spychi (sp?) might also be good, but since I haven’t used them, I can’t say. 

In reply to Joseph Taylor:

Hello, may have one for sale due to lack of interest in "outdoor stuff" from daughter who has discovered a 17 year old, indoors all day, game playing waster.

Think it's a Metolius, folding type, reasonable thickness - will try to establish model later if interested.  Usd twice, small tear to ground side.

£70, uplifted from south Manchester.

Cheers.

 David Staples 02 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

As already mentioned the Psychi pads are pretty good for the money. Direct from the Psychi ebay page my dual fold pad cost about £99 with free p&p.

I also have a couple of the Beal air light pads as well (triple & double) and also find these to be really good but they are more expensive.

The Psychi is a good place to start though.

 tomsan91 02 May 2019
In reply to Joseph Taylor:

I would bite the bullet and get the highball from v12 like 88Dan said, great pad if its your only one. You can always get a slightly cheaper one for a secondary pad.

Post edited at 11:30
 JRJones 02 May 2019
In reply to Ghastlyrabbitfat:

I might be interested in that one, I live near Didsbury at the moment. I'll drop you a PM.

Also wanted to protest that playing games doesn't necessarily make you a waster. (Doesn't make you not one either)

In reply to Joseph Taylor:

I have an aging alpkit pad that is pretty nackered but probably a decade old.  It was all I could afford at the time.  After that I bought a DMM highball which is great.  So good infact that I bought a second one last year.  I regularly use all 3 but the DMM ones have worn much better than the alpkit one.  I use the webbing strap from my rings to hold them together so I can carry more than one on my back.  works fine for short approaches.

 RobertHepburn 02 May 2019

The most important thing is to make sure you can transport it e.g. will it fit in your boot. I had a friend who bought one that was too big and he ended up selling it ...

 Si dH 02 May 2019
In reply to HeMa:

I wouldn't support that view at all. I've got two Ocuns that have seen heavy use and are still going strong (I'd recommend a Moonwalk. Dominators are great but don't sit easily next to other pads.) Had a metolius that went a bit soft although only after a couple of year's heavy use. Lots of my friends have had Moon pads and always seemed good. I wouldn't place Snap above them at all. I've not used an Organic, they look great but are very expensive. 

 HeMa 03 May 2019
In reply to Si dH:

Moons turn to mush in a year. Has happened to both Warriors and Saturns. That being said, if you add more padding to them, they are rather good (but not as 'stock').

Same thing with Ocuns... albeit it might have perhaps taken 2 year (but I was also bouldering less then). The Ocuns I have used have been Moonwalks (owned 3, all turned to mush and ones carry system broke), and also the bigger Dream time (part of the padding started rolling on day one, turned to mush in a year).

The Snaps (p'tit wraps) have held up for close to 3 years now, as has the Organic. So based on that, they do last longer. And I have been using them more during the last 3 years than before (having kids, means less time, so a quick hit boulder is pretty much all I get these days).

The being said, Snap also make conventional pads, and of those I have no experience. But the air-cell Wraps seem to be holding out just fine.

 yodadave 03 May 2019
In reply to HeMa:

My organic is the foam they used 10-12 years ago and is in better shape than the 6 year old DMM Highball. Fabric on the highball is also showing a lot more ware. The load strap on the organic is enough for the highball but no more. 

Snap stuff looks the business and are moving to using more recycled materials which i would consider a big plus.

BD, Metolius, Dmm, Alpkit, Grivel all seem to use foam that breaks down quicker. 

Buy something that will last, your wallet, planet, and ankles will thank you in the long run


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