Bouldering Pads
Bouldering pads are there to save your limbs and maybe your life. They’ve come a long way since the first ones in the 1990s. The insides are made of sophisticated combinations of open-cell and closed-cell foam. Each is designed with a different purpose in mind. Some pads are made to take big falls, others are built for small falls. Here are five pads to consider before your next bouldering trip. The Cirro has a number of innovative features that prove crash pads can still be improved. Petzl starts with a full coverage zippered flap closure that ensures no gear is lost when walking to the boulders. The flap is zipped open and then re-zipped so that it covers the low profile Velcro-adjustable harness system. The pad is then placed with the covered harness side facing up. Petzl has chosen this approach because it allows them to use the dense closed cell foam on the outside of the pad. This is important because the foam on the outside of a folded tacostyle pad is subjected to less compression, which ensures a longer usable life. Speaking of foam, Petzl has opted for a patented threelayer foam construction (two layers of closed cell and one layer of open), which they feel delivers better impact absorption and durability. This is a great new addition to the boulder ing pad market. This is perhaps the industry standard for toplevel construction and durability. Organic has always str ived to provide the best U.S. made pad with U.S. sourced materials, which may explain why Organic pads are the favour ite of so many ser ious boulderers. The Full Pad offers a generous yet still easily transportable four-inch thick landing surface. The pad’s closure flap safely secures gear inside the pad and folds over to protect the adjustable harness system from dirt when the pad is deployed. Solo boulderers will also appreciate the large closure can piggyback a second smaller pad. Throw in the option of custom colours and it’s clear why this is one of the best pads available.