Few Ideas on How to Choose the Best Bouldering Pad

By Georgia Zoe Hill on May 31, 2016

Bouldering pads nowadays are an integral part of modern climbing. Bouldering mats, or also known as crash pads can offer you an ultimate protection when climbing. They are usually made of a combination of foams in order to resist the possible weight in a case of a fall during climbing, as well as reducing injuries.

How Do Bouldering Mats Work?

Since the mat resistance is strongly related to the inside foam, nowadays two types of foams are used for creating the bouldering mats:

  • Closed Cell Foam

  • Open Cell Foam

The dense closed cell foams are like the traditional camping roll mat and contains millions of sealed bubbles while the open cell foam contains millions of connected pockets of air and look like the washing-up sponges.

Bouldering Pad

Which Foam to Choose?

When it comes to choosing the right foam type, not all manufacturers are ready to publish the technical specifications of the foam used in their mats. That is why buying bouldering pad from the most reliable online store in Australia is a number one priority. Since you will be dealing with a reliable store, you can choose from its wide range of bouldering mats and you can be sure that you will get the best quality of bouldering pad at a competitive price.

Generally speaking, the more foam the better, but in practice, the weight and the size of the bouldering mat are an issue since the largest mat can now weight 10kg, which can be a serious problem.

The foam configuration in the mat can dramatically change the way it fills the mat. These days, almost all types of bouldering pads have one layer of closed cell foam on top, around 2 – 2.5cm, and another layer of open cell foam beneath, around 5 – 8cm. However, some types of mats use a second layer of closed cell foam on the bottom in order to provide more comfort.

How Long Will it Last?

The longevity of your crash pad will surely depend on how much it is used, but just like we said, the foam quality does play a great role in that. All foams will degrade after time, but buying a quality bouldering pad that is made with quality foam will surely last more years than the cheaper versions of pads.

Extra Features to Look For

Buckles – These days, more and more manufacturers provide aluminium alloy buckles that are impossible to break, unlike plastic ones.

Carrying Configurations – When it comes to carrying the pad, usually all types of mats can be carried vertically with rucksack style shoulder straps, however, some of them can be carried horizontally with one long shoulder strap. In case you have chosen larger pad, choose one that comes with waist straps.

Overfill Flaps – Let’s be honest, nobody carries a separate bag when going on climbing for their stuff and gear. We usually put it in between the folded sides of the mat, so here in handy come the overfill flaps that will stop the stuff and gear from falling out.

Extra Loops – Choosing a mat with extra loops is great for hanging the extra gear or the second mat on it.