Comments on: Help Choosing A Crashpad

By: ClimbingNarc.com Readers Like Quality In Their Crashpads | Climbing Narcissist

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:56:19 +0000

[...] couple of weeks back, I posed a question for readers. The question being “What was the main factor in choosing your current crashpad?”. After [...]

By: sock hands

sock hands — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:28:12 +0000

i will require all people who want to climb w/ me to purchase one. if you do the same, including all the strongmo foolish kids who go to gyms, then it will be grand.

By: peter

peter — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:30:33 +0000

I think it would be pretty easy to create. Whether anyone besides you and me might actually want one is another issue.

By: sock hands

sock hands — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:21:22 +0000

interesting… i had envisioned something that would be strapped to my existing big boy pad, but you’d want it to have the straps and whatnot to actually use as the hauling pad for the rest to be lashed to it…. seems like both options would be easily done based on the same template.

options.

awesome.

By: peter b

peter b — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:41:52 +0000

I’d say a great idea, especially if it were rigged as a kind of pack frame that could easily carry 2 other pads strapped on. A stiff platform carries better, so I would say put the cush straps and waist belt on this. Neutralizing pointy talus is the name of the game at a lot of CO destinations as you well know.

By: sock hands

sock hands — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:35:58 +0000

ok peter based on your concerns about weight, but your shared love for much paddage [i'm well accustomed to the multi stack on back, as you know], i’d like to change the course of this discussion to instead gain some leverage on josh…

here’s what i want: two sheets of the 1″ BURLY STIFF FOAM OF DOOM in the size of the largest organic pad. no soft foam between. then, only a handle and a buckle strap at bottom and top.

purpose: MAXX COVERAGE AGAINST TALUS without nancyboy frills. this woudl be designed as what i call a “rider pad”, to be strapped on your main rig. the result: a lightweight system of maximum talus protection without any frills.

yeah, this would be stiff as hell, but the point would not be soft, cushy landings… it would be to make sure you don’t get stabbed in the back and that you’d have enough surface area to cover all hazards without extra weight.

thoughts?

By: peter b

peter b — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:49:10 +0000

I currently carry 3-4 pads on nay given session so overall weight is a consideration, even for short approaches. Chances are good that the next pad I get will be an Organic Pad but an old one that I currently have has some of the features that JJ didn’t like: velcro closures and wimpy shoulder straps. I’m not saying that Organic Pads are bad, just that Organic partisans, of which there are many on the Front Range, don’t have a lock on quality.

By: j

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:51:03 +0000

The organic Full pad is less than half a pound heavier. Take into consideration that in a Organic pad you get BALLISTIC NYLON and way better foam that is time tested to outlast the “Lighter” “Softer” stuff, or 1000d nylon in other companies pads. The only other pads in the Organic class are the Revolutions which also use a good foam and good fabrics. Simple economics you get what you pay for. 5 Bucks gets you a lot more in the long run in my opinion.

Organic shoulder straps are also replaceable for extra long life unlike the sewn in ones on misty, revolution,BD, asana, flashed. You break the adjuster or strap and you need a new pad on those.

Also, good luck getting a repair from any other brand pad, if for some reason you manage to tear an organic just send it back to the wyoming shop to get a quick fix.

If price and weight are important take a look at the streamlined Simple pad from Organic, no extra weight from the pouch yet bomber foam and fabric.

And with the recent economic news remember Organic=MADE IN USA

By: sock hands

sock hands — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:42:40 +0000

food for thought: there is NEVER such a thing as overly firm if you are falling on talus or tree roots, etc… i call shenanagans. if you can afford a softer cushion because of flatter, dirt-er, or sand-er landings, then MAYBE!

not only does stiff foam protect you from sharp corners and such beneath you, it also bridges over irregular landings better, thereby making them more flat… and while the firmer pads will still slip down into holes, etc, they at least protect against that initial impact much better and you don’t seem to slip into the holes nearly as deep if it is inevitable. though i’m not articulating this well, anyone who’s climbed above very very poor landings knows what i’m talking about….

also, the softer the foam, the quicker it deteriorates.

if this kid is only going to carry one pad, i find weight-based arguments very difficult to stomach. i’m an old wuss with rickety knees and carrying my big boy organic with a briefcase pad miles and miles over talus in the alpine zone, then walking around some place like hueco or the virtually approach-free midwest/southeast should never be an issue for even the meek.

with the resurgence of highballing and the establishment of death-pit boulder problems all over the country, carrying some weight for greater safety is something everyone needs to get on board with…

enough ankles and legs have been snapped in the last 24 months for the decade.

pad it heavily and pad it well, fools.

By: yohans

yohans — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:46:44 +0000

FLASHED. The foam is a perfect balance between being lightweight yet firm. Organic is overly firm and hence, too heavy. Asana is light but so soft it will last you barely a few months.
Flashed is also the only pad with a good waistbelt. It is the only one beefy enough to transfer weight onto your skeleton and off your back.
Plus, it is cheaper than organic. All around best value. Get the Ninja for a starter pad.