Top 5 Crash Pads for Bouldering
Climbing in a gym is fun, but nothing beats the feeling of pulling on real rock and putting your gym training to the test. However, outdoor bouldering requires an extra gear that gym climbing doesn’t: Crash pads. Choosing a reliable, high-quality crash pad is essential for your safety. With tree roots, rocks, and hard-packed Earth vying to claim their next ankle, wrist, or tailbone victim, a crash pad is your new best friend.
To help narrow the choices and make the selection more manageable, we’ve compiled a list of the top five crash pads for bouldering. The selection considers padding, durability, practicality, and performance. We’ve assigned each a title based on its stand-out features, including best overall, most popular, best budget, best modular, and best splurge.
1. The Best Overall: Organic Climbing 4” Thick Big Pad
Size: 46 x 58 x 4 inches / 17 lbs
Price: $329.00
Organic is an American company that makes some of the most recognized and trusted climbing products. Their Big Crashpad offers double the surface area of most other crashpads, reducing the number you need to carry to the boulders. The pad’s design allows for the attachment of add-ons like the Deluxe Hip Belt or the Load Flap for extra pad carrying capacity and comfort. Its large size can decrease the overall number of crash pads needed for safety, making it a reliable and economical option. With its robust padding and durable construction, the Organic Climbing 4″ Thick Big Pad ensures your safety is never compromised.
2. Most Popular: Organic Climbing Simple Pad
Size: 36 x 48 x 4 inches / 12 lbs
Price: $189.00
The Organic Climbing Simple Pad is the second Organic pad to make the top 5, affirming that the company manufactures reliable, well-loved products. It’s an excellent choice for your first crash pad, especially if you’ll primarily be climbing with friends who also have pads. The price tag is also hard to beat. Living up to its name, the crash pad is simple, with the only additional features being the carry handles, shoulder straps, and waist belt.
3. Most Practical: Metollis Session II
Size: 36 x 48 x 4 inches / 9 lbs
Price: $199.95
The Metollis Session II is the perfect crash pad for the climber looking for an affordable option, with storage for your shoes, chalk bag, and other items. The pad features a flap closure system, which makes loading the pad easy and ensures your things won’t slip out while hiking to the climbs. The flap reverses to cover up the shoulder straps while you’re bouldering. A much-appreciated spec is the cross-clipper logo rug for cleaning shoes pre-climb (no one wants to slip off their boulder because of dirt on their climbing shoes). This versatile pad is designed to meet all your climbing needs, from storage to safety.
4. Best Modular: Zig Zag Double LINK Crash Pad Set
Size: 36 x 24 x 4 inches per single LINK Pad / 4lbs per single LINK Pad
Price: $218.95
ZigZag is an emerging brand in the climbing gear market, but their crash pads are worth considering if you want the most practical crash pad. The Double LINK Crash Pad Set has two high-quality pads, outfit gear loops, and a premium carry harness. If you aren’t keen on the double set, they also offer single pads or a triple set. The great thing about ZigZag’s system is that if you buy one and a friend buys one, you can seamlessly link them together at the boulder and eliminate the possibility of ankle injuries from a foot landing between pads. Or, if you invest in the Double LINK set now, you can buy additional single pads to expand your collection as your budget allows.
It’s worth noting that a single Link Crash Pad does not come with a harness system like the double and triple Link Crash Pad sets. Fortunately, ZigZag sells the Harness System separately, making it easy to add to your purchase.
5. Best Splurge: Black Diamond Mondo
Size: 60.2 x 47.6 inches / 15.9 lbs.
Price: $499.95
Black Diamond has been crafting climbing gear since the 1980s. Their products are tried and true and loved by climbers. The Mondo Crash Pad is Black Diamond’s newest offering. Compared to other crash pads they’ve sold, the Mondo has improved durability thanks to reinforced corners and reengineered foam. It offers the classic back-pack carry system and features Black Diamond’s multi-pad carry system, which allows one climber to haul multiple pads to the crag. You can’t put a price on your safety so that the splurge may be justifiable.
Choosing the right crash pad for bouldering will depend on your budget, goals, and preferences. You can’t go wrong with one or more from this top 5 list. However, the most important thing is that you use a crashpad, so whether you buy one from the list or not, prioritize your safety. If you try out one of these options, leave a comment below with your review to help other climbers out!
