[quejada]

wow...thanks a lot guys for all your inputs.
matter of fact, I ended up being completely skint at the moment, so I'll have to make-do with the what I've got right now, hoping father xmas will bring me a new pad (or some cash, at least)

[Dave Flanagan]

The new Alpkit mats do look good. Ive been looking for a new one for hoofing round the hills with, for me the weight to volume is something I wish  they'd advertise more. What you get in surface area, thickness to weight! There's definitely a market for a super lightweight pad I reckon..

Second this, the latest generation iof Alpkit pads are really light.

[Grubes]

andyd had the new alpkit one last year I took a few falls on it when new and was pretty good not seen him in a while but could probably give you an idea of how they hold up to a lot of abuse over time

[Sasquatch]

Momentum seem to have done their research on the foam side of things, and made in uk if that sort of thing matters to you.
Banana fingers are going to be importing Organic pads soon and folk do say they're the business.

They have an organic pad now - 90*122 cm, 8cm thick  and £200!

Wow, what a shame the Organics are so much over there, they are the best in the Biz.  U.S. going rate for that pad translates to £120, an £80 markup seems ridiculous!! 

[Willy]

Got an alpkit phud last December the foams still alright, but the rest of it's falling apart, it's still useable but the fabric/handles/straps are ripped to shreds, not sure if that's just me not taking care of it though.

[Dexter]

I have had one of the large alpkit ones (Phud?) for about 4 years now and it still seems to be great. That being said I won a wild country big air and it's way nicer to land on and I would highly recommend it. Only used it for about 4 months though (with minimal actual use) but seems great.

[blacky]

Snap bun (100*130, 12 cm thick)

The Snap Bun looks like a thick beast (I'm nearly 100kg), but not universally great reviews.

I own this pad, it cost around £130 from my local wall with a member's discount so it seemed I got a bit of a bargain. I haven't used it much because I'm still new to climbing outdoors but I've found it brilliant so far.

Even at 12cm thick it is fairly stiff (it has a stiff, thin top layer with spongier but still dense 'main' foam underneath), the velcro strap removal system is simple but clever, the carpeted logo is useful for cleaning feet and even with my low weight I found falls onto it pretty comfortable. My only concern as time goes on might be the underside, which appears to be hardwearing, grippy rubber but is also a little on the thin-ish side, I'm hoping no falls onto an awkward piece of rock rips into it, guess I'll find out with time...

I have one of these and I am pleased with it. It goes inner face down on the ground so your back stays dry and relatively muck free - it also has a rubberised coating which dries really quickly so you can still carry stuff in it. I've had it for a year and the foam is still in tip top condition - I am fairly light tho. The shit name detracts slightly!

[andyd]

Plus you never fall off because you are a rock god 

[kingholmesy]

I've had a Moon Warrior for a few years and really rate it.  Good foam, and thought has gone into all the little design details.

I recently bought a Wild Country Big Air.  It's good to fall on, but one thing that really annoys me is the rucksack straps.  For some reason they constantly seem to unhook themselves, which is a real pain when you're laden with kit and want to quickly switch it from one shoulder to the other.

I previously had a DMM Dyno which seemed to go a bit thin quite quickly.

[quejada]

ok back on the topic now; have been ignoring my needs for a new pad for a couple of months now,mainly due to lack of cash. Now  I think I saved up enough dough now, and in the meantime I've narrowed down my list to 3 pad. They all see me to good pads, roughly in the same price range.
So, whoever has tried one of the following, and has some comment on teh pros or (more improtantly maybe) the cons of it, please spit it out:

1) Snap Bun. I understand it has been a super pad, not sure if the latest version is up to standards, have been reading a couple of negative feedbacks on the foam which supposedly is no longer top notch in the last 1-2 years

2) Beal Big Air. Quite larger then the average pad, but I'm not too sure about the foam quality.

3) Wild Country Big Air. Quite famous, I guess deservedly so. Hard to find where I live though.

Any comment or first hand report on these pad is very much welcome
thanks
 

[wintermute]

I can vouch for the appauling quality of snap pads these days. Having had a burrito previously I bought a new incarnation of the bun and the foam quality has been total balls. The only thing I've used that was worse was a climbing factory one.

I've replaced the bun with a big air which I'm very happy with so far. I know people who have had one quite a while and they are still going strong. This would be my recommendation.

You can always buy online - http://www.rockrun.com/wild-country-big-air-crash-pad/

[quejada]

thanks wintermute, that confirms my suspects on the poor quality of the Snap foam these days... what a shame.

yeah I know the R&R sells the pad for 145 quid, but it would cost me another 20 to have it delivered to italy. Bollocks..

[Fadanoid]

Whilst people are passing on their experience of mats I wondered if anyone owns a trangoworld air mat and what they think of it?

[tomtom]

thanks wintermute, that confirms my suspects on the poor quality of the Snap foam these days... what a shame.

Unfortunately I agree (my old Calzone is still going great guns!).

Had a look at the Ocun pads? I've one of their dominators and its brilliant... not sure if they are about in IT though..?

[quejada]

Had a look at the Ocun pads? I've one of their dominators and its brilliant... not sure if they are about in IT though..?
[/quote]

they are, but the price is out of my budget at the moment

[Wrennie]

DMM Highball: Great foam and seems very well built (had for 3 months).

Snap Bun: Again great foam, but the top layer of foam moves around too much (I store it flat), and the strap in rucsac mode cannot take much extra weight before the velcro starts to peel.

After using taco and hinge style pads, I prefer pads with a hinge. Easy to store, foam does not move, and more versatile.

[psychomansam]

Whilst people are passing on their experience of mats I wondered if anyone owns a trangoworld air mat and what they think of it?

I have one. It's a interesting pad. Good in a lot of ways. But also annoying because it should be better!

Good:
This thing is fucking massive. It's the sort of target I want to be aiming for. It's huge.
It's fat. You will never ever bottom out. It's just not possible, partly because it has 10 cm of closed-cell foam (!) and partly because of the way the air section works.
The air section is a great idea and is pretty sweet.
While it's not light, it's actually pretty damn good for it's size - because it's got no (heavy) open-cell foam. If you had a foam pad this size that weighed this little, it would probably be because it's full of shit, cheap foam.
I like the closure mechanism. The straps sit comfortable. The zip pocket is handy.

Bad:
This thing is fucking massive. And fat. And it's obviously considerably heavier than a DMM highball. (But you know all that)
The join in the middle is shit. It leaves too much of a gap between the two halves, so you can go through it.
The landing is sometimes too hard. It just is. Particularly in bigger falls where this mat should be great. They should probably have put more valves in the air pad, or perhaps mixed the foam up a bit.

Those negatives probably sound pretty damning. And in a way they are - if this is your only pad. But this is THE GOD-PAD for stacks. Remember what I said? You will never bottom out.
In fact both the firm landing and the gap in the middle are sorted the second you put something more conventional on top of it. I have this, an old metolius bailout, and a totally fucked old red chili pad. Thus, I am invincible!

Make what you will of it. As I said, it's annoying it's not better. But it's still great in it's own way.

[fatneck]

My 2p...

DMM Highball - had one for must be getting on for 5 years now and it's been great. Really hard wearing.

The Podsacs one they're currently offering for £99 - got this just before Christmas, used it half a dozen times and despite the foam being the wrong way round when I got it (believe they've sorted this now?) it was no hassle to turn around really and thus far I really like it!

[quejada]

there's a place where I live which sells Ocun but the dominator is really steep, around 170-180 quid...
they've got another one called Sundance, a smaller version I guess, but the only accessible one for me.. any comment on that?

still no comments on the Beal BIg Air... I guess it's not the most popular among UK boulder then..


 

[Dolly]

If its as good as the Ronin air then its great (We sold them all ages ago so I've got no sales agenda here)
They are heavy, but they are so much better to land on than foam mats.

[tomtom]

IIRC Ocun make the mats for DMM... and (rumour has it) save the best for their own...

[quejada]

I found a couple of czech websites that sell the Ocun pads for ridiculously cheap prices... around 2/3s of the normal reatil price. Now I'm considering buying one of those but I'm a bit worried about this idea of the zip closure, present on both the Dominator and the Moonwalk. Can anyone comment on its durability? will it tear apart after few falls?
cheer

[tomtom]

I've had a Dominator for nearly a year - no problem. Nai and TommyZtone also have one that are at least two years old and are going fine IIRC.. Plattsy also has one - and not heard any probs from his either.

Mine has been used c.2-3 times a week during that period.

Whats the cheapo Ocun website url?

[quejada]

I finally went for the Ocun Moonwalk, ordered today from one of those Czech websites.
In short, this is the website: www.ecstore.sk

here's the full story:
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,23676.0.html

G

[Fultonius]

I'm going to spend some of my not-so-hard-earned dirty oil money  on a new pad to replace my 10 year old metolius shoe wipe (it's got NO padding left, but a great surface for cleaning shoes).

I'm thinking Ocun Dominator - is everyone still happy with their robustness and longevity? Seems like the best compromise between hinged and taco. Anyone know if they can be sourced in France? Or am I best going for delivery?

Edited after 5 minutes of casual googling found it for €197 at Au Vieux Campeur and a mate of mine has a discount card so possibly €177 which seems a decent price.

Erm. So, should I go for it? Or are there any better deals on here? Seems like the best deal. http://www.auvieuxcampeur.fr/terre/camping-et-randonnee/materiel-de-montagne-d-escalade-et-de-grimpe/bloc-bouldering/crash-pad#page-1_