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crystaltron
Jan 17, 2006, 8:47 PM
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hey kids,
is there a consensus on whether a hinged or folded crash pad design is better? i'm making my own pad and am leaning toward hinged because
1. yeah, it will be weak in the middle, but a folded pad would eventually break down the foam in the center, too, so what's the dif?
2. the pad is pretty firm and thick, which would make it hard to fold
i've heard that the folded design is easier to cart stuff around in, but i'm not really worried about that: i can always sew a pocket on the outside. also i know that hinging it will entail possibly hours of frustrating needle-and-thread time, but honestly i haven't got anything better to do. mostly i'm having a hard time imagining how exactly i'm going to accomplish this. there's no store in my town that sells crash pads, so i can't look at one to figure it out. hmm.
thoughts?
-crystal.
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namoclimber
Jan 17, 2006, 8:56 PM
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Its all about a hinged 45% angle, disperses weight better without as much of a gap. Still not as good as the folded taco but they get weak from constant folding.
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jeep914x4
Jan 17, 2006, 9:05 PM
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I agree with namoclimber. 45 degrees would be my preference. I have a metolius cheap bastard and it has a 45 degree cut. One thing you might want to consider is putting velcro where the two edges will meet. This seems to help my hinge stay together during a fall.
Good luck.
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crystaltron
Jan 19, 2006, 3:10 AM
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45 degrees. velcro. sounds reasonable. i can almost hear the vaudeville soundtrack that will play as i attack 5 inches of foam with a box cutter (that permanent all-purpose glue sounded like a good idea at the time...). i'll keep you updated.
thanks,
cl.
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j_ung
Jan 19, 2006, 3:21 AM
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I'm currently reviewing a pad with a hinge that's actually made of the strongest Velcro I've ever seen. I can take it apart to make two half-sized pads. So far, I really like that feature.
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scottquig
Jan 19, 2006, 4:13 AM
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The taco pads don't like to stay flat! Go for the 45!
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bizarrodrinker
Jan 19, 2006, 8:02 PM
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I prefer folded because of the flexibility. There have been instances where talus has put rather large holes in the rigid folding pad that a friend has. I would also rather have a good spotter than a pad as well because a pad only works if you land on it, and is even then no garauntee.
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jemco
Jan 30, 2006, 7:47 AM
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I have been climbing (really falling) on a cordless taco-style pad for nearly 10 years now and it works very well. If I was buying a pad now, I would go for whichever pad I could get the cheapest, but if I was MAKING a pad, I go for the ease of the taco style. Why waste so much energy and time on something that ultimately makes little difference?? The only complaint I ever hear about the taco style is that they don't "stay flat" when you boulder with them. My suggestion to those complaints is to store the pad flat--not folded. Like a sleeping bag stored stuffed, the crasher will suffer from prolonged abuse in the folded position.
good luck
jemco
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godmodule
Feb 6, 2011, 5:43 PM
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do you know of any brands of crash pads that you can remove the foam to make it more compact for an international flight to fountainebleau?
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TheBishop
Feb 6, 2011, 6:31 PM
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A buddy of mine has the Organic crash pad. Their design is a compromise between the hinged and folded. It's a two layer pad with the thinker, spongier portion being hinged, and a thinner, firmer side continuing throughout the top of the pad. So it folds easier, but still has the protection without the weak spot. Their website has a photo that shows the design pretty well. I have used it a couple times and taken some good falls on it. It seems like a great design to me. However, if you are trying to make your own, it will be a bit harder to do.
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vegastradguy
Feb 6, 2011, 6:34 PM
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In reply to: If I was buying a pad now, I would go for whichever pad I could get the cheapest
man, that makes me cringe. your ankles and body are depending on that pad to do its job. cheap pads are made with cheap materials, and you get what you pay for.
(This post was edited by vegastradguy on Feb 6, 2011, 6:57 PM)
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ozoneclimber
Feb 6, 2011, 6:38 PM
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My preferences are with TheBishop. I have an organinc, and an old franklin Butler, both of which use the "hybrid" fold. You get the easy fold, and the solid top layer for stability.
Not sure how difficult it would be to make though, I would almost suggest doing two seperate sheaths and then sewing them together..
-B
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styndall
Feb 6, 2011, 6:45 PM
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vegastradguy wrote: [quote "jemco"]If I was buying a pad now, I would go for whichever pad I could get the cheapest[/quote] man, that makes me cringe. your ankles and body are depending on that pad to do its job. cheap pads are made with cheap materials, and you get what you pay for.
I've seen cheap pads split seams or go flat a bit faster than spendier pads, but a cheap pad is hardly a safety risk. You'll just have to swap in new foam faster.
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rhythm164
Feb 6, 2011, 8:23 PM
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Registered: Mar 28, 2005
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sew a couple velcro straps to the outside of the hinge to encourage the pad to stay open on uneven landings. ta da.
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Masterkush
Mar 15, 2011, 7:46 AM
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was working on this giant dyno that was about 12 feet off the ground and your dynoing to something about 16 feet off the ground so when you come down you come down hard and one of the guys i was with landed a foot in the middle of the fold and nearly broke his ankle but it swelled up like a balloon. go for a folder or a 45 degree
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