Before you plan that outdoor climbing trip or build your own home climbing gym, one commonly asked question boulderers or climbers wonder is what is the substance and material of a bouldering mat that makes it what it is – spongy and a good resistance to having nice and safe landings.
Materials Of A Climbing Mat
Crash pads can be made from a plethora of different specialized materials. The recovery is usually made of ballistic nylon or polyester, but some pads may include special features like a detachable carpet to wipe your climbing shoes clean or rubberized corners to stop the climbing pad from sliding on uneven terrain.
Inside the bouldering mats, there is foam, usually made of polyurethane, that stops your fall and lets you keep climbing another day. This foam is divided into closed-cell foam, stiffer and to stop bigger falls, and open-cell foam, which is softer and helps to absorb the impact of the fall. Each type of foam complements the other and stops you from “bottoming-out” or having a stiff landing on the crash pad.