The Black Diamond Mondo crash pad is one of the largest pads on the market today. It doesn’t have a lot of features like other pads on the market, but it is built to have a large landing zone and protect falls for highball bouldering. It has multiple foam layers (closed cell pe foam and high compression pu foam) that give a supportive but soft landing on falls. The pad is a hinge style fold, has metal buckles, and is a mega sized highball pad to protect the tallest of problems.
Take a look at how the Mondo compares to the best crash pads we reviewed and are on the market today.
Black Diamond Mondo Crash Pad
Click for Best PricePros
- One of the largest landing zones on crash pads we reviewed
- Extremely durable with 1000d nylon covering the top and sides
- Grab handles on all corners and two shoulder webbings on each side to quickly move the pad while spotting
Cons
- Heavy, weighing over 20 pounds
- A bare bones crash pad, missing features like water bottle holders and mesh pockets
- One of the most expensive crash pads we reviewed
- The pad is bulky when hiking in and seems to catch on nearly every twig or branch on the approach
Padding
The Mondo has five inches of foam. On the top of the pad is closed cell foam and open cell foam on the bottom. This pad is designed for bigger falls when highball bouldering and the combination of closed cell PE foam and the open cell foam does a good job of cushioning these falls. But depending on the height of the problem, you may need more bouldering pads stacked on the ground.
Most bouldering pads will have closed foam on top because it is firm but still soft to cushion your fall. You want your foot hitting the firm foam first to prevent your ankle rolling. As you impact the pad, you will then feel the high compression pu foam soften your landing.
Durability
One thing we found that we loved about the Mondo was that the outer coating of 1000D nylon. Many of the pads we looked at would use 900d, which is still plenty strong. But 1000 denier nylon is a measurement of the fibers thickness and strength. 1000 denier is a bit stronger than 900, we really liked this choice since this is a large pad designed to cushion big falls.
Click for Best PriceFeatures
- Three strap closure system
- Padded shoulder straps and waist belt
- Four corner grab handles and two shoulder webbings
- Improved suspension system for transporting and carrying
Transporting and Carrying
The Mondo is a very large pad and we found that it is difficult to carry. Black Diamond did their best to add in features like padded shoulder straps and waist belt to help out with transportation. But the pad is so large, bulky, and heavy that it seems to get caught on everything when you’re hiking on the approach.
If you’re looking for a smaller pad that is very easy to carry, check out the Black Diamond Circuit Crash Pad.
Best Intended Use
The best use case for the Black Diamond Mondo is highball bouldering. The BD Mondo was designed for tall problems in Rocklands and Bishop. It’s the perfect pad for those use cases.
We also found that this is a good pad for your home gym or if you’re solo bouldering. Having a few mondos at your home training wall would be an easy way to protect a large area.
Click for Best PriceValue
The Black Diamond Mondo is one of the most expensive pads on the market. If you’re looking for the frugal choice, we recommend looking at other pads. The Mondo is huge and it covers a ton of area, but if you want additional features like storage gear flaps, mesh pockets, or velcro to connect pads together, we suggest you look at the Mad Rock Duo.
Where to Buy the Mondo Crash Pad
Click for Best PriceThe Mondo can be bought online at any major retailer like, REI, Backcountry, or Moosejaw.
