When you are taking repeated falls from moderate Joshua Tree high-balls the last thing you want to think about is bottoming out your pad.  However, due to the size of the park, you have to hike everywhere and unfortunately there are no certified Sherpas in the desert.  So in order to bridge the gap you have to find the next best thing which is the Flashed Shogun, a great pad that is an easy carry and great when you need a soft landing beneath weak knees.

 

Up until 2 weeks ago I had never considered a Flashed crash pad but a weekend trip in the desert changed my perspective.  After meeting up with a large group of climbers in J-Tree and not wanting to mooch a free landing I picked up one of the Flashed Shogun pads, hauled it from boulder to boulder and here is what I found:

* The pad is huge, but it carries rather easy due to a thick waist and shoulder strap system. The best part
   of the system is that it can actually be fully removed so that it will not catch on tree roots, stones, or
   anything else below the fall zone.

 

* The pad is 4inches thick and even when it is lying over a large granite boulder it felt as if I was hitting
    the gym floor. I can’t comment on the age of the pad that was used during the weekend out, but falls
    from 15+ feet were comfortable and I did not bottom out once.

 

* The straps and buckles are top notch. After a weekend of dragging the pad by the straps to cover gaps
   there were no visible tears in the material and the buckles did not show any signs of wear.

 

 

*The pad contains a small cargo pocket. If you can’t stand the weight of hauling your keys on your
   person, the pocket is safe and secure.

 

* The pad folds tight and can fit into small compact cars along with 2 passengers and gear for the
    weekend. The car in question was a Mazda 3.

 

So if you are looking to pick up a Flashed Shogun and gain a new perspective visit www.flashed.com