It has been in the air for quite a while but, indeed, after more than a year of field testing 2024 has brought out the new frontier of BrazzPads.
Is it about new colors, new prints, or new-awesome gadgets to be able to store bananas (an indispensable source of potassium for the entire bouldering community)?
No, it is not about something external, but something that is right at the heart of this indispensable outdoor climbing tool.
Want to learn more about it? Here it is, just enough time for a 2-minute story.
The BrazzPads were born three years ago now, created by a group of rock and bouldering enthusiasts with the desire to revolutionize the concept of the crashpad, trying to bring it to the center of interest of athletes.
Because, we always thought, that it is really important to choose well something that can save our ankles, our back and prevent even very serious injuries.
However, whether because of different economic availability or often sloppy information, we have to rely on our feelings, experienced directly under the rock.
"Yes, this pad feels good to me..."
"No, this one is too soft: if I were to fall on it, I'd hit the ground!"
"Hmm, I'm not too sure about this one, although it has a nice surface."
So we started asking ourselves these questions too, after many years and many shared experiences under the blocks.
So we chose to handcraft and in Italy, in our own workshop, what would become the first BrazzPad.
We will not make it too long for you, but we had to solve some of our critical issues, as often happens with new products. We summarize the main one in a nice comment that made us smile and reflect, because it summarized the many perplexities of athletes who had chosen one of the first BrazzPad models.
"Brazz pads are the 'bomb'. So much of a bomb that in case of war you can use them as a bomb shelter given the heaviness (they look like they're filled with lead) and superior shock absorption."
So here's what we realized:
- They weighed too much;
- The upper absorption was unbalanced compared to the lower material;
- PU was not up to the durability of the closed-cell material.
From the many feedbacks we then started radically redesigning the internal composition of our BrazzPads.
From the research came what we then called the triple-layer "BrazzSandwich"!
But why exactly 3 layers? And why precisely in this arrangement?
Let's try to share together the reasoning we went through. A crashpad must not only absorb falls, but also meet certain requirements for the protection of the athlete in relation to the use and environment in which the pad is used.
Therefore, we started looking for three materials that could work well together and provide, even individually, a specific contribution to the performance of the BrazzPad.
We can say that:
- The first layer, with closed cells, is responsible for providing stable drop and stomping support for ankles, knees and back. So as to better protect the athletes' first impact and standing;
- The second middle layer, made of high-density and durable PU, was chosen to dissipate fall energy as best as possible, working "as a team" with the other two materials;
- The third layer, on the other hand, helps protect the body from contact with foreign bodies and terrain with hazardous materials, such as stones, potholes or branches.
We can say that this upgrade of the BrazzPads particularly satisfies us and makes us proud because, in addition to having a more reliable and durable product, we also managed to discover lighter materials that can lighten the pads by even more than 3 kilos!
So this BrazzSandwich is a beautiful experiment in collaboration between everyone-athletes, friends, and the craft lab-that has given an improved version of the product to the entire Boulder community!
Don't know them yet!
Brazz!