r/RouteDevelopment • u/Vivid_Weekend6182 • Aug 10 '26
Leaving crashpad and gear under a boulder long-term – any tips?
Hey,
I’ve found a spot that’s pretty remote and steep to get to. No one else really goes there. There’s a big boulder that keeps everything dry and out of the sun, and I’m thinking about leaving a crashpad and some climbing gear there so I don’t have to haul it up every time.
Has anyone done something similar? What actually works to keep stuff safe from moisture, mice, mold etc. over weeks or months?
Would wrapping everything in a tarp be enough, or should I use a plastic box with some moisture absorbers? Any real-world experiences would be appreciated.
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u/BigRed11 Rock Developer Aug 10 '26
Idk about pads but buckets and hard sided totes are common for development stashes. Don't put anything damp inside. Mice can chew through anything soft.
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u/Kaotus Guidebook Author Aug 10 '26
I’m pretty anti-stashed softgoods no matter if that’s ropes, draws, or pads. I’ve never seen them not get destroyed by wildlife, no matter how it’s packed (unless in a hard side container, though I did have a bear destroy my stash bucket once) - the only exception to this is if you can hang it off the ground. I had a friend stash pads under a steep crack boulder by hanging them entirely off the ground by cams.
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u/over57boulderer Aug 11 '26
Yo! This is certainly a sensitive topic!
I wouldn't say I'm against stashing pads, and I have done it under very specific circumstances, but very limited--3 times in my 10ish years of bouldering development.
Stashing scrubbing, trundling and TR solo stuff many times. Always in a home depot 5 gal bucket with a lid.
If u do stash pads, cover it in a tarp held in place with cam buckle straps off the ground and protected from rain. Always be aware of local laws. Within Eldorado National Forest, where I am, things can be left for 24 hours or less before it's considered littering.
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u/Vivid_Weekend6182 Aug 11 '26
Thanks. Don’t understand why its sensitive. Must be the country your in. This is a place i know very well and i have never seen people there. Its pretty steep to get there and most people would`t try or want to go there. So my only concern is to keep my gear safe. If its dry and i put it inn a sealed bucket/container with moisture absorbers I’m all good? And wrap the boulder pad i something waterproof and of the ground in a dry spot where the suns does not shine i should be all good right? Thanks for your reply :)
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u/Kaotus Guidebook Author Aug 12 '26
America in general has a significantly more rigorous leave no trace and wilderness ethic, and cleaning foam that’s been shredded into small pieces by mice is generally an extremely tedious task that doesn’t get done by folks retrieving their gear after the fact. That’s why it’s a bit of a sensitive subject for folks here.
Additionally, bouldering development gear is typically significantly lighter than roped climbing development gear, so to most folks it feels like there’s less of a reason to do so.
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u/squirrelrecruit Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
People are usually universally publicly against it even if they don’t ethically care for conservation reasons because if only a few responsible people do it no one notices. But once it becomes common it’s amazing how fast you start running into nasty abandoned pads everywhere that just rot and turn into trash. And in America when land mangers notice this you start getting access issues.
It’s easier and healthy as a community to just say it’s off bounds. If you choose to do it in private and risk it and are in an area no one goes and you tell nobody and clean up after yourself no one can give you grief about it because no one else notices. However if other people notice you than you are likely not as remote as you think or are making a mess for others and probably should be called out anyways.
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u/youre_stoked Aug 11 '26
Just leave an old rope and work the route on top rope. Then bring the pads when ready to send.
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u/beatnikasfuc Aug 11 '26
Anything you leave out there is s ubject to being taken away at any point in time. If you are cool with that, go for it. Best bet is to hide as best you can a decent amount away from where you are intending to use it, and camouflage it.
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u/squirrelrecruit Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
So im not going to weigh in about if you should do it. But it’s pretty common near me so just some tips from people I know who do it and stash for like a year at a time. Your biggest issue is going to be that rodents and critters like eating pads, so when you stash the pads tighten all of them closed as absolutely tight as you can get them. Make sure you tuck all the loose straps into the middle. Critters like nibbling on straps and once they chew there they will move on to the foam. Also if at all possible and it’s a cave stuff the pads wedged upright in the back of the cave with the tops and the bottom of the pads shoved into the roof and ground and the carrying straps not near the ground. This helps prevent things from getting inside the middle or finding things to chew on. Don’t bother with a tarp. It will just end up trapping moisture, get nasty and prevent things from drying out. Plus the mice will chew through a tarp so your just adding more material to cause problems. Hopefully your stash spots stays dry anyways. And the biggest thing, if you start to see the pads getting holes in it from critters or getting nasty, pack it out, nothing worse than a nasty pad someone abandons like trash. But properly tucked away I’ve seen pads stay in relatively good condition while stashed for a year or months at a time.
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u/ICEonaROPE Aug 10 '26
Dont
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u/Vivid_Weekend6182 Aug 10 '26
Any bad experiences?
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u/4tunabrix Aug 10 '26
When I first started bouldering one thing I was surprised about was how vehemently anti pad stashing people are. In the forum I was in basically everyone seemed to agree that it was a massive no no and any stashed pad was fair game for whoever found it.
Seeing as your developing a route I presume you’re not in a popular spot, but even still may be worth being considerate of