Asana Throne and Lilly Pad Review
If I were obsessed with pads, say, sitting upright in bed at 2:17 a.m., debating the merits of taco versus hinged folds, I'd jot down the features that, in addition to the basics of foam and straps, every bouldering pad should have. The list would go:
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The Throne $199.95
Asana Lilly Pad $179.95
If I were obsessed with pads, say, sitting upright in bed at 2:17 a.m., debating the merits of taco versus hinged folds, I’d jot down the features that, in addition to the basics of foam and straps, every bouldering pad should have. The list would go:
1) Unbreakable metal buckles.
2) Carpeted top side.
3) Sturdy carrying handle.
4) Flap to seal the bottom.
5) Accessory pocket.
6) Padded shoulder straps.
Basic, but of the 40-plus pad designs, few fulfill my fantasy. Two that do are Asana’s Lilly Pad and The Throne, which are essentially the same pad. Both are taco-folding units that measure 40 by 50 inches unfolded, and 24 by 40 inches folded, compact enough to stow easily in the backseat or trunk. The one difference is that The Throne has an integrated (and removable) Crazy Creek-like chair. The pop-up seat back sports a brace of metal stays that support your lumbar, making you king among the slump-backed minions jockeying for bones around the evening fire.
Another nice touch, and one common to both pads, is a zippered and detachable accessory pocket that’s just large enough for your man purse, manicure kit and a cake of MgCO3. But, more to the point, how do the pads stack up at the LZ? Although the Lilly and The Throne are a mere eight and nine pounds respectively, among the lightest, and have just three inches of padding, they are amazingly beefy and firm. Plopping onto them from the standard eight to 10 feet is no problem. Now, that is royal.
