Do you remember that scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, where the dad makes his daughter wear the “Baby Belly” before going to a party?

This is how I feel when I’m hiking out to my boulder proj; crash pad on my back and backpack on my front. Sure, you can shove your shoes and chalk into the pad, but what about everything else? Water can spill, food can get smashed, small items can shift and fall out. How are you gonna get footage of your sick foot cut if your phone tripod goes missing? No one will ever know how hard you REALLY crush.
On top of ALL of that, wearing a backpack on your front obscures your vision of the trail, making it hard to see where you are walking and imposes an obvious danger when hiking on rough terrain.
Worry not, for there is a solution! Mountain Method is an outdoor gear and apparel company based in Spokane, WA, and they have designed something to alleviate the annoyance of packing all your stuff when all you wanna do is try hard and send.
Cue: The Mountain Method Boulder Caddy Crash Pad Organizer (available at Amazon or direct from Mountain Method).
This organizer goes inside a folded crash pad, and holds pretty much EVERYTHING you need for a day out. 4 pouches along the perimeter hold your shoes, while a large pouch on the bottom holds a large water bottle. 2 oversized Velcro pockets hold all your accessories that require easy access: Chalk, snacks, chapstick, sunscreen, whatever it may be.
Brushes don’t go IN a pocket to get lost, instead, there are 5 brush slots on the front of the top pocket hold your brushes tight, but make it super quick to grab, brush, and get back to it. 5 brushes is lot but pretty much anything small and cylindrical fits in there: pencils, vape pens, what have you.
Additionally, there is a zippered pocket to hold anything you don’t want to go missing, and even a touch sensitive cell phone pouch. To round it all out, there’s a carabiner loop on the bottom pocket to clip in anything else you might want to take with you. #bonustracks
While Mountain Method makes recommendations for what each pocket is for, this is very much a customizable set up.
Depending on your foot size, and choice of shoe, its possible to have up to 4 pairs of shoes with you. I wear a size 10.5 street shoe, and I managed to fit in a pair of 5.10 Team VXi’s in one pocket, a pair of Scarpa Instinct VS’s in another pocket, and then a pair of 5.10 Anasazi Pro’s, one pocket for each shoe. The determining factor seems to be how soft your shoes are, and how tall the heel cup is. The pouches are a high quality and have stretchy “power mesh.”
The same material is used for the water bottle pouch as well. The stretchy opening for the water bottle has less tension than the shoe openings, which makes it easier to get your bottle in and out. These small details show that MM have really tried to make this caddy as user friendly as possible. The water bottle pouch is sizeable, and can hold a 40oz water bottle. I tested mine with a HydroFlask, a Takeya, and a 50/50.

The Velcro pockets are legit HUGE. In addition to the standard kit (chalk bucket, chalk bag, liquid chalk, extra chalk, and large brush), I was also able to fit a 1 liter smart water, a bag of trail mix, a bag of beef jerky, and a trail burrito into JUST the bottom pocket. #burritolyfe
Top pocket is a little bit smaller, but held all of my smaller items: Cell phone charger, climbing tape, cell phone tripod, pocket knife, multi tool, guidebook, small first aid kit, and 2 Red Bulls. The zippered pocket took my wallet, my keys, my deep wilderness permit, change, and cash. Cell phone went into the……well, the cell phone pocket. The touch screen works great, even with dirt and chalk on your hands.

Herein lies my single criticism of this whole product: The cell phone pocket is a Velcro enclosed pouch, right at the top of the Caddy. I caught a little bit of rain when I was on the approach and, while the Velcro kept most of the water out, it’s definitely not water tight. None of the pockets are necessarily water tight, but it’s a lot less dramatic to have some wet tape than a wet phone. That being said, we’re all pretty obsessed with checking weather before going out, so just be prepared. Keep a ziploc bag stuffed in there, put the phone in there before putting it in the pouch. I would use an analogy, but kids might read this.
As much stuff as this thing holds, who could ever want more? Gearheads, that’s who. I could totally see MM designing a second version of this dedicated to sport climbing. They could throw in a rope tarp, some loops for draws, and somewhere to hang a rope in there. Carry the whole thing in a pad, and have some protection for when you deck before the first bolt. Plus, you can never overlook a comfortable spot to sit in between attempts.
So of course, this product is built to hold stuff. And it holds a lot of stuff. Big whoop, right? Tons of things can hold your gear, but this product excels in three specific places: the boulders, the gym, and the road.
The Boulders
A good woodworker couldn’t possibly make a decent table if he doesn’t know where his tools in his shop are. The Mountain Method Boulder Caddy isn’t just an organizer for your pad; it is an accessory that helps you to streamline your outdoor experience. When you walk up to your boulder of choice, you aren’t just hanging out, you are setting up shop.
The Boulder Caddy allows you to set up your pad immediately, and know exactly where your gear is when you need it. Don’t let a confusing set up, missing gear, or frustration get in the way of your performance.
Eco Bonus: The huge pockets also help with pack-in/pack-out rules, helping to maintain access to climbing areas and protect the local ecosystems.
The Gym
The gym seems to be the place that you would need the most things at any given time: training materials, multiple pairs of shoes, training journal, and *GASP* a harness even. The MM Boulder Caddy folds up in half easily, and is easy to grab and go.
Not only does it keep you from having to unpack all your stuff after a day out at the boulders, it keeps all your stuff organized while you are training, so you can train hard and efficiently.
The Road
The way that the caddy pressure fits into a pad allows it to stow away inside the pad during transportation, whether you have your pads in a truck bed, strapped to a roof rack, or being shipped and flown somewhere. It is incredibly stress relieving while packing to fill the slots in the caddy, stow it into your pad, and just KNOW that you have everything you need. It keeps the gear out of your bag, the chalk off of your clothes, and the TSA out of your business. (You’d think they would figure out what chalk is by now) #itsnotwhatyouthink
Summary
The Mountain Method Boulder Caddy does exactly what it is intended to do and it does it VERY well. But if you are reading this, I don’t think you are looking for confirmation that the product works. You are probably wondering “Why should I buy something that does the same thing as a backpack?” This might sound dramatic, but this Caddy doesn’t just organize your stuff; It organizes your experience. At the boulders, you set up a little home base, and prepare for your next go. At the gym, it makes the most out of your training sessions. And on the road, it allows you forget about your gear for a bit and enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
If you’re sold and you’d like to invest in a Boulder Caddy…
You can order from Amazon or directly from Mountain Method.
Note: The Boulder Caddy that is available now has these improvements (compared to the reviewed version):
- New Color, all black
- Textured & beefier fabric
- Stretchier shoe pocket fabric
- Upgraded YKK zipper
- Upgraded cell phone pocket enclosure
- Higher stitch count
Likely Praise from Others
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all messed up” – A.A. Milne
“The Mountain Method Boulder Caddy will spark joy.” – Probably Marie Kondo
“Sut.” – Chris Sharma
Disclaimer: WeighMyRack had a Boulder Caddy sent, for free, to the author in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinion of the reviewer has been in no way altered. We did add an affiliate link to Amazon in the post, since we were going to link to Amazon anyways, but are not receiving any other possible compensation.
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Ruben Puebla
Ruben Puebla is a Souther California native who is absolutely obsessed with climbing and climbing gear. In addition to climbing, Ruben is passionate about the tuba, woodworking, and making terrible puns. ig: @music_climb_repeat.