This must be in Cali. what a stump! Nice tent pad too.Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12
I have the one that REI makes, and I love it. I never have to worry about someplace to sit, and I have a backrest when I do. If the ground is wet and you're packing up, it gives you a dry spot to put a few things. For me, it's a luxury that is worth carrying. When the one that I have dies, I'll buy another one.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish.
Interesting piece of gear and looks very comfortable...however, when I get to camp on a backpacking trip I like simple. I do not want to scout around for logs or branches of just the right size, trim or cut them as in the video, lash, etc. Or occasionally I set up on a bald, in a meadow, etc. Now if I am setting up camp in one spot for awhile and just day hiking from my base camp, that chair would be just the ticket. I don't do much of this however.
To Wise Old Owl....I love free!!! Why, if I had a penny for every stump, rock or log that I have sat on free of charge, I would have enough to buy 5 or 6 of every type of chair or gadget mentioned in this thread!
Last edited by 4shot; 01-10-2015 at 10:06.
I use the REI chair as well and wouldn't even consider not taking it. Wilderness Logics just came out with a down underquilt that attaches to these chairs. I bought one and have really enjoyed it. It keeps your bottom and backside toasty!
I plan on making a seat sling kind of thing. 6 ft of half in. webbing with an adjustable buckle, it goes around the knees and lower lumbar. Another 5 ft or so of webbing gets sewn in to the first piece a little behind the knees, another adjustable buckle, this piece supports the upper lumbar. So your lumbar region is supported by your knees. Very small, very light.
Is there any way of propping up your pack with your hiking poles, then leaning back against your pack?
Squeezebox, after seeing the gentleman's link to the Canada-ca chair, I was just wondering if a near empty backpack could be used in the same matter as the cloth. The handle on my catalyst and strapping/tying the waist belt at the lower two tie out points seems like it would work. Also thought about a camp towel piece of cloth to be used as multiple use. and a poncho, and a rain jacket, and and and.... I'm stopping now. Overload.
I lean my pack against a tree, and put my sleeping pad down on the ground (Z-rest folded in 3rds). Instant padded seat with back support, and stuff I carry anyway. YMMV, and invariably will...
Slack-jawed Troglodyte
When I take a chair I got the thermarest 20" trekker chair and use 1/2 of a thermarest zlite sol pad. Chair is 9.5 oz and 1/2 pad is 7 oz I always carry the pad anyways so only 9.5 oz penalty for the chair... pulse got them on close out so chairs where $20.00 and one pad make two chairs so about $ 40 per chair when done... they work for me.
Well the webbing sling/chair did not work, had to buy 1" webbing and clips, too heavy 6oz. and not at all comfortable. It was an interesting idea though.
Now I'm thinking a small pocket sewn into a spot near the top of the pack for the handles of trekking poles to fit in, poles dug into the ground behind the pack for support.
Or maybe the pockets sewn onto the ends of a piece of webbing that's threaded through the space between your pack's main body and lid. Lean back and have some back support.
A tiny hammock that makes an awful bed can still make a great chair.
While you lose some flexibility as to exactly where you can sit (on the AT you should be able to find a spot close to about any camp), a hammock + whoopieslings + tree straps can weigh as little as 8oz. And unlike a chair with rigid bits, it packs small.
Awwww. Fat Mike, too?
Thermarest has a design that turns their inflatable pads into a chair. The tiny little hammock seats are cool. The stuff sold at big box stores as a camping chair for $60 is ludicrous.
My shelter is a hammock, which makes a boss camp seat.
A Grand Trunk Nano 7 with continuous loops, whoopies, and tree straps should weight about 8-9oz. Prob as light or lighter than most "camp chairs" and would make a great/quick seat. AND you also have a hammock. Not the most comfy, but LONER thru hiked with one.
fastfoxengineering, He thru-hiked with a Nano 7. What is Loner's height and weight?
The Nano would be great for lounging around: I want my back supported.
no idea how big he was. He has an AT YouTube channel though.. I think its lonerat2012 or something like that. He's certainly not a small dude. A budget ultralight enthusiast also. He they'd with a 20L pack. Left Springer fully loaded at 15lbs. Lots of videos worth your time. He did replace his nano at a point during his thru though. It wore out and failed on him. He expected it though.
thanks again...some good ideas here. i have a hammock but I am planning a trip out of country where there are large expanses of balds and meadows (i.e not a tree for miles). So that eliminates the hammock and/or sitting on a pad against a tree.
So I will tent on that one and consider the chair. Ordered a couple different models (of the Alite brand) on STP site to try out and got a nice deal. Also went to REI and tried out their model...it was nice as well. they are approx. 1 -1/2 lb. so I don't consider that to be too much of a sacrifice for the comfort. Since this is an out of country trip, I am not planning on moving as fast as I do on local trips. On some instances I may just be camping in the same spot for a day or two.
The Helinox Camp Chair One is my favorite for all around use. It's light at 2 lbs, very comfy and just elevated enough that it's not tough for me to get out of after crashing for a half hour. Taller folks than I (5'7) seem to have more issues standing up out of it. The ground chair they make is even lighter but it's too low to the ground for my taste.
For areas where I'm really trying to pare down my weight I carry a piece of my old Z-lite pad and just lay it out to sit on.
I have seen folks use their bear canister as a seat, it looked like a great idea, multi use for a single item, food, clothes, seat, hual large quantity of water if needed.
I had the butterfly thing and it broke the first weekend i had it. got my money back(thanks Rei!). I now have the rei chair and its great. very comfy. its too heavy imo to take on long trips but great for weekenders. i have the zseat that i am taking in march. not as comfy but relieves cold butt syndrome! please don't berate me for my caps as i am not a typer! take care y'all!
A vote for the Alite Monarch.
3 of us that backpack together use them, and it's worth the little extra weight of 22 oz.
I have a little more trouble with mine since I am heavy...the little knobs sometimes sink into the ground if it's soft. Usually cure this by finding a couple of flat rocks to put the chair on, or use a piece of an old sleeping pad I carry for kneeling.
Another vote for the Helinox
I broke down and got one also. It is really comfortable for me at 5'8" and 175 lb. I set it up in my apartment and have been using it to watch TV. (I'm one of those weirdos that cook on my backpack stoves and crash out on the porch to test my new sleeping bag also)
The fit in finish is as to be expected to be spending above 100 bucks on. The fabric seat is sturdy. The DAC frame seems strong and a couple of wiggle tests seems to not twist or make you afraid of dropping your beer as it crashes to earth in a broken leg scenario.
One little thing I noticed. The bag that it comes in is over built for what it does and heavy comparatively. I don't think I'd ever pack it if I do pack the chair. Good for throwing in the truck or trunk for car camping.
An improvement I think would be the fabric seat itself having a pocket for the frame sewn in or transforming itself into its own storage case. Like wrapping your tent poles with the tent and rainfly kinda thing.
I haven't been back to an REI to compare it to the REI version and plan on getting one to possibly sidetrack someone from grabbing mine during campouts. I did get a chance to try the two leg ones from Alite and honestly didn't care for them. They were as one poster said, A PITA to keep legs tensed as the third leg of the tripod for stability and getting out of (and into) is a learning curve.
My two cents,
Rolex
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