Chair or No Chair? (Section Hiker) [Archive]

stephanD

12-04-2018, 10:01

LOL I'm a section hiker, and i'm asking myself the same question each time. As always, it's the balance between weight and comfort. I guess the equation is the more staff you have to carry for comfort = higher the weight = less comfort you have.

Gambit McCrae

12-04-2018, 10:12

I feel that I am not the best source to answer this but will throw my 2 cents in seeing as this is a section hiker thread (Don't see many of those threads in a thru hikers world) BUT:
Do I want a chair after a 20-25 mile day? Yes
Would the 20-25 mile day been tougher by carrying a camp chair? Yes
Are there picnic tables at a lot of shelter locations? Yes
Are there logs that can be used with a sit pad at most camp sites? Yes
-Is this setup as comfortable as a folding chair? No
-Does my back get tight and hurt do to no back support? Yes

I guess my answer is I would like to have one but chose to eliminate that weight from my pack and in return make due with what is provided on the trail via picnic tables, logs, rocks or the good ol fashioned dirt.

soumodeler

12-04-2018, 10:22

It really depends on the trip. I pretty much always carry a sitting pad, but on short hikes where I am out more for slow and relaxing more than miles, I sometimes carry a chair. I have a flexlite and a crazy creek and it just depends on where I am going.

I want one of those stargaze reclining chairs but can’t justify that much money for one for the amount I would use it. It it sure would be nice to camp on a bald or somewhere with a view on a clear night...

Deadeye

12-04-2018, 10:56

No chair - a sit pad and tree work just fine and saves the weight of a day's worth of food. Or I can sit back and relax in my hammock!

Slo-go'en

12-04-2018, 11:03

Along the AT there are many places to sit and rest for a few minutes during the day. Nearly every shelter has a picnic table and most established campsites have a log or two. About the only time you need to sit down is to cook dinner. The rest of the time your either walking or laying down.

I've meet several thru hikers who started out with a chair, saying they were going to carry it the whole way. Guess what? A week later it's gone. If you do see someone with a chair, usually they are a section hiker and it is probably the first and last time they carry one. Although, I'm sure there will be someone who says they always carry a chair and love it.

But out west it's a different story. One thing which annoyed me about the Colorado Trail and Glacier was there was nothing to sit on along the trail to take a break on during the day.

ldsailor

12-04-2018, 11:11

Buy a cheap, light sitting pad from Amazon. A chair is more weight and more hassle.

cmoulder

12-04-2018, 11:24

That's an extra 26 oz and additional bulk that I sure as heck wouldn't carry, but it's up to you since you'll be carrying it.

However, for most people there comes a time — usually while climbing a long, steep hill on a hot, humid day — that they will curse the unnecessary weight and wish they could fling it into a ravine right then and there.

clay pot

12-04-2018, 11:54

Sit pad always. Butt needs it. Also, I need the insulation somewhere under me 1/3 of the year. I rather put the difference in ounces between pad and chair into a warmer sleeping bag 1/3 of the year.

mclaught

12-04-2018, 13:13

Not an expert at all, but on the few overnight trips I've done, my chair (1.5 pounds) has been my favorite piece of equipment I've brought. At this point, I would probably cut weight on half a liter of water before I left my chair behind. For longer trips where I needed to haul more food and water, I guess I'd have to reconsider. But for short trips, it's coming with me.

Edit to add: I clip mine to the outside of my pack.

JPritch

12-04-2018, 13:26

I've never had a problem finding a stump, rock, downed branch, shelter, table etc...to sit on. I carry a small sit pad that makes it more comfortable. For me it's not worth carrying the weight of a chair and having it take up that much space in my pack.

Hatchet_1697

12-04-2018, 15:19

Sit pad or an ultralight hammock (e.g. Hummingbird Hammock) for day trips will be a fraction of the weight.

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Deadeye

12-04-2018, 15:35

...my chair (1.5 pounds) has been my favorite piece of equipment I've brought. ...

And that's all that really matters!

Feral Bill

12-04-2018, 15:46

I've never carried a chair in 50+ years of backpacking. There is always somewhere to sit.

Hikingjim

12-04-2018, 16:04

IMO, a chair is only worthwhile if you're going to use it for hours daily. You can lean your back against something in a shelter, sit on the edge of shelter, picnic tables, perfect rocks, etc
A leisure trip that you hike a few hours and then enjoy camp... yes. Everything else, it doesn't seem worth it unless the comfort is just really needed because of a back issue, etc

I saw a few people with those chairs at a shelter with a view near the top of a peak... and it was well worth it for them because they enjoyed the comfort and were going to use it for hours, not cover a ton of mileage, etc

Dogwood

12-04-2018, 17:02

Camp...chair is umm for umm camping...not an absolutely necessary backpacking or hiking piece. Nice for car camping sitting around long hrs with a cold one watching the World Series on TV powered by a portable generator if tables, stumps, downed trees, trees, or rocks aren't available which isn't often that none of these are available. Most times I cowboy camp at the base of a tree or large boulder or sand dune using it as a backrest,... and wind block, heat sink, privacy/stealth camping screen, etc.

MuddyWaters

12-04-2018, 17:41

I am a section hiker. Wondering the communities thoughts on bringing a rei flexlite camp chair on section hikes. Seems like it'd be nice to be able to sit normally after a long day. Weight is 28 oz
You cant "sit normally" in any chair you can carry.

A sitpad makes rocks an logs a lot more comfortable
Especially when wet

A 1/8" x 20x60" ccf pad, weighs about 3 oz, and is fantastic for putting on ground to lay down on, or part on ground, part behind you leaning against rock or tree. Especially when ground covered in pointy things, or weeds. When folded in several layers, great for sitting on hard stuff.

lonehiker

12-04-2018, 17:52

I took a chair on a shorter hike this last summer (Uintah Highline trail) and enjoyed the comfort. I can see myself using it periodically but would probably leave it home for my long section hikes.

soilman

12-04-2018, 17:57

For me, sitting on a picnic table, rock, tree stump, etc. does not give the same level of comfort as a chair. I have never carried a chair backpacking, but wished I had one many times. Years ago my wife and I were on the MATC volunteer trail crew near Gulf Hagas Mt. We had to hike in about 1 mile to our base camp. I had brought two nylon folding chairs and packed them in. Every night after working on the trail the crew would fight over who would sit on the chairs versus the coolers or a log. Folding chairs are standard on the Konarock crew now.

Traffic Jam

12-04-2018, 18:40

TNhiker

12-04-2018, 18:45

I love my chair and it’s been coming along on more and more hikes. My back really loves it. Leaning against a tree or a stump doesn’t compare to the comfort that chair provides after a long, strenuous hike. I have the Alite Mayfly and gladly pay the weight penalty.

likewise....

although i have a different model chair.....

and im only a weekend hiker (maybe 2-3 days tops).......

but, the comfort it gives me to sit around a fire and read a book is far superior to a sit pad and a log........

Slo-go'en

12-04-2018, 19:31

Sure, if your only out for a night or two and doing more sitting around then hiking, bring the chair. It's not like your lugging 5 days worth of food and trying to pull 20 mile days.

peakbagger

12-04-2018, 19:56

I own one an have used it on winter trips when I pull my gear in on an sled or short base camp hikes where the gear gets hauled in to the same place for a couple of days. I wouldn't consider backpacking a section hike with it.

Traffic Jam

12-04-2018, 20:09

Sure, if your only out for a night or two and doing more sitting around then hiking, bring the chair. It's not like your lugging 5 days worth of food and trying to pull 20 mile days.

Hmmm.... I definitely do more hiking than sitting around. My chair was worth it’s weight in gold when I recently finished the BMT. That last day was a killer for me, nearly broke down and cried. Enjoying a cup of wine while relaxed in my chair was an exceptional moment for me.

Dogwood

12-04-2018, 20:14

Sure, if your only out for a night or two and doing more sitting around then hiking, bring the chair. It's not like your lugging 5 days worth of food and trying to pull 20 mile days.

Exactly, a chair is a camping - sitting around - luxury piece not a backpacking or hiking absolute essential. Good thing about hammocking is that it also is a chair a damn comfy one at that doing double and triple or even quadruple duty(chair, shelter, part of the sleep system, and possibly some components functioning as toga apparel). One can use a sub 5 oz silk or polyester liner strung between two trees as a comfy sling chair. Again, a piece that functions double and triple duty(chair, liner, toga apparel). Until they invent an UL chair that can be part of a pack's suspension, converts into tent/tarp poles, trekking poles, and/or a fishing pole, has an integrated compassi and, most of all, an at arm's reach cup cozy I'll pass for LD backpacking. A camp chair is one of the first things long section and LD hikers ditch. She's right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvNZKjhS0s4

poolskaterx

12-04-2018, 21:13

I love my Crazy Creek chair. At just under a lb; I attach it to the bottom of my zpack-zip and it keeps it from tipping over, it can lay flat to use as additional torso padding to sleep on, can use it as an entry mat for my tent... heck, it even works good as a chair-super comfortable with an adjustable back rest that you can use in the tent to sit up and read or journal,and the list goes on. I don't go on the trail without it.

scrabbler

12-04-2018, 22:06

If the weather will be bad, I like to bring a chair/stool. I find it nice to have something to sit on under the hammock's tarp while cooking, eating, talking, etc.
In fair weather, I just us a sitpad on a rock, log, or ground.

Alligator

12-05-2018, 01:55

My Thermarest chair weighs 11.1 oz. Been using one for 15 years at least. I average 15-20 miles in the summer, 12-18 in the spring/fall 10-15 in the winter on the AT. My section hikes range from 1 night to a week plus. I spend most of my camp time in the chair: cooking, eating, relaxing, sitting by the fire, filtering water, or reading. I pack lightweight and I don't ever question having it. It forms into a roll which either goes inside my pack (usually) or in a water bottle holder.

Logs are kind of nice to put my feet up on when I'm sitting in my chair, but I often just use my sleeping bag for that.

blw2

12-05-2018, 07:03

kayak karl

12-05-2018, 07:45

People said "just sit on a rock", but the rock got very heavy. never got a chair.

Crossup

12-05-2018, 10:07

With only a few weeks of experience on the trail, I've met several section hikers using chairs who have used them for years. The common thread was back issues and oddly enough, moderate age.

While I agree with the general sentiment of being hard to justify the weight, I do find logs, benches etc to be a poor second to something with some back support- which means for most light weight chairs finding some place next to a wall or tree etc so you get some support above the chair back.

Every shelter I've found that had seating with back rests causes me to immediately ditch my usual arrival routine and take immediate advantage of the seating. So at this juncture in my hiking career, I've decided a chair is in my future, mostly dependent on NOT spending $100.

Starchild

12-05-2018, 10:23

My take on it is no way, unless the hike is very short (such as a beginners backpack trip just to get them acclimated, and I want to showboat a bit of luxury) or a base camp setup where one hikes in to a single location staying a few nights then out after.

While I appreciate a chair if provided, the truth is I don't miss it when I don't have it. I like finding a place to sit on the ground (log, rock or shelter), and bring a sitting pad for that. It adds to the experience. Now I understand some hikers actually don't like the ground or leaning up against a tree, I used to be like that as a kid, so if that is a issue yes I can understand. But it was well worth it getting over that and I truly love it. In some ways I would feel more disconnected to the land if I had a chair. Also a sit pad is quicker then unpacking a chair.

I have fond memories of my thru hike (AT) where I would start hiking to warm up in the morning then when hiking generated enough heat I would break out my foam sleeping mat and place in on the side of the trail and make breakfast, talking to passing hikers and sometimes offering them a hot drink - heaven.

lonehiker

12-05-2018, 10:51

I knew a guy, now deceased, that thru-hiked the PCT with a beach chair (think lawn chair with short legs) strapped to his pack. I did a portion of my MB100 with him and he actually carried a full sized lawn chair on the trip. As I mentioned in an earlier post I probably wouldn't take a chair on a long trip. But, I feel confident that I would be quite capable of lugging it on any distance hike. Let's see, 12.5 pound base weight plus 1 pound.... Yep, wouldn't be difficult at all.

Gambit McCrae

12-05-2018, 11:31

Back in college I had a hillbilly buddy that always found great enjoyment out of doing things the hard way. If I said the sensible way to do something, he was gunna do it the other way. So as I was moving toward the UL realm of things he of course wanted to veer in the opposite direction. So when it came time for us to walk from Fontana to The Dome , and he not having anything whatsoever of his own, I set him up "first class" just as he requested.

-Old REI boy scout external frame backpack
-Arctic sleeping bag
-cast coffee perk
-cast backpacking stove
-foot tall.....glass beaker
-And a 1970's folding camp chair similar to what was mentioned in post #33

He had a great time, but never veered the other way again :)

Dogwood

12-05-2018, 19:09

Do you know what makes good back support?...a backpack. Take it off, lean on it, or sit down with it on. Voila, you have back support. Easy peasy - uncomplicated. Have to have it more complicated pull out a sit pad.

QiWiz

12-06-2018, 12:21

For years and years I just used a ccf butt pad, but now take a Helinox Zero chair with me on many weekend trips. Even with a couple mods (insulating Reflectix insert and straps to keep legs from sinking into the ground) it weighs less than 1.5 pounds. It's very comfortable; worth the weight penalty on shorter distance and duration trips. On a longer hike like a significant section of the AT, I would not bring it.

Signpost

12-06-2018, 15:09

My take is that the lack of comfortable, ergonomic seating during a through hike is just another thing that makes you appreciate civilization a bit more when you encounter it. That being said, if you can't go without a comfortable seat camp, I would recommend an ultralight hammock. To me, a hammock is more comfortable to sit in than a camp chair, you also have the versatility to be able to lay down, it's less bulky than a chair, and probably lighter to boot.

JC13

12-06-2018, 15:16

I don't carry a chair on section hikes, but then again I don't cook or have fires either. I am on the end of the move from dawn to dusk makin' miles spectrum though.

bad biscuit

12-07-2018, 13:08

I'm just a weekend hiker but cover 15+ miles a day and i always carry my chair. I'll take the weight penalty. Sitting around the fire in a chair sipping a beverage makes a wonderful experience. My back appreciates it.

It also doubles as a"nightstand" to my hammock. HYOH

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Puddlefish

12-07-2018, 13:50

Seats get less important as you get into hiking shape. When I'm fat over the winter, the idea of stooping all the way to the ground to sit, and the stress on the knees to stand back up can be a bit daunting. After a few days, the legs and knees are able to handle a bit more.

In 600 AT miles I wanted a chair just once, but I really wanted it that day. I was hungry and looking for a place to stop, sit down, eat, air out my feet, but I was in the Smokies and every single surface was covered with spongy wet green growth. The ground was soft, the trail itself was narrow, and there was just no place to even put down a sit pad.

Not my picture, but essentially like this.

44215

Odd Man Out

12-07-2018, 14:09

My backpack chair (actually, my daughter on North Manitou Island). It helps when the is a soft sandy beach.

44216

imscotty

12-07-2018, 15:02

If I wanted a chair on my hike I would bring my Bear Canister. Would serve double duty that way.

Truthfully, I only carry the bear canister where it is required, but it does work as a nice chair. I agree with the others above that you can always find a place to sit in nature. If I am looking for the ultimate in comfort when stopping for lunch, and the option of some back support, I can set my hammock up in a a few minutes. Usually I just use a square of foam pad that I keep to sit on if the ground is damp.

reppans

12-08-2018, 01:52

Litesmith Qwikback at 4oz with groundsheet and foam pad is as much as I'll take.

MuddyWaters

12-08-2018, 08:52

If you think you want a chair

Hike south from woody gap to ammicalola in april.

You can pick up several that thoughtful persons left for you.

soumodeler

12-08-2018, 13:16

If you think you want a chair

Hike south from woody gap to ammicalola in april.

You can pick up several that thoughtful persons left for you.
You can probably get a full kit if you were to hike that section weekly for a month. I have seen some crazy stuff left behind in the first 10-20 miles. Including an entire campsite on the approach trail with a tent, sleeping bag, and pad still setup, but the tent had about 2" of water in it.

cmoulder

12-08-2018, 15:53

If you think you want a chair

Hike south from woody gap to ammicalola in april.

You can pick up several that thoughtful persons left for you.

You can probably get a full kit if you were to hike that section weekly for a month. I have seen some crazy stuff left behind in the first 10-20 miles. Including an entire campsite on the approach trail with a tent, sleeping bag, and pad still setup, but the tent had about 2" of water in it.
lol, living the dream isn't the same as dreaming the dream. :D

soumodeler

12-08-2018, 16:35

lol, living the dream isn't the same as dreaming the dream. :D
Sure isn't. I was at Springer Mountain Shelter one year during the bubble and was talking to a young guy who had left his job and flew down to GA to thru hike. He basically said this was not what he expected, hated every minute of the hike in, as was done. He called for a ride and quit after hiking less than 1 mile of the AT. I asked him if he had done the Approach Trail, thinking I could tell him it would get better, but he had hiked up from FS42...

TNhiker

12-08-2018, 16:43

Sure isn't. I was at Springer Mountain Shelter one year during the bubble and was talking to a young guy who had left his job and flew down to GA to thru hike. He basically said this was not what he expected, hated every minute of the hike in, as was done. He called for a ride and quit after hiking less than 1 mile of the AT. I asked him if he had done the Approach Trail, thinking I could tell him it would get better, but he had hiked up from FS42...

was his name Bill Bryson?

soumodeler

12-08-2018, 16:53

was his name Bill Bryson?

Haha! At least Bryson made it a mile or two farther before quitting!

Dogwood

12-08-2018, 18:54

You can probably get a full kit if you were to hike that section weekly for a month. I have seen some crazy stuff left behind in the first 10-20 miles. Including an entire campsite on the approach trail with a tent, sleeping bag, and pad still setup, but the tent had about 2" of water in it.

It probably was a 'f*&k this shart, I'm going home to the greater familiarity of convenience and comfort' scenario. See it in GA, NC, and VA AT sections occasionally.

SC_Forester

12-10-2018, 16:50

If you want to take it. take one. I hike with the Crazy Creek HEX 2. It's my one major luxury item. When I hike I don't really take breaks so i am off the trail by mid afternoon its nice to sit on something soft and dry. It helps keep my backside warm on the cool nights. I also un clip it and put my sleeping pad on top of it, adds some protection and a little more R value. The difference between backpacking and hiking is camping. Might as well be comfortable if you can. However, sometimes I take my fast and light pack and only take a square of reflective bubble wrap to sit on.