What's best for parking your arse on? I use Aluminium tripod stools but they have a bad habit of snapping when a leg sinks in the mud. Looked at SlingLight chairs which are certainly light but somewhat large.
Much as I love my camping - a good place to sit has always been a bit lacking... the ground loses its appeal after a day on the hills.
Currently considering a thermarest chair kit to convert the mats we have to seats. Need to take care as last thing you would want to do is park your bed down as a seat and puncture it or get it wet.
hi smashing69 and all you backpacking fans I hope you find this site as good as we have.We are new to camping last year we got away twice and are looking forward to this year2010.As a novice i would think some kind of inflatable seat may be light enough to backpack with if carefull where you use it.An off the wall idea / a trailer wheel innertube inflated with a portable foot pump might get you 4 to 5 inches of the ground with a fold up table top or some thing ridgid to stop you falling through the hole in the middle may work or some thing you can inflate then deflate and carry easy may be a self inflating mat or pillow.I dont know any roll up chairs small enough to backpack with but the folks on here are verry good with ideas good luck with your search.
How about one of these? We have three of them and use them in our Coleman Rock Springs, plus the beach. Outwell do a version too. They have support struts towards the edges where the seaming is and you can sit upright, back or anywhere in between. Very comfortable and light (456g)! I've seen a picture of a canoeist who used one as a seat in his canoe. It is can take that it will take a few bum sits.
Two halves fold together with handles. You can adjust the straps for comfort and there is a handy mesh pocket on the back.
Backpacking is about being comfortable. Ray Mears is supposed to have said something along the lines of "If you are roughing it, you are doing it wrong". But there's always a compromise between the weight on your back and comforts at camp.
I think the self-inflating pillow is a good idea. Pretty useless as a pillow as far as I can tell but probably makes a good, packable sit-mat. Personally, I don't bother. I sit on nearby rocks or a dry patch of grass, or on my sleeping mat in the tent in winter. I have recently acquired a Highlander folding sit mat (140g) and I might take that in summer when there's a bit of spare pack space (might even take the scissors to it and halve it - it would still be big enough ).
I've got a stool identical to that one Patrick40 - it's brilliant for it's teeny pack size but fairly heavy at 720g - I know that doesn't sound much but I'm always surprised by the weight 'cos it's really tiny! The Terra Nova one is possibly lighter, I couldn't find a weight for it but it looks to be exactly the same?
We used ours for 5 days at Download festival last year to save lugging bulky folding chairs miles. Not as comfy but surprisingly sturdy and not bad on uneven ground or in lots of mud
I bought mine from here.
Can I jump in and ask if anyone has a Thermarest chair sleeve? like this. I have the womens prolite. Are they comfortable?
I take a small foam pad for long hikes anyway & will probably do so when backpacking. It's good to have somethingIt would be nice to have something to lean back on in my tent tho. I won't bother if they don't really provide much support.
Quote: Originally posted by Soup Dragon on 07/2/2010
Can I jump in and ask if anyone has a Thermarest chair sleeve? like this. I have the womens prolite. Are they comfortable?
I take a small foam pad for long hikes anyway & will probably do so when backpacking. It's good to have somethingIt would be nice to have something to lean back on in my tent tho. I won't bother if they don't really provide much support.
I have one of those sleeves. They're good to a point - it gives you a seat back but really works best when raised up on a rock or treestump. On the ground is OK but not great - I use it when trapped in tent during a rainy night...
. Not great on soft ground (if a leg sinks in too far it breaks) but generally a good sitting position.
PS If anyone is interested in one of these Thermarest things, bear in mind that the old model - still the most prominent in the shops - is twice as heavy as the newer 'Compack' model.
It's a pair of treking poles that convert into a chair, it's a bit heavier than the tripod (540g), and a tiny bit more expensive ($190 ), but it does have an optional cup holder.
Quote: Originally posted by smashing69 on 08/2/2010
Quote: Originally posted by Soup Dragon on 07/2/2010 Can I jump in and ask if anyone has a Thermarest chair sleeve? like this. I have the womens prolite. Are they comfortable?
I take a small foam pad for long hikes anyway & will probably do so when backpacking. It's good to have somethingIt would be nice to have something to lean back on in my tent tho. I won't bother if they don't really provide much support.
I have one of those sleeves. They're good to a point - it gives you a seat back but really works best when raised up on a rock or treestump. On the ground is OK but not great - I use it when trapped in tent during a rainy night...
. Not great on soft ground (if a leg sinks in too far it breaks) but generally a good sitting position.
PS If anyone is interested in one of these Thermarest things, bear in mind that the old model - still the most prominent in the shops - is twice as heavy as the newer 'Compack' model.
Thanks, probably not worth me bothering with one atm then :)
Quote: Originally posted by privatehudson on 08/3/2010
I just take one of those Poundland picnic blankets with me and either sit on that or in the tent
Sitting on the ground for more than half an hour plays havoc with my lower back. Much as I would love to be able to leave the stool behind - it would just make the time out of town more painful than strictly necessary.
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Topic: Best sitting type thing
). 
), but it does have an optional cup holder. 
