lightweight paracord chair

I would just wrap the strap coming from the chair around the tree and tie off with a half-hitch. That's definitely lighter than the biners. Although harder to get tight than the girth-hitch sling he uses.

I wonder if grosgrain ribbon would hold the weight? It might be easier on the tree bark than paracord, you could girth hitch a sling to the tree and then tie paracord to it.

I think I'd start with an old fishing net.

But then I live on the beach in a fishing town. So it's kind of like dumpster-diving for me.

His dimensions are 4' across by 5' – 6' in length, so about 2.5 square yards. He says this uses 82' of paracord, or ~27 yards.

Let's look at some costs and weights (chair portion only – rigging excluded).

If you use Zpacks' lightest cord, it will weigh 0.9oz and cost $26. This is the lightest and most expensive option.

Common Type 3 (Mil-spec) paracord will weigh in around 7oz and might cost $11 from Amazon. Heavy.

If you go with fabric, you'll need to purchase 2 yards. A hammock cloth such as DutchWare's NylonD 1 will come in at 2.5oz for $10.

If you can handle a few straight stitches, the fabric option is simpler and probably more comfortable. Compared to this, the Z-Line costs an additional $10 per ounce saved, which is a bit on the expensive side of the weight savings price spectrum.

(After recently replacing a few pieces of gear, I noticed that between an adequate piece of gear and a lighter option, you can expect to pay between $100 and $200 extra per pound saved, or about $6 – $12 extra per ounce saved. This applies across a wide range of gear including packs, tents, rain gear and trowels. Sleeping bags are the big exception. I now find myself using this rule of thumb any time I consider a new piece of equipment.)

A fabric chair would be as light or lighter and far more comfortable. I think sitting on the paracord would create some pressure points at the lower back and thighs. I've tried the netting hammocks and it's like sitting on a cheese slicer.

Gotta do tree straps to protect the bark. Heavy conifer bark is hard on line anyway.