Best options for UL camp chairs?

[Kevin Burton]

I think I want to start packing in a camp chair.  I think the weight is going to be worth it to be able to easily cook and spend time at camp.

Are there any high end or specialty UL camp chairs you guys would recommend?  There are usually a few mom and pop vendors making some specialty UL gear so I figured I would ask before I just go the REI route.

[Nick Gatel]

Send Doug Ide a PM. He has one that is pretty cool. Not my cup of tea but on one trip I was pretty jealous. He set his chair up on  big boulder overlooking a stream and was under some nice shade trees.

[Marion Watts]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Check out the Qwikback UL chair over at Litesmith. I don’t have one, but I’ve been eyeing them very closely!</p>

[Ben H.]

Sling Light used to be the underground player on the scene.  But it looks like they’ve been out-of-production for 4 years now:

http://slinglight.com

They still have that ’70’s era photo that is kicking.

I like my Alight Monarch though the Helinox Zero is lighter (I have one of those too).  The Monarch is heavier construction and I prefer two feet to one.  Many people seem to get weirder out by needing to use two feet, but it allows you to easily adjust position and doesn’t require you to put any real weight on your feet.  I feel the two feet or four feet debate is kind of like the free standing tent.  It matters more to people without much experience.

[Jason H]

I use two different models depending on how far I go. #1 just a cheap 2lb chair from Amazon like this https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Lence-Ultralight-Portable-Capacity/dp/B00Y2A6SBO/ref=sr_1_2?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1529972663&sr=1-2&keywords=backpacking+chair.

For my UL trips I love this https://mountainsmith.com/slingback-chair.html .Great if you use trekking polls at only 5 oz.

[Matthew / BPL]

Alite Monarch is comfy and I like how adjustable it is. I think it weighs less than a pound but I haven’t brought it in a trip in a couple years. Currently I only use this when car camping or on a beach

I have the Litesmith chair. It’s pretty nice when paired with a small sitpad but you are sitting on the ground still. I think it weighs ~3 ounces? Pretty light but you are sitting on the ground.

I usually just bring a sitpad on short trips and find a nice rock or stump which I drop the pad on. I have lots of opinions about sitpads and am happy to share if you want to discuss. Longer trips for me usually mean a bear can do that becomes my seat.

[Ken Thompson]

For me a backrest makes a chair. I gladly hump in the weight these days to be able to recline and enjoy the evening.

[JCH]

Helinox Chair Zero for me.  1 lb for a real chair with 4 legs.  Not UL but it is UC (ultra comfy).

[Erik G]

I’m wondering if the Slingback style chairs can be used effectively with logs, rocks etc. I feel like if your seat was elevated and supplemented with a sit pad, this would be much more comfortable and probably allow you to rest your head on it. If I can rest my head I’d probably be sold.

I watched a few videos of the Slingback in action, and almost everyone was skeptical at first but eventually surprised by how much they liked it. You could also make it a little more freestanding by putting one or two tie outs on the front, leading out to a stake or whatever. I’m curious enough to really want to try it on an upcoming trip where there will be ample lounging…Maybe I can cobble something together with materials on hand…

[Matt Dirksen]

I always bring an 1/8″ ccf foam pad. Even though I primarily use it in conjunction with an air mattress (for more firmness and warmth), I almost always use it as a sit pad, or drape it up against my pack or a log, and use it in a Slingback fashion.) I’ve occasionally imagined taking a piece of “ground cloth” material (nylon, cuben, or sylnylon) and making a home-made slingback chair out of it, but I’d design it to insert my ccf pad into it for added comfort. When not in use – it would double as a ground pad.

Doesn’t seem like a difficult project, but I just need some free time to do it… (sigh)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I think “UL camp chair” is an oxymoron. (IMHO;o)

Seriously, my “chair” is a CFC sit pad and my pack propped up with both walking sticks.

 

[Ethan A.]

+1 on Ken’s definition of a chair, but rocks/trees + your pack can sometimes get you there. Ken are you able to rest your head on the back?

For trips when weight matters less, such as sea kayaking, canoeing or shorter trips, I may bring the Helinox Ground Chair – I like the reclining low-to-the-ground position better than their other lightweight chairs. A real luxury. Only thing that would improve it is a backrest that extends to your head, but that would add weight. Place it in front of your pack leaning on a tree or high enough rock and you’ve got a head rest.

For lighter weight trips, I’ll typically just throw a CCF pad + pack in front of a tree or rock.

The Slingback is an interesting design, but doesn’t seem much different than leaning your pack on a rock or tree.

[Ken Thompson]

I do have a Slinglight with the headrest. Fallen asleep in it.

[J-L]

I would recommend the Helinox Chair Zero. I bring it on almost every trip – worth it for me at 17oz for a real comfortable chair. The Helinox Ground Chair is also good, but a little heavier at 23oz. It’s benefit is that you sit lower to the ground, so it’s easier to sit under a tarp in the rain. The Alite Monarch (with 2 legs) is listed at 21oz, but I have not tried it.

Another chair option coming is from this company: https://www.mulibex.com/

Their chairs are interesting because one of them uses trekking poles to form part of the chair frame. That chair, however, is listed at 1.2 lbs, which would make it heavier than the Chair Zero, so it doesn’t seem that compelling to me.

Less traditional chairs would be hammocks, which can get down to the 6-7oz range with suspension setup. I personally prefer the portability and the upright seating position of the Helinox chair vs a hammock. The Chammock Chair is similar to a hammock but would allow for sitting upright. It might be a reasonable compromise at 9.3oz (which I suspect could be reduced further with a lighter hammock suspension setup).

When I don’t pack a chair, I just sit on the ground and lean against my pack, which is propped up by a log, rock, or trekking pole. I’ve tried the chairs that you slide your sleeping pad into (ex: Thermarest Trekker), and I don’t find them any better.

[Ethan A.]

That Sling-Light looks absolutely decadent. And 22 oz with the headrest? Wow. How could that possibly be out of production? Anyone know why they stopped selling it? And is it still available anywhere?

[Ken Thompson]

No longer available. Rights were sold to Crazy Creek who ruined it by making a heavy copy that sold poorly.  The end.

[BlackHatGuy]

I can’t sew for nothing. Just the way it is. But give me some gorilla tape and man, I can put junk together. Ends up kinda heavy in a BPL context, but it works! Of course, I usually find someone to make me what I’m after when I’m done prototyping with gorilla tape and such. But I haven’t reached that point yet.

Anyway, I attached my trekking poles to the back of my Helinox Ground chair, then cut up some tyvek I had laying around, slathered it with some gorilla tape, and came up with a very workable headrest for the Ground chair. (I’d have a pic with me sitting in it, but I live alone, and I didn’t feel like getting out the tripod, and Siri was simply not cooperating).

The hiking shoe is there because with this thing on it’s a tad (or is it a scooch? I always get those two confused) back heavy and will fall over backwards (kinda like me after a couple of scotches….) without it.

Anyway, I used two pieces of that sticky stuff, what the hell is it called (getting old really sucks) …. VELCRO! Yes, velcro (I really couldn’t think of the word, took me a minute) on each side to attach the poles to the chair. Holds quite well.

A couple of things I’ve found out so far: attach the velcro where it can’t slide up (lower piece) or down (upper piece). It’ll slide if you let it. It’s just that way. Also, don’t cut the headrest square, it needs to be more of a (whatever those things are called where the top length is longer than the bottom length). And before you measure for your headrest, sit in the chair with the poles attached and have someone else measure, as the poles come together a bit when you sit in the chair. Lastly, you want the headrest to be something that doesn’t stretch, and that’s narrow enough to put slight pressure on the poles inward (there’s a better way to describe that too. Where the heck is David Thomas when I need him) when you slip it on, you want the headrest to stay somewhat taut.

Okay, I’m off to see if I can use a bit less tape. If you can sew and have cuben, I bet you can get this thing done for a couple of ounces. Worth it for a headrest, methinks.

[BlackHatGuy]

So I just weighed my contraption with all the gorilla tape on it – 1.3 oz., not including the velcro, which can’t weigh much at all. Who wants to make me one out of cuben? I’ll pay!

Oh yeah, one other thing, you should be listening to some old Coltrane when you try to put one together. That’s how I did it, and it worked, so it must be necessary…

[BlackHatGuy]

Okay, so version two was much better. (Well, actually version 3. Version two was …. I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll probably have nightmares). Got the tyvek cut correctly so only had to use two pieces of gorilla tape. Weight without the velcro, 0.9 oz. Less than a fricking ounce with gorilla tape. Well, I’m all about comfort, if you couldn’t tell. So I added a small, square (app. 4.75″x6″. Okay, a rectangle, get off my back), 1.5-inch thick piece of memory foam to the headrest. OMG. Talk about comfy. Total weight now (without the velcro), 1.8 oz. I’m taking it on my next backpacking trip. I think I’ll add a small speaker to each side next….

[Nick Gatel]

Doug,

There is ONE serious problem with this!

When I backpack with you, you set up your Duplex with your trekking poles, then you sit in your chair. Are you going to bring an extra pair of trekking poles?

; – )

 

[BlackHatGuy]

That’s not a problem at all Nick. Once I set up the Duplex and get it all set, I can simply remove the poles to use with the chair without changing anything else on the Duplex, and then reinsert the poles to the Duplex when it’s time for bed. Easy peasy, as some old goat I know likes to say…. :-)

[Ethan A.]

Doug that’s a fantastic easy mod. Brilliant. Will definitely try it.

+1 on Coltrane.

Though the deep recline on the Sling-Light is too enticing. I’d imagine something like it could be assembled, but probably not with the tubing used in the Helinox chairs, which may not have the lateral strength to withstand the loads over long spans. With a gauge aluminum similar to that used in the Sling-Light, a machine shop with a bending machine should be able to make the necessary bends.

[BlackHatGuy]

Okay, final edition after messing a bit with it this morning.

Final weight, 1.9oz on my cheapo kitchen scale, including the velcro. I found some tyvek tape, so used that instead of the gorilla tape. Probably saved at least .02 oz. At least….

Changed the attached head-rest size to make it a bit thicker. Much nicer. So now it’s ~ 5.5″ x 4″ x 2″. Also made the tyvek piece a bit wider so as to not squeeze the chair sides in so much. Works great. Can’t wait to get it into the field in a couple of weeks.

The headrest, memory foam, is just taped on. Seems fine.

Each trekking pole is held in place with two pieces of velcro each, one top and one bottom.

Now if I can only figure out how to power those speakers in the field…..

[Jerry Adams]

I was waiting for your response to this Doug.  That looks like really good work for such simple methods.

That is insanity that anyone would bring a chair with them.  I just sit on a rock.

When I’ve sat on your chair it’s actually fairly comfortable, I’ll have to think about this…

Okay, I’ve thought about it, no way I’d every haul around that much weight : )

I got a sewing machine.  I don’t know about sewing tyvek though.  Measure the height, width at top when it’s flattened, and width at the bottom.  Supplex nylon might be better, easier to sew, breathable.  I have some scrap pieces.

[Valerie E]

Hmmmmmm, now I wonder if you could substitute the trekking poles with two 14″ or 17″ tent pole sections.  You’d have to velcro them differently, but that way, you could have both your tent and your chair set up at the same time for only an ounce or two penalty.

Any type of thin nylon should work for the headrest piece.  I sew, but won’t be travelling with my machine, even though it’s called a “portable”. 😜

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