Poll- Chairs & Camp Shoes…Luxury or Recovery?

[Steve H]

Who takes a UL chair?

Who takes comfy camp shoes?

It’s easier for me to leave a luxury item at home, but there are times I wonder if there are other benefits, like recovery, particularly something like Crocs for camp.  I have an REI chair I take sometimes, depending on the trip, but usually not.  I’ve never taken camp shoes, but sometimes wish I had them.  Worth the weight?

[JCH]

Chair Zero on about 85% of my trips.  Chammock on the 15% when weight is critical. Gotta have a chair…too old for sitting on rocks and logs :)

Camp shoes rarely and only on base camp trips.

[Jenny A]

Sometimes a chair (REI Flexlite) if feeling extravagant, since it’s cushier and more comfortable than a log or stump.  That is a luxury.  Camp shoes always (classic Crocs):  easier to slip into to answer calls of nature, give feet a break, and sometimes useful for creek crossings when I don’t want to get hiking boots wet.  That is a necessity.

[Erik G]

I’m rockin’ a Sling Light with headrest these days. Recovery, for sure. Gotta recover from carrying it all that way. :)

Camp shoes I can go either way on. I have a pair of sock-like slippers with a rubber bottom that weigh ~4 oz for the pair. They’re made by a gal who actually makes shoes for infants/toddlers – Tough lil’ Piggies. I had her make me some Tough Big Piggies. They’re pretty great for shoulder season hiking when my shoes get soaked.

[David Gardner]

I basically take a bear canister on every trip now, which doubles as a stool with my sit pad on it. Can’t recline but better than a rock.

In the old heavy leather boot days I always brought some kind of camp shoes, but with modern lightweight boots/shoes not so much. But when I do it’s usually cheap flip flops.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

No chair, no camp shoes.

[Michael B]

Flex lite Air goes on all my trips. I like the idea of camp shoes, but usually just loosen my laces at camp.

[Matthew / BPL]

Bear can and a 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick pad make for nice seating options. Also, boulders.

I do like my Alite two leg chair but it’s not worth it to carry it. If someone made a lighter version I’d probably be interested.

I have Litesmith’s chair which is tiny and just a few ounces but it doesn’t provide that much comfort so it’s not really worth it to me.

[Edward John M]

Crocs alone in summer and larger crocs with pile slippers in cooler weather.
My feet really need the break. Necessity IMO
Chair not so much so I don’t own one but do take sit-pad or SI seat or both sometimes; my bum needs padding

[Roger Caffin]

Small sit-mats are light and invaluable – in the snow, in wet rainforest, on hard rock, anywhere.

Cheers

[Kevin Babione]

I carry a Z-Seat (1-foot square z-fold pad) for breaks while on trail.  That’s always in my pack.

If the trip plans are for us to have a bunch of time in camp at the end of the day I’ll take my Helinox Ground Chair, but if not I don’t.  My last trip, for example, we had to stay at designated sites and they had picnic tables at each shelter so no chair was needed.  My next trip the Ground Chair will be in my pack.

Camp shoes?  No – I just loosen my laces a lot (so I don’t trip on them) and that’s it.  I don’t typically have any hotspots or blisters so feet aren’t a “pain point.”

[bradmacmt]

I don’t think I’ve been without camp shoes for the last 20 years. My current are 6.6 oz’s off amazon. We end up doing a lot of stream crossings here in MT and I consider it a risky proposition to do it barefoot (though I have – but it’s an invitation to an injury). I find it refreshing to be rid of walking shoes and socks. Well worth the weight to me.

I always carry a butt pad (piece of RidgeRest – more comfortable than the factory Z-Seat).

I’m considering a Litesmith QwikBack chair too:

https://www.litesmith.com/qwikback-ul-chair/

But yeah, I turn 60 in a couple weeks… little comforts are appreciated far more than when I started backpacking as a teenager.

[Brad W]

No chair no shoes. Lugging an extra pound up 7K vertical gain and being so exhausted I don’t want to sit in it doesn’t work for me anymore. I just roll out my polycro footprint under some shade and lay down.

I wouldn’t be opposed to some 1 oz shoes if I could find some. The cheap dollar store flip flops just don’t stay on my feet.

[Marcus]

@bradmacmt that’s 6.6oz for the pair or each? if thats for the pair, can you link them again? the picture doent link to anything for me.

For me, Helinox Zero comes on most trips. I enjoy leaning back and relaxing by a fire at night.

Camp shoes come if I plan on 10 or more miles per day, or particularly rough trails. My feet suck and having open camp shoes like flip flops are great. Less than 10 mi/day I typically leave them.

[Mina Loomis]

Who takes a UL chair?  Who takes comfy camp shoes? …  Worth the weight?

Nah.

Chair–That’s what they installed the ground and the trees for.

Camp shoes?  The shoes I wear all day on the trail don’t bother me much.  I do take them, and my socks, off at breaks to air my feet, part of diligent foot care throughout the trip.  But also since I spend much of the time barefoot at home, house and yard, neighborhood, jogging, walking around barefoot in camp doesn’t bother me much either.

Caveat:  No history of snow camping.

[Alex Wallace]

Neither here.

Loose trail runners and fresh socks in the evening do it for me. If my shoes are wet, I’ll slip bread bags between the soggy shoes and my fresh dry pair (B) of socks.

As for a chair, the ground, rocks, and logs seem to work for me now. However, I do agree that a sit pad is nice and worth it’s weight especially in colder weather. Dual, or more, use too. Sleeping pad + sit pad & backpack make for a decent bed.

[Alex H]

No camp shoes but I do carry a Thermarest Chair Kit (10 oz.), I can no longer sit cross legged for long and the rocks and logs are rarely where I want them.  I have to lean back and stretch my legs at the end of the day.

[Steve H]

Anyone have an accurate weight on Crocs?

[john mcalpine]

Helinox Zero with me always.  I’m 58 now.  I just don’t feel like getting up and down off the ground anymore.  My body is beat.  That 16 oz chair makes all the difference to me.

In camp I take the insole of my Altras out.  That makes them feel different and thus my camp shoes.

[bradmacmt]

that’s 6.6oz for the pair or each? if thats for the pair, can you link them again? the picture doent link to anything for me.

Marcus, Amazon is a pain to link. For whatever reason they do those obnoxious picture links that seldom work. Google “Amoji Garden Clogs” and the Amazon link will come up.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=amoji+garden+clogs&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqm7WN5abwAhVlCjQIHbEHB_YQ7xYoAHoECAEQMQ&biw=1600&bih=734

I mis-spoke, they’re 6.7oz’s for the pair:

[bradmacmt]

Anyone have an accurate weight on Crocs?

That’s like asking  “what is a cars gas mileage.” :)

It depends. Crocs are all over the map depending on the model. But, for me, all the current ones are far too heavy. I baby my 16 year old pair that is lighter than anything currently made. They’re 10.6 oz’s for the pair.

 

[bradmacmt]

Chair–That’s what they installed the ground and the trees for.

Which are usually unavailable to a lot of us!

[J R]

Chair and camp shoes would be more comfortable, but not worth the weight for me. In camp I pull the insoles out of my trail runners and wear them loosely, feels like a different shoe and works very well.

[David Gardner]

I wonder how much these “garden shoes” weigh? I posed that question on Amazon. We’ll see if I get an answer.

[bradmacmt]

Chair and camp shoes would be more comfortable, but not worth the weight for me. In camp I pull the insoles out of my trail runners and wear them loosely, feels like a different shoe and works very well.

JR, that’s a darn good recommendation, and one I hadn’t thought of! But still doesn’t fix the stream crossing dilemma a lot of us face.

[Author]

Posts