When you are backpacking, the ability to sit comfortably when you have stopped for a break or when you are at camp is an important part of recuperating and resting. With no chair, your options for sitting are the ground, rocks, or logs, in most backcountry campsites. Logs and rocks can be hard, wet, or bug infested.
I did some searching for vendors on the internet when I purchased this stool over a year ago. I managed to find a good price that was significantly lower than the price I see it listed at on most websites now. The 17" version now looks to be selling for around $90. While that is less than most true backpacking chairs with backs, it seems like a lot to me for what it is, just a three legged stool.
My hammock is a Ridgerunner by Warbonnet. If you want more details about my hammock, you can click here.
Let me know what you use. Let me know what you have tried, but didn't work for you.
If you are car camping, you can bring folding or umbrella chairs that people bring to their kids' little league and soccer games. Weight doesn't matter so much when you drive to your location and you are camped 20 yards or so from your vehicle. But when you have to carry your seat on your back for 90% of the day on a 10-20 mile hike, just so you can sit for lunch and while you are cooking and/or eating your dinner, weight matters. I have purchased and used a number of camping/backpacking seats. Each has pros and cons. I will discuss them here and then let you know which one or two routinely make it into my backpack.
First, this is obviously a stool. Because it doesn't have a back, it's not going to be as comfortable as a chair with a back. You won't feel as relaxed. The "BTR" stands for "Better Than a Rock", and I would say, that's accurate for most rocks. This is one of the lightest of the genuine seats, weighing only 13.2 oz for the 17" version (17 inches from the seat to the ground). The BTR Stool easily fits in a side pocket of a backpack. It deploys easily by simply extending the telescoping legs to the limit of their length, then opening them so the seat flattens.
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| BTR Stool by Hillsound |
I did some searching for vendors on the internet when I purchased this stool over a year ago. I managed to find a good price that was significantly lower than the price I see it listed at on most websites now. The 17" version now looks to be selling for around $90. While that is less than most true backpacking chairs with backs, it seems like a lot to me for what it is, just a three legged stool.
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| BTR Stool in pack mode |
One of the biggest selling points for me on this stool (and one of the primary reasons I opted for this over some of the alternatives when I started back into backpacking was the easy of deployment. It really only takes 2 seconds to pull out of your pack and set up. When you open the legs, it locks them (as long as they are extended to the correct maximum position). And to collapse it down and put it away, also only takes seconds. This means that you are more likely to actually use it when you stop, even for a short break. I have carried it on day hikes with my wife and she has used it to adjust and retie her shoes. I have used it for cooking at camp, stopping for lunch, and I have also thrown it into my pickleball backpack to use at tournaments or even recreational pickleball play, for between games. It definitely is an improvement over the ground, wet, cold, slimy, or bug infested rocks or logs.
On one trip, I had the opportunity to join some people at a campfire and this is the chair I had with me. It worked, but having a chair back would have been nicer and more relaxing for sure. I rarely have a campfire though, so is having a chairback worth the weight penalty for the 1 time out of 20 nights on trail that I'm somewhere with a fire? ...maybe.
The Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad is just a 1/8 inch thick foam pad. It comes in 19" and 20" widths. The 20" version folds and the 19" version rolls. I have the 20" folding version.
This foam pad is the lightest of any of the options I will share at 3.3 oz. Unfolded, it is 73.5 inches long, which means it can be used to supplement your sleeping pad to provide protection from potential puncture hazards from underneath, some added cushion, and also a bit of extra insulation. The Thinlight pad costs $32. But how does it work as a seat?
I typically carry this pad strapped to the bottom of my pack. To deploy, I pull it out of the bungee straps, flatten it out and put it on top of whatever surface I'm going to sit on. I have used it to cushion on top of rocks, logs, and bare ground. It's amazing how much better it is to have just a little padding and also a barrier from cold, wet, and mess can be. It's easy enough to deploy and to pack away again.
There are several uses for this pad in addition to being a seat. I already mentioned that it can supplement a sleeping pad. Sleeping pads can also slip around on a tent floor. I have found that this pad helps reduce the sliding, especially if you are on a slope. This pad can serve as something like a workspace to hold gear. This is especially useful if you have the need to get into your gear to perform a repair or do some first aid work while you are on the trail. It's easy to lose small things on the forest floor. Having a clean(ish) flat surface to put things on can be very helpful. I have used it under my hammock as a surface to keep gear off the ground. Also, I have a double layered hammock. This pad can be put between those two layers to supplement my insulation.
These additional uses are a big value add for this seat option.
This is probably the most renowned backpacking chair. It's the most expensive option that is strictly a chair at $150, but it is lightweight (16 oz) packs small, and it actually has a back that allows you to truly sit back and relax at camp. If you are someone who routinely has campfires and you enjoy lounging at camp, this is a great option.
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| Helinox Chair Zero |
It packs down to about the size of a Nalgene water bottle. This definitely takes more time to set up than the others. The legs and back support are attached to the hubs with bungee cording, so you have to snap them into their respective sockets, then rangle the seat onto the support posts. It can probably be done in under 2 minutes. If you're super fast and you have practiced, you might be able to do it in a minute.
The slower time to deploy means that for me, I would be less inclined to pull this chair out when I'm stopped for a break, even if I was stopped for lunch, which is typically my longest break on a long day hiking. I got this chair on sale, and I really haven't found an occasion to bring it backpacking yet. To me, this is a chair for short overnight trips where I don't have far to hike to the location. It's heavier and bulkier than I want to deal with for most of my backpacking.
Having said that, it's great for some other purposes. This has become my go to chair for pickleball. Carrying this from the car to the courts is nothing. When I'm sitting between games, it's comfortable. I don't mind the couple of minutes it takes to pull it out or pack it away in that situation.
One last thought on this chair. It does sit quite low to the ground. Getting out of it can be tricky, even when your legs aren't worn out after ten or more miles of hiking. Being low to the ground allows you to stretch your legs out in front of you, almost like a recliner, so that's nice. But if you have knee issues at all, this is probably not the best chair for you.
One of the big advantages of using a hammock system is that your hammock can be used as a comfortable chair at camp. You can even recline in it a bit. I believe gathered end hammocks might be a bit more comfortable for sitting than bridge hammocks, but my bridge hammock works fine, and it allows me to sit in a comfortable seat while cooking and I even have a roof over my head.
This seat essentially costs no money and no weight because it is an integrated part of your sleep system and shelter.
This is not a quick deploy seat option. Setting up a hammock can take more than ten minutes. But in camp, a hammock as a seat can be more comfortable than a Helinox Chair Zero because it's higher off the ground (if you set it up that way).
Comparison Table
Who doesn't love a good table? For the comfort and ease of deployment rating columns, I used a 1-5 rating system where 1 is bad and 5 is awesome. Those ratings are obviously subjective. For the hammock, cost and weight are not listed because you wouldn't buy a hammock specifically to be a chair (not for backpacking anyway). It's a shelter and sleep system first and the chair function is a bonus. Prices are regular retail prices, but you can find these items on sale. The multi-use column just answers the question "does this item function as more than just a chair?". Using gear that has multiple uses can eliminate carrying other items and thereby lighten your load.
What I Carry
On my Ouachita Trail thru hike attempt, I started the trail with a tent kit (until the final section). I was trying to go as light as possible with regard to a chair, so for the first three sections of the OT I just carried the Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad. That worked, and it also helped supplement my punctured and leaky sleeping pad on some cold nights.
For the last section of the OT, I switched from a tent kit to a hammock kit. I still carry the Thinlight pad because it is helpful when I make quick stops for water or lunch. I still have a chair option. When I'm at camp, I sit in my hammock, but the Thinlight pad is still useful to keep gear off the ground, and it can also help to supplement the insulation on my hammock if I need it. For me, this is a great system. I get a comfortable seat at camp with no additional weight, and a quick deploy option on the trail for just over 3 ounces, that also has useful functions at the campsite.
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| Recent hike camp setup with Thinlight below my hammock |
My hammock is a Ridgerunner by Warbonnet. If you want more details about my hammock, you can click here.
I don't regret purchasing those other chair options. They still find their way into my pickleball backpack and also in day hike packs, but it's hard for me to justify bringing something that only serves a single purpose just to sit on.
Do you carry a chair or other seat option? I know a lot of backpackers really like the Thermarest Z Seat. It functions as a seat, similar to the Thinlight pad, but you lose some of the other functional uses of the Thinlight pad because the Z Seat is just a sit pad and not much else (...maybe a bit of a windscreen for your cookstove, but only in the lightest winds).
Let me know what you use. Let me know what you have tried, but didn't work for you.
Thanks for stopping by,
Gavagai
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