Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Lightweight stool recommendation

A friend said he'd paid a lot of money to have one on his last backpack hunt.

Do any of you have one you'd recommend?

Rice cakes give me the lightest stools, but they don't offer much protein for a long walk.

yea, Jeff, right after I posted I said to myself, crap.

Not a stool, but these are comfortable, and about as light as you can get. Leave the headrest at home, it adds 4 oz and is worthless. Just be careful getting in/out of the chair:

http://slinglight.com/sl/

...well that's what we're talking about right?, ...crap?

Indeed Jeff.

Thanks smokepole.

I really like this - fits easily in my bag, very comfortable with a nice wide seat - not like the small ones that want to pinch your rump. Nice rubber feet that are quiet when up in a deer stand.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tripod+stool&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atripod+stool

This one isn't as light and compact as some, but for a long sit it's whole lot more comfortable than those tripod ball busters.

ALPS STOOL

http://www.scoutstuff.org/chair-backpacking.html

Other places have similar chairs, but they cost more and have plastic hubs.

Arrowhead Equipment makes a nice and light hammock chair....real good if your near trees. Called the bushman hammock chair, and made of silnylon.

Helinox best damn chair I ever bought, its a chair not a stool you can sit for hours in it. 100 bucks packs up to size and weight of a small loaf of bread

I've been eyeballing one of these for some time now but I'm too cheap to buy it. Planning on asking Santa for it.

http://www.rei.com/product/829239/rei-flex-lite-chair

If you have trees and it ain't brutally cold, then bring a hammock and you don't need a chair, 'cause you already have one. I sit on the edge of my Hennessy to cook and once that is accomplished and my food bag is hung and I crawl inside my hammock I no longer need a chair.

Get it before hunting season. I want to try it out to see if I should spend MY money on one.

I'm trying to figure out how this works out well for me.






Ahh wait! I get to use your folding privy seat!

These chairs are great, the one snubbie is talking about is similar to the one that I bought but 40 dollars cheaper. They pack up to the size and weight of a loaf of bread and a 250 lb weight capacity.

One nice thing about the REI one that Snubbie posted is that it folds to only 14" long. It would fit nicely in my llama panniers, unlike so many folding chairs.

Did you see the post about Oregon anti-hunting companies on the Hunters Campfire forum? REI is high on the list. ANTI-HUNTERS

I watched the video on that chair and I think it might be a problem on soft ground. Those legs are tiny and would sink into anything but hard ground.

I've used one like this. Easy to strap on to the pack.
http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/camp-stool/

Here's one on Amazon that looks about the same as the REI chair.
...and $20 cheaper!

http://www.amazon.com/Updated-Adjus...0&sr=1-74&keywords=camping+stool

Check out the Alite Monarch chair. It is a two-legged chair that weighs less than 20 oz. Once you get the hang of balancing the chair is extremely comfortable. Sierra Trading Post has them for $49.95

And no, I didn't know of REI's anti stance.

I have that one to but I love the four legged a lot more

I've heard the camp time stool is good.

Thanks for the link. I'm emailing it to my non-Campfire friends.

So what did you decide to go with?

The Stansport Camp Stool is 16 Oz. and can be had online for a bit over $20.00 shipped.

http://www.stansport.com/index.php/g-613-s.html

I have a similar stool, but it's not aluminum and weighs 2 Lb. The only problem is that the legs will sink in soft ground and the end caps will come off when you pull the stool out. I drilled a hole through each leg and cap and used a wire tie wrap to secure the end caps.

For $20 more than rei you could get the helinox chair from mystery ranch

http://www.mysteryranch.com/hunting/hunting-pack-accessories/helinox-tactical-chair

+1 on the Alite Monarch. I like it so much it is my most used chair at home as well.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Helinox.

They call it a tactical chair. Man, talk about an overworked name.

That's just the Mystery Ranch version. Apparently, if you add a couple pockets and some loop for patches, anything can be "tacticool". But it also seems to be less expensive through MR.

There is a huge difference between the MR branded Helinox and the REI one. The MR does weigh 14% more (4 oz) but can handle 40% more weight for the extra ounces. The colors are also more subdued. I've got two and don't worry when my larger friends borrow it. I've heard of the REI branded ones with legs bent.

The thing that kills little chairs in the outdoors for me though is how much the legs sink into the ground. Usually, at least one leg finds soft ground and the thing is then not level. PITA. Snow? Fuhgedaboudit. The Monarch Alite w/ only 2 legs would suck proportionately.

The Alite Mayfly and Bison, on tge other hqnd,look really interesting to me because there are extra bars across the legs that go sideways (one across the the two front legs and the other across the two rear legs). This changes the pressure into the ground from points to lines and should be great in preventing sinking. You won't be able to tell the difference in the store but will otice it right aways when in the field...

The Monarch has cross bars in addition to the two fairly wide legs that give it good stability.

Some stools do need special consideration when the ground is soft to prevent rolling it at inconvenient times.

That chair looks pretty good. The potential problem that I see right off is that to fold that small, it has a lot of joints which means places to break.

Any info on that chair's durability?

No. Most of what reviews I've read focus on comfort IIRC. I've sat in one in the store only and it is indeed very comfortable. It looks kind of fragile and flimsy but when you set in it it feels sturdy and solid.
+1 on joints. I suspect it would hold up well overall, but as mentioned, invariably one leg sinks slightly then you start getting side torquing and I believe THAT'S what causes riveted joints to break or rivets to fail. I would have a tendency to try to take special care to try and keep it level and flat.

It's probably great on a concrete slab!

I sort of expect a $20 chair to only last a week or so in a backcountry camp. I'd hate to drop $100 on a chair and have the same durability.

Actually I was at REI today and looked at that chair. It doesn't have riveted joints, or joints at all for that matter. All of the pieces fit into that corner brace thing. It's a nylon or plastic piece. The tubing is small, like 3/8" or so. I believe it would be great on a hard flat surface. I believe one would have to be careful with it on softer surfaces, to maintain it without damage. I will say again, it is very comfy.

I get back in camp, or just hanging in camp I always hate sitting ON something like a typical camp stool with no back support. After a day hiking or hunting I want to sit IN something comfortable and lean back.

Never been able to do that.

Crazy Creek chairs don't quite get there. Too hard to get down on the ground then get back up again.


That's why this REI chair is so attractive to me. For the lightweight and comfort, I may take the risk of finding out if it will hold up or not.

Eat lotsa fiber. Mine'll often float.

Another reason I bring a chair is because I use a hammock. I like to use it as a shelf or rifle rest right beside the hammock so my critical stuff is off the ground but immediately outside the zipper opening.

At our advanced ages, back support is important to my pard and I. The days of getting by sitting on panniers or logs are gone.

But like just about everyone in a BC camp, the ground isn't flat nor level. The chairs rock and give out before very long.

We're using $10 - $15 folders that fit in top packs, but always looking for smaller and lighter gear, even with horses.

If you get one, please post a review.

You could also just make your own "Alite Monarch" chair in the woods, just pack in the seat material and lashings.









Using a zip open duffle bag as the seat...



...or a some waxed canvas.

I bought 3 of these for my boys & me:

http://www.crazycreek.com/longback-chair/

Very lightweight, tough, and supportive. My son used ours a TON while glassing in western SD last fall and we were very happy with them.