Show me your stools

JKM

Thru Hiker
I like the Qwikback from Litesmith, I can handle the extra 75g for a nice backrest occasionally

I do still like the look of that and if it were not for the shipping/tax then I probably would have bought one by now out of curiosity. It's currently about £60 shipped and vat and handling push it up to £80ish.

If I see you on a hill some time please let me have a sit in it.

Do you use an insulated pad underneath?
 

Alf Outdoors

F.K.A tarptent
Me too.



I did look at the Litesmith invention www.litesmith.com/qwikback-ul-chair/ but was deterred by the cost and have never got around to 'inventing' something similar myself.

That isn't actually a chair, that is just a backrest...Good luck using that if the ground is wet or muddy! And you would have ants and ticks crawling over you in no time. The Helenox keeps your bottom way above the dirt and bugs and allows you to stretch out your legs in the same way, or lean forward to cook...Albeit at the expense of more weight. If someone could find a way to fit legs to it and make it lighter than the Helenox then I would be interested.
 
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Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
I do still like the look of that and if it were not for the shipping/tax then I probably would have bought one by now out of curiosity. It's currently about £60 shipped and vat and handling push it up to £80ish.

If I see you on a hill some time please let me have a sit in it.

Do you use an insulated pad underneath?

Yeah no worries

I use my little TAR Z seat pad thingy with it. The only downside with it is I find if I'm wearing a shiny fabric like softshell there's a tendency to slide down a bit on the nylon fabric, so I put the mat on top to stop this.
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I think we are just using different definitions of 3 season etc.
In SE it's probably reasonable to consider 4 season ~-6. I'm using a more US standard, 3 season 20f / -6c
4 season 0f / -17c

3 season -6c American quilts usually having 350g of 850-950 (us) down.

Ex Tex down is 860fp my mistake. So I guess technically 850+ too!
 

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
@Shewie how long are the poles in your litesmith?
i assume they pack down?

They break in the middle and held with bungee, you then just roll the legs up inside the seat fabric and slot it into it's bag

qwikback-chair-folding-poles-text.jpg


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

wow that's a biggy
 

Heltrekker

Section Hiker
That isn't actually a chair, that is just a backrest...Good luck using that if the ground is wet or muddy! And you would have ants and ticks crawling over you in no time. The Helenox keeps your bottom way above the dirt and bugs and allows you to stretch out your legs in the same way, or lean forward to cook...Albeit at the expense of more weight. If someone could find a way to fit legs to it and make it lighter than the Helenox then I would be interested.

I've been sorely tempted by the Helinox but I've always passed since as I just can't bring myself to add half a kilo for a luxury that I've managed without so far. But now that the knees are getting a bit stiffer, I've been having a good look at close up pix of the Helinox construction, I reckon it would be very easy to replace the legs with Carbon fibre poles, but they might have to be one length rather than sections with shock cord - not too big a deal, as it could just be strapped to the outside of my pack without adding extra fittings. Getting carbon poles is easy, as is rubber/plastic bungs/caps for the ends.

I've also been toying with the idea of buying a cheapo moon chair just to get the hubs, replacing the legs with carbon, then using the seat as a pattern to do a myo cuben/mesh seat, using myo cordura cups for the corner seat supports. I would hope I could reduce the weight by at least 20-25% and still cost less than a Helinox.

Any thoughts from the hive?
 

Alf Outdoors

F.K.A tarptent
I've been sorely tempted by the Helinox but I've always passed since as I just can't bring myself to add half a kilo for a luxury that I've managed without so far. But now that the knees are getting a bit stiffer, I've been having a good look at close up pix of the Helinox construction, I reckon it would be very easy to replace the legs with Carbon fibre poles, but they might have to be one length rather than sections with shock cord - not too big a deal, as it could just be strapped to the outside of my pack without adding extra fittings. Getting carbon poles is easy, as is rubber/plastic bungs/caps for the ends.

I've also been toying with the idea of buying a cheapo moon chair just to get the hubs, replacing the legs with carbon, then using the seat as a pattern to do a myo cuben/mesh seat, using myo cordura cups for the corner seat supports. I would hope I could reduce the weight by at least 20-25% and still cost less than a Helinox.

Any thoughts from the hive?

I am an engineer so I am always thinking of new and better ways to make things...I have a plan that may save at least 50-100g off the weight of the Helenox...I would still use the transverse cross bar but instead of using four fixed legs, two back uprights and two side arms, I would use just three lengths of tube which also double as the legs of the chair...One pivoted in the middle of the crossbar laying at an angle to the ground and the other two fixed to the ends of the cross bar and being almost vertical. They would still be made of two sections of tube slotted together (like the Helenox), to allow it to pack down smaller. The middle, or front leg, will be pivoted on the cross bar so that when someone sits on the chair their own body weight tensions the seat fabric, similar to how a three legged stool works.
This will obviously require a triangle shaped fabric seat, rather than the rectangle shaped one the Helenox uses, which reduces the amount of material used, and hence the weight. It also eliminates pinch points on the sides of the sitters legs. Also the reduction in tubing required will save even more weight. There is the problem of the single rear leg sinking in, but that can be solved with a lightweight but strong plastic disc, maybe 3-4 inches in diameter say, that fits onto the bottom of the middle leg via a ball joint, to allow it to automatically adjust for the angle of the ground below and spread he load over a much wider area.
 
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Odd Man

Thru Hiker
Not really ultralight, but it's a packable 17" high chair with a backrest coming in at 940g


Launching at Indie Gogo
 

Taz38

Thru Hiker
Ordered one of these:
Vango skye high stool
A bit higher than other stools (46cm) so one can sit in comfort


images.jpg
 
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Rog Tallbloke

Thru Hiker
Still liking my 15 year old Thermarest UL chair. 200g and makes your sleeping mat dual purpose.
Later versions seem to have gained 100g. Not sure why.
 

Patrick

Ultralighter
Still liking my 15 year old Thermarest UL chair. 200g and makes your sleeping mat dual purpose.
Later versions seem to have gained 100g. Not sure why.
I've looked at those, but worried they may stress the baffles inside the thermarest leading it to fail. I guess if its an official Thermarest product (which I hadn't realised) perhaps I'm overthinking it - anyone had any problems with one?
 

Rog Tallbloke

Thru Hiker
I've looked at those, but worried they may stress the baffles inside the thermarest leading it to fail. I guess if its an official Thermarest product (which I hadn't realised) perhaps I'm overthinking it - anyone had any problems with one?

Beware cheap mattresses. In general.
 

Patrick

Ultralighter
Beware cheap mattresses. In general.
I agree - I meant if the chair is an official Thermarest design then I guess it should work ok with their own mattresses (which are what I use). Was just a bit wary about folding up my expensive Thermarest mattress in ways which it doesn't look as if its designed to go!
 

Rog Tallbloke

Thru Hiker
I agree - I meant if the chair is an official Thermarest design then I guess it should work ok with their own mattresses (which are what I use). Was just a bit wary about folding up my expensive Thermarest mattress in ways which it doesn't look as if its designed to go!

Well, your weight is still being spread over a good area of the doubled up mattress, and the air pressure distribution should equalise the strain throughout the construction, same as it does when you're laid on it. It may be more of an issue for longitudinal aircell mattresses like expeds, where the folds might restrict the distribution of air and raise pressure higher in some areas.
 

Taz38

Thru Hiker
Thermarest chair kit; used mine a few times with a thermarest venture and its been fine. The venture is quite tough though.

I bought the vango stool for various uses...
My knees will thank me..
No more panicky manoeuvres behind trees/walls..
Comfort rules
;)
 

Alf Outdoors

F.K.A tarptent
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32994400994.html

Interesting yet hilarious at the same time. 420g

HTB1wcWPQwHqK1RjSZFEq6AGMXXaH.jpg

I like the concept and the fact is 78g lighter than my Chair Zero...However as is can only take 80kg I couldn't even sit on it without breaking it!...The Chair Zero can take 120kg...Maybe if they used better quality, higher strength alloys they could match that, but then it would cost a lot more than £17.91. Be OK for kids though.
 

Clare

Thru Hiker
I've been sorely tempted by the Helinox but I've always passed since as I just can't bring myself to add half a kilo for a luxury that I've managed without so far. But now that the knees are getting a bit stiffer, I've been having a good look at close up pix of the Helinox construction, I reckon it would be very easy to replace the legs with Carbon fibre poles, but they might have to be one length rather than sections with shock cord - not too big a deal, as it could just be strapped to the outside of my pack without adding extra fittings. Getting carbon poles is easy, as is rubber/plastic bungs/caps for the ends.

I've also been toying with the idea of buying a cheapo moon chair just to get the hubs, replacing the legs with carbon, then using the seat as a pattern to do a myo cuben/mesh seat, using myo cordura cups for the corner seat supports. I would hope I could reduce the weight by at least 20-25% and still cost less than a Helinox.

Any thoughts from the hive?

Buzz buzz. I did it. I replaced the alu poles with carbon ( elasticated) and made a new lighter sling seat. Saved about 350g. It was great for two days and then the carbon poles snapped. They don’t like the lateral pressure caused by the human in seated position.
 
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