Feb. 19--Name: REI Flex Lite Chair
What it is: A camp chair light and compact enough to take backpacking and luxuriously comfortable enough to take car camping or tailgating, even when you're not pinched for space.
The good: REI lists the chair, carrying bag included, at 1 pound 12 ounces, but my luggage scale said 1 1/2 pounds. Either way, it's light enough to carry with one finger and, when stowed away in its stuff sack, more compact than a loaf of off-the-shelf bread. The frame is high-grade aluminum shock-corded poles that are inserted into super-strong plastic terminals. Once the poles are all connected, you attach the seat, which is a combination of ripstop nylon material and mesh (to let water drain through, if you've just climbed out of the water). The slick design is similar to high-end Scandinavian recliners that use the same concept of material hanging from poles -- except this is a camp stool. The comfort is beyond what I've ever experienced in backpackable furniture -- to the point that I'd actually bother to take this along, even though I'm usually looking for things to leave behind. This would be a bonus to older backpackers who still love the life but would prefer something more comfy than a log to sit on by the campfire at the end of the day. The maximum capacity is listed at 250 pounds. That seems like a lot, but it certainly cradled my 160 like a baby.
The bad: Attaching the nylon can be momentarily bewildering until you realize that the attached loops are meant to make pulling the material onto the poles easier. Duh! Also, some online reviewers complained that it can be unstable on sand. I don't camp on sand, but I think that all but big, honking lawn chairs are unstable on sand.
Cost: $72.50
Available from: rei.com
