Call me a rookie, but I loved my REI Flex Lite Chair.
I’m an old guy, and one thing you have to master as an old guy is the ability to laugh at your former self. I can remember the young-guy-me secretly snickering at hikers silly enough to carry around a pair of trekking poles. Old-guy-me wouldn’t think of hiking without them. Young-guy-me knew that after a few days on the trail the difference between 45 pounds on your back and 25 pounds on your back was insignificant. Well, that may have been my back’s opinion, but my knees and my feet had other ideas. Young-guy-me knew that looking around just slowed you down – you can’t walk as fast if you aren’t concentrating on the trail. Now I’m a much bigger fan of appreciating what I’m walking through, even if I walk through a little less of it each day.
No one is more surprised than I am, but during my last John Muir Trail hike I hauled around that one item that labels a backpacker a greenhorn quicker than anything (with the possible exception of blue jeans): a camp chair. I loved it!
It wasn’t any old camp chair; it was an REI Flex Lite Chair. Without the handy carrying sack, which I left at home, it comes in at a little less than 26 ounces. It was durable, comfortable, and had only one minor design flaw.
The chair comes in two parts: the fabric and the frame. The frame takes thirty seconds to assemble or disassemble. I never once put the frame together the wrong way, which is proof positive that it is impossible to do so. The fabric attaches to the frame in four spots, where the ends of the tubes slip into well-reinforced pockets. It comes in seven different colors.
I was extremely comfortable sitting in it, either to eat dinner, read, or to enjoy the scenery. I never felt like I was stressing the fabric or frame to the point that it was near failure.
It started out within my backpack, but it quickly migrated to the outside of my pack so that I could get to it quickly and easily during breaks. I especially liked it in the evenings. On previous hikes, after supper was eaten and camp chores complete, the only comfortable place to read was in my tent, on my back. Often that would mean just a few pages before I dozed off. With the chair I could find a scenic spot, set it up, and enjoy an hour or so outside of my tent.
I did have one minor complaint: the plastic ends of the legs are small, and they tend to sink into the ground if you have done a poor job of picking out a place to sit. Actually, the sinking into the ground part isn’t bad, as long as ALL FOUR of the legs sink. The problem arises when one or two sink and the others do not. I’d suggest that REI put wider bottoms on the legs, but that would make it heavier and bigger. I think the better solution is to pick the spot where you sit with more care.
There are other, lighter, options out there, but they are more expensive and do not look quite as comfortable.
If young-guy-me would have seen me on top of Silver Pass, sitting in my orange easy-chair, eating salami and cheese, he no doubt would have just shook his head. That’s okay; old-guy-me is having lots more fun.
Good hiking, Ray
Hey Ray,
I pack with llamas, so weight isn’t an issue unless we’re trying to go straight through with no resupply. I got a bunch of those 225 lbs and they pack away really small…easy to hang on the side of your pack.
Cheers, jc
Thanks for comment, Jack. Love seeing llamas on the trail, although I have to stand with my hands in my pockets to resist reaching out and petting them. Guys like me probably drive you crazy.
Hmmm…this computer just isn’t the same since that Windows bloatware dump a couple weeks ago!
I was referring to the tripods from REI that weigh less than a pound. They’re really cheap too!
Cheers, jc
We hiked the JMT last summer at ages 62 and 66 – with camp chairs. I opted to send mine home at Reds Meadows but my partner kept his and says it was worth every ounce! And there were definitely times when I was envious of him while I made my bear canister suffice.
I think it’s a permanent part of my gear, now. Thanks for the comment, Betsy.
I have one of those actually. I originally had one of the monarch alite chairs with only 2 legs on it that you balance on. It was fine once you got into it, but getting in and out sucked. Not to mention that I twisted about 10 degrees one night on it and sheared the aluminum crossbeam straight off. Piece of junk.
I say hike your own hike though. If you want/need a chair as your luxury item, do it! It’s way more comfortable than a closed foam sit pad or sitting on the ground. It’s warmer generally because your butt is off the ground. It’s pretty easy to get out of.
As for the problem of the legs sinking into the ground I think you could probably find some solutions to that. The first thing that springs to mind is some kind of plastic or wooden disks, maybe 2 or 3 inches across, to place your camp chair on. You could probably glue them to the feet if you wanted to with some epoxy but that would reduce the compact nature of the chair.
I bet you could take some 1.5 inch PVC as a foot sleeve, some 2 inch wooden disks from a craft store (Plastic would work too), and a hacksaw and gorilla glue and make booties for the chair foot. You would probably want to pre-fit the PVC onto the feet of the chair and cut the bottom of the PVC sleeve off at an angle to make it lay flush against the disk. Glue those up and you’ll have booties for your chair. Should add only a couple ounces to your pack weight if you do it right. You don’t need much for the PVC sleeve. Maybe an inch or so. Or maybe a 2 inch PVC pipe that you cut a 1/2 inch ring out of to use as a cup more than a sleeve on your disk.
I might have to try knocking a set up this weekend. Should only take about 10 minutes to make.
Great idea, Sean, although my ten minute projects have a tendency to take all day. Thanks!
It’s a tough choice. My wife and I also brought camp chairs (the Helinox one – it is quite light and comfortable, but also very low to the ground) on our JMT this summer. Some days we were insanely happy we brought them (sunny days). Other days I questioned the choice (rainy days). Overall I think I would do it again.
I didn’t get rain, Ryan, but wouldn’t have had much interest in sitting in my chair during a storm. Thanks.
Being over 50 myself, it’s amazing how our perspectives change as we get older. I would sleep on the ground when I was younger, but now need a full 2 inch inflatable mattress in order to sleep well. Although I never considered one of these before, I think I’m going to head on down to REI and try one out! Sure would make a lot of my trips more enjoyable! Thanks for the post!
Go for it, Kathy! Just be prepared for the disapproving looks. (It’s nice to be at that stage in life where you can chuckle when you get them.)
Even at my young age (26), I still want one of those chairs as part of my gear. My sister had the same one as you when we did our first long trip. It seemed kinda silly at first, but after hiking over a couple passes, I was so envious of her chair. My bear can worked well as a chair, but with no back support, it was not very comfortable, especially when I had to get something out of it! I will have my own chair soon! Thanks for your posts!
Glad you agree, Lindsey, and thanks for the kind words.
One of my memorable moments from my 2014 SB JMT thru hike was a guy on the side of the trail near Rosemary Meadows. He was sitting on an ultralight chair. Just enjoying watching the world for a while from his comfortable perch. I was jealous.
I have a 1 oz. piece of Tyvek that I use for sitting. That’ll have to be enough for a while but the chair is tempting.
Perhaps by the time you make your plunge they’ll be down to a few ounces. Thanks for the comment, Byron.
I use a Sling-Light chair I bought over 30 years ago. It weighs 18oz, and is part of my backpack frame. Sadly, it was discontinued last year, and not even Ebay has one. The Helinox appears comparable in weight and function. I do leave it home if weight is critical, and on ski trips where it would sink into the snow.
I don’t think any of the new chairs are as good as the Sling-Light.
The best part of using a chair is picking campsites for the view, not for rocks or logs to sit on.
“The best part of using a chair is picking campsites for the view, not for rocks or logs to sit on.” So true, and break and lunch spots, too! Thanks for the comment, Mike!”
My husband, Steve, didn’t even consider not taking his chair (the Flexlite) on the JMT and he never regretted it. It’s not that important to me but I brought other things, like my camera, that were important to me. It’s all about finding what makes your hike worthwhile.
Very true, Inga. I left my Nikon D800 that I carried last time at home (about six pounds, with lens) and brought a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 instead (less than a pound). I was happy with my camera and my chair and I carried less! Thanks for the comment.
[…] p.s. One of these is good to have, too! […]
Got back from hiking the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Friday. Took a Flex Lite and got some sideways looks at first. Then I invited one of our group who was looking for a place to site to try it out. His immediate response upon sitting was ‘this is orgasmic’. Pretty much sums it up.
Great comment, David. I, too, was amazed at how much it improved my quality of life. Thanks!