New lightweight chair - interested?

Clawsar · Jul 17, 2017

I never usually took a chair on any backpacking trips because they never seemed worth the weight. Last summer, my family and I went on a 7 day trip through the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This was going to be a trip with lots of opportunity to sit around and enjoy the company, so some comfortable way to sit seemed relevant. I found a guy who had mad a fabric sling basically that went underneath you on one end and then went up by your head at the other with a pocket for trekking poles to bipod your upper body. This was decent and super lightweight, but we wanted to really go an extra mile. I then took that concept and added some sleeves so I could fold up a sleeping pad to give comfort under the but and some insulation to the back. They worked great! My mother-in-law and I made 7 and compared it to a few other chairs on the market. For 3oz, the ability to lean back, and the soft spot to sit were all well worth it.

Now I'm thinking, is there any market or interest in this? I'm an engineer by trade but unfortunately don't get to work in the outdoor industry. However, decent business practices are similar and if there is enough interest and a good ROI, I may be able to sell some online. What do you think? Would you try it out? Would you feel it could be a $10, $15, $20, or $25 item? I'm confident over that would not be competitive for a noname product compared to the larger companies.

LazyV · Jul 18, 2017

If they are really 3oz I'd be all over one. Kifaru used to make a similar item but with legs that were integrated and wished I had bought one. The cheaper the better but 20$ doesn't seem out of line. I'd buy one now for a bear hunt in a few weeks, if your interested send me a pm.

Clawsar · Jul 18, 2017

Thanks for the interest! I don't have any I'd consider production runs at this time, just trying to gauge if it's a useful product moving forward. And the 3oz was weighed on my kitchen scale. Since the cushion is from a sleeping pad and the support is from trekkin poles, the weight was just the fabric. We used lightweight ripstop nylon which held up really well, but I'm working with a manufacturer to understand any alternative materials that would be higher reliability. Thanks!

WestT · Jul 18, 2017

Not sure I"m in the market but it sounds like a great idea and concept. If you do proceed forward with production I certainly wish your entrepreneurial efforts the best of luck!

Clawsar · Jul 18, 2017

Thanks WestT. The support on this site is amazing!

Started talking with a manufacturer today to start a quote but still trying to gauge interest.

Fire_9 · Jul 19, 2017

I'd definitely give one a try.

huronmtns · Jul 19, 2017

For $20 sign me up!

Elkdog · Jul 19, 2017

Those look pretty cool. I'd probably bite at $20 to give one a try. Good luck!!!

Clawsar · Jul 21, 2017

Thanks everyone! I think I have enough interest to convince me to move forward with the manufacturer. Once we have all the kinks worked out I'll either put it up on Kickstarter or dive right in with a small ecommerce website. Either way I'll post a link here. Thanks again!

SFC B · Jul 22, 2017

I have old eyes....is it inflatable? If so, I would be interested

Clawsar · Jul 23, 2017

SFC B said:
I have old eyes....is it inflatable? If so, I would be interested

It is a sleeve that a sleeping pad can go in, with trekking poles providing the back support structure. The pictures above were all using sleeping pads of various sorts to add plenty of cushion. the bottom 15" of the pad can be folded up on itself to double the cushion where you need it. The back is more insulation than cushion but still nice.

SFC B · Jul 23, 2017

Great idea.....I would be in

307 · Jul 24, 2017

Sort of like this:

http://mountainsmith.com/slingback-chair.html

Clawsar · Jul 24, 2017

307 said:
Sort of like this:

http://mountainsmith.com/slingback-chair.html

Huh.... here I thought I was special. Very much like that except the sling has a pocket to put an inflatable sleeping pad into. Thanks for educating me on other options!

307 · Jul 24, 2017

I like your idea though. I think the only hesitation I would have is that an inflatable pad is sort of sensitive and it really sucks to have it fail. If you can find the hole, great, easy fix. If you can't find the damn hole, you get to sleep on the hard ground of your tent floor for a couple of nights in the Wind River mountains (my weekend, this weekend)... I'd never had a pad fail before that so now I'm looking at redundant/overlapping systems for sleeping pads and I would be hesitant to use the pad in a chair and expose it to more potential puncture issues.

Clawsar · Jul 24, 2017

That's a valid concern, it it could always be used without the pad like Mountainsmiths. In fact I did just that a few times when we'd stop for lunch breaks. I also was thinking about the sticks when I picked the lightweight ripstop compared to their cordura. My logic was that if a person can bivy camp with a thin ground cloth then the same precautions would work with the chair. As long as there weren't sharp sticks or stones then it was easy to just plop down. When it's just me or me and one of my other buddies, we hammock camp and I don't even bring a sleeping pad anymore. In that case I can shove a puffy or quilt in the pocket for insulation, but it doesn't compare to the comfort of the thick Big Agnes pad doubled back on itself. I also have a taller back on mine which is nice to lean your head back.

I'm feeling like I missed the boat on this but we will see what the manufacturer comes back with for quotes.

1_pointer · Jul 25, 2017

Your idea kind of looks like a blend of the Moutainsmith and the Big Agnes chair ideas.

http://www.bigagnes.com/Big-Easy-Chair-Kit-20-RED

Not trying to talk you out of the endeavor, just letting you know of other options out there to help you refine your idea.

Clawsar · Jul 25, 2017

1_pointer said:
Your idea kind of looks like a blend of the Moutainsmith and the Big Agnes chair ideas.

http://www.bigagnes.com/Big-Easy-Chair-Kit-20-RED

Not trying to talk you out of the endeavor, just letting you know of other options out there to help you refine your idea.

Thanks 1-pointer. I was aware of the chair kits and they are partly responsible for me looking for something else. The kits are heavier because they add structure through the chair with rods and only come up to the lower back. I wanted a chair I could fully sit back in to relax, glass, etc. A couple of the other hikers on our trip were using the kits and were able to compare comfort and ease of use. When my chair was adjusted right, it was definetily more comfortable, but everyone has to adjust their poles to find their sweet spot.

Clawsar · Jul 29, 2017

Thanks again everyone for your support. With Mountainsmiths version out, I don't think I'll proceed with this concept. Unfortunately I think I missed my window. However, if any of you are handy at sewing these are fairly easy to make. I tried to attach a sketch of the overall design. Obviously doin it one-off you can customize it to your size easier. Also, I used the lightweight rip-stop nylon from a local fabric store for prototypes and it worked just fine for several nights at least. If you make one let me know if you like it!

New lightweight chair - interested?

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