Mountainsmith Slingback

This seat is a nifty solution for an extremely light backcountry seat. It's nice to decide where to sit instead of picking the best spot that nature offers.

THE "BAD"

1. It can be fussy to set up until you get the hang of it. To get the best set for poles remember to give yourself some room in the back for the "lean." 
2. It takes a little practice to get the geometry right for your body to figure out just "where" to park your carcass when you sit so the tension, the back, etc, all sit where is comfortable for you.
3. You have to have collapsible poles. I have a really nice set of Lekis that I can't use with this, so I had to do something different.

THE GOOD :)

1. It's wonderful to have a back for a chair in the backcountry or hiking. You get to decide where to sit with a back, and not have to settle where a log or tree is!
2. It can be used in the tent. I got rubber feet for my poles, to put over carbon tips to fit that end in the seat, and put the hiking pole tops on the floor (plus I have a thin padded ground sheet) so I don't tear a hole in the tent floor. It's great if you want to sit up in bed to read, or if you get pinned inside the tent because of bugs or weather and criss cross isn't your most comfortable sitting position anymore.
3. The PRIMARY reason I bought this is I have a serious vertigo issue (BPPV—if you know, you know) that can be really debilitating, so I needed to find a way to sleep sitting up if it got triggered. I absolutely can use this chair. Sleeping sitting up can help me manage the vertigo, and this fits the bill!

Thus, I got this for my adventure buddy and me. We are two ladies in our early 60s, so we aren't spry spring chickens. But these are a great option. They are not perfect, but they are an extremely lightweight, reasonable solution for those looking to keep pack weight down. They come with a little pocket if you want to put a blow up pad (like your pillow) or inflatable air mattress in the seat.

We were out very recently, and inclement weather moved in, and we wound up spending way more time in the tent than usual. It was so very nice to have a back. We sat and played cards (where I got soundly trounced in cribbage—whu???). It was really nice to not have an aching back, stiff neck, stoved up joints, etc after having to hunker down in the tent.

I have included details from Mountainsmith:

FEATURES

• Minimalist backcountry lounger
• Sets up with two telescoping Mountainsmith trekking poles (recommended: Tellurite 7075 OLS)
• Rolls up into own storage pouch
• User's body weight supports the chair
• Compatible with most telescoping trekking poles with either internal or external adjustment mechanisms (minimum height: 24”-30”)

MATERIALS

• 610d HP CORDURA®

DIMENSIONS

• 40" x 14.75" (L x W)

WEIGHT

• 4.75 oz / 0.13 kg

This little seat has done exactly what I have needed. You can find several videos on this chair. So far, it's holding up just fine. I don't see it stretching or fraying anywhere. 

I have taken this chair on all my backpacking and long hikes the last year and a half. If I have to sit my aging body on the ground, it's nice to relax when doing it :)

I would buy this again!

Background

Outside of traditional outdoor camping chairs, I have never used a hammock or sling chair.