This is a good question. A little background info helps I think.

I've been backpack camping for 12 years with the same group of 3-4 friends. Twice a year, once in the EARLY spring and once in LATE fall, we take a 4 day / 3 night trip. We pick a spot - usually some trail off of a forest road that leads to a decent, yet no popular, water destination - maybe a nice cascading mini falls with a pool. We enjoy solitude so we try to pick places not frequented by day hikers. We setup a nice base camp and then day hike 5-10 miles during the day with a small 5# bag... usualy containing lunch and water. At night build a small fire and enjoy it until bed time. We used to take those little tripod camping stools - you know then ones that are NOT too comfy for a man if hes not careful how he sits. Then we discovered the Flex-lites. I've attached a picture of both.

For these adventures Id have a 50 pound pack including food for a 3 night trip, full boots and a hiking stick (natural not a trekking pole).

I'm 40 years old, 145 pounds, lanky, not a "strong" person but in good condition for a long hike as I run around 130 miles a month. My primary hiking buddy however is not in great shape... hes slow but steady so our pace will be pretty slow.

By the time I realized I wanted to hike the AT from start to finish, life was to complicated to consider thru hiking it, so I came up with a "rough" plan for section hiking it. 30 miles a trip on the first 2 trips... as a test the waters. Assuming those 2 trips go well move to 2 longer trips a year, probably a full week each. Hopefully will reach then end before we are to old - or dead - to hike. wink

For this trip my pack will go from ~50# do to around 30# with the chair. By the end of the day I will be a little achy but not ready to collapse.

We plan to camp each night a mile or so from the shelters to avoid people... so no picnic table.

Originally Posted By Glenn Roberts
You've left out some important information: how much does your pack weigh without the chair for a 3-day trip? Are you comfortable carrying that weight for 30 miles over 3 days, or do you simply collapse at the end of the day?

If you're carrying 20 pounds for three days, and you hike easily with that weight, then heck yes, take it if you feel like it will make the trip more fun! If you're carrying 60 pounds and hiking easily (i.e., if your trail name is The Hulk), then you'll never notice 2 more pounds, so go ahead and take it.

However, if you're very sensitive to weight, like most of us on these forums, you'll probably want to leave it behind. Personally, I can tell the difference in how I feel when carrying 15 versus 20 versus 25 pounds, and I'll take lighter every time.

I have carried chair kits (though I don't very often, anymore.) The heaviest weighed 16 ounces; most weighed 6 or 8. They're the kind that use your sleeping pad to give it stiffness and comfort, not the use-as-chair-only kinds like, I assume, yours is. I particularly like the full-length versions, or the kind with an open front (see MSR Compack chair), so I can let the pad extend out under my legs, more like a lounge or recliner than a kitchen chair. (Note: I also carry a ground cloth, and the chair kit goes on the ground cloth, for that tiny bit of extra protection for the pad.)

I usually don't even carry a sit pad - it's usually pretty easy to find a soft spot (some grass, forest duff, etc.) to sit on, and a tree, log, or boulder to lean against. As mentioned earlier, I've also used my pack, propped up by my trekking poles, as a back support. The only time I consider a sit pad nowadays is winter, when the ground is c-c-c-old.