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Owner Review
Byer TriLite Folding Stool
October 7, 2004
Tester Information
Name: Joe Martinez
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Torso: 19 in (48 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Email address: joe@jmmsoftware.com
City,State,Country: San Jose, California, U.S.A.
Backpacking Background and Style:
I am very new to backpacking. My first trip was only 8 months ago, but
I have gone on a total of 5 trips in that time, anywhere from 2-4 days in
duration, some solo, and some with a child. I hope to take some longer
trips in the future. My trips so far have been in Henry Coe State Park,
in the Diablo Range in California, and in the Sierra Nevada. I have
always been careful about weight. I try to eliminate unnecessary items
and buy the lightest items possible, but not at a major sacrifice to comfort.
I am still learning what I need to carry to be comfortable, and what can
be left at home.
Product Information
Folded for packing |
Manufacturer: Byer of Maine
Product Name: TriLite Folding Stool
Manufacturer's URL: www.byerofmaine.com
Year of purchase: 2003
Listed weight: 18 oz (510 g)
Current actual weight: 18.7 oz (530 g)
Listed weight limit: 200 lbs (91 kg)
Folded dimensions: 12.5 x 2.5 x 2 in (31.8 x 6.4 x 5.1 cm)
Assembled dimensions: Height = 17 in (43 cm) Seat dimensions
= 17 x 8 in (43 x 20 cm)
Material: Legs and seat supports are made of aircraft aluminum,
as per manufacturer web site. Seat appears to be made of canvas.
Feet and other miscellaneous parts are some type of plastic.
MSRP: Not listed |
Set up for sitting |
Product Description:
One of the biggest discomforts that I experience while backpacking is the
lack of tables and seating. On the rare occasion that I am at a backpacking
site that has a picnic table, it is a major luxury to me. The Byer TriLite
Folding Stool was one of my first backpacking gear purchases, because I realized
on my very first trip without it that I was constantly frustrated without
a convenient place to sit, particularly while preparing meals. I hate
squatting for any length of time. Rocks and logs are not always in
a convenient place, and are not all that comfortable to sit on.
This is a lightweight stool that folds up very compactly for easy carrying.
It mainly consists of 5 aluminum tubes (3 legs and 2 seat supports), and a
canvas seat. The 3 legs unfold to form a triangular pyramid shape. The
seat supports unfold up. They attach to two metal rods that run along
each of the short ends of the seat. The whole thing folds up, with
all 5 tubes parallel to each other. The canvas seat wraps around the
tubes for storage in an included drawstring storage bag. Being a stool,
it has no back support.
Ease Of Assembly/Disassembly:
The TriLite Folding Stool is extremely fast and easy to set up. It involves
merely unwrapping the canvas seat from the poles, unfolding all 5 poles,
and clipping the metal rods in the seat to the two seat supports. I
can complete this whole process in about 10 seconds. Disassembling the
stool is exactly the reverse process and takes about the same amount of time.
I must admit, though, that when I first got the stool, it was a little tough
to stretch the canvas seat across the two seat supports and get the second
metal rod into the clip. Since then, it has gotten a lot easier.
I assume that this is because the canvas fabric has relaxed and stretched
a bit with use.
Ease Of Packing:
The stool folds up so compactly (approximately 62 cu in or 1016 cc) that it
is very easy to fit just about anywhere in my pack. I often carry a
sleeping pad strapped to the outside of my pack, in which case I just roll
the stool up inside the pad. Otherwise, I just stick it in the main
compartment of my pack.
Comfort:
The seat itself is very comfortable. Since I am just sitting on suspended
fabric, I am not sitting on anything hard. This is the same reason that
many people find hammocks so comfortable.
The seat is at an optimum height for me. Most of the pack chairs that
I have seen have been ones that have the user sitting at ground level on a
pad. To me, this would be a bit awkward, particularly since I mainly
want a seat for while I'm preparing meals, purifying water, etc. At
17 in (43 cm) tall, the TriLite stool is at the perfect height to let me sit
up above the ground, so that my knees are at a comfortable 90-degree angle,
and so that my legs are not in the way of what I'm doing.
The main downside to using any stool is the lack of back support. This
isn't a seat for lounging in for extended periods of time. If I'm not
actively working at preparing a meal or another sitting task, I find that
the most comfortable position is hunched forward, with my forearms resting
on my knees. Even this, though, can tire my back. This isn't a
major issue for me. I usually carry a hammock to sleep in, and I use
it for most of my lounging as well, diminishing the need for a seat with back
support.
Safety:
I do have to be a bit careful while sitting on this stool. With only
3 legs, it is a little prone to tipping in one of 3 directions. I have
to be careful not to lean backwards to reach for something. I have almost
fallen a few times due to this. After having used it for a while, though,
I am pretty used to avoiding leaning the wrong way. However, I don't
allow my young children to use it.
Construction/Durability:
The TriLite Folding Stool appears to be well constructed. It is a very
simple device, and it appears that there is very little that could go wrong
with it. I have used it on 4 backpacking trips, as well as several car
camping trips, and it has held up very well, with no sign of damage.
Conclusion:
I have been very happy with this purchase, and I foresee using it for a long
time to come. Although it adds over a pound of weight to my pack, I
consider it minimal for a piece of gear that is so essential to one particular
aspect of my comfort - a reliable convenient place to sit.
In Summary...
Things I like about it:
- It is light, compact, and easy to pack
- It is very quick and easy to assemble and disassemble
- It lets me sit at a comfortable height
- It is inexpensive
Things I dislike about it: (neither of these is a big issue for me)
- Lack of back support
- Somewhat prone to tipping
Read more reviews of Byer of Maine gear
Read more gear reviews by Joseph Martinez
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