BackpackGearTest.org Review - /reviews/Camp Chairs and Seating/Chairs/Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Chair/Greg Mehojah/Long Term Report

Long Term Testing Locations:
Day Hikes We have taken the POE kids chair on additional day hikes in our local hiking area. Our hikes during the long term test phase have been along the foothills of the Sandia Mountain Wilderness areas near our home, with mostly sunny skies, involving distances from about 3-6 miles (5-10 km) round trip, and elevation ranges from 7,000 ft to 9,000 ft (2,133 m to 2,743 m) above sea level. The temperatures ranged from 45 F to 75 F (7 C to 24 C). My son carried the chair for most of these hikes, either by utilizing the integrated carrying handle or by strapping it to his hydration pack. I also carried the chair on some of the hikes so that I could gage how much extra effort and space was needed to carry this product for my son's use. Overall, we used it as a sit pad during rest breaks both on granite rocks and on the desert soil adjoining the trails, my son used it as a seat to watch wildlife or to eat lunch, and (because of the unprecedented amount of rain we had this year), as a makeshift dam while playing in the flowing arroyos.
Dome Wilderness My son and I escaped town for a quick overnight to the Dome Wilderness which resides in northern New Mexico and is adjacent to the boundary of Bandelier National Monument. We had heard a little about the Dome Wilderness, but had not ever been there and wanted to have a secluded and solitude filled weekend by ourselves. The added benefit to the Dome Wilderness is that there were no fire restrictions so we could have a camp fire, something my son really enjoys. We started out in the early morning and hiked 4.5 miles (7.2 km) to our campsite dropping down about 1,500 ft (457 m) into the wilderness area from the trail head. The temperatures ranged from about 50 F (10 C) during the day, and into the 20s F (-6 C) at night. The terrain is much like Bandelier, but it was clear that this area gets little to no use. The trails are really overgrown, not well maintained, and involved a lot of downfall navigation. I carried the camp chair on the outside of my Osprey Aether pack, using the three outer compression straps. My son can only reasonably carry about 15 pounds (6.8 kg) in his pack and even at that weight, he is a bit grumpy after 4 miles (6.4 km) of hiking. I did not notice the weight at all during the hike, but this could be a factor of all the other weight I was carrying for our trip. In camp, my son only really sat in the chair when he ate dinner and breakfast. We did not take the chair out during our hike to camp mainly because we had nice comfortable locations to sit and it would have been a chore to remove it from my pack for a short break. The time that he did spend in it on this trip, though, he really enjoyed. He has found it to be quite comfortable and a nice luxury item to have along on the trip. Because of the location of our fire pit, we could not use the chair to roast marshmallows, and the chair was free from the previous smoke smells and small ember burns that we experienced on the last trip to the Latir Peaks Wilderness.

General Thoughts:

My son and I went on a two night trip to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge two hours south of Albuquerque with his Scout troop. However, this was a dusty campground with established seating (benches, picnic tables, etc.) that provided more use than the POE chair. We brought it with us in the car, but never took it out, opting for the available seating and our taller folding camp chairs.

My son did use the chair for sitting around the house to read, play video games, and watch television. He and my two year old had some significant spats over who got to use the chair and when. We were able to remove a great deal of the dirt and campfire residue from the chair with simple soap, water and a sponge. We let the chair air dry in the laundry room afterwards and it dried in a couple of hours. The chair appears to be durable enough to withstand multiple seasons with our level of use. We noticed no tears, abrasions, or other wear that leads me to believe that the chair is too delicate for its intended use.

The fact that my son did not sit in the chair a great deal while at our various camps does not, I think, speak to the qualities of the product. Rather, I think that an 11 year old boy in the wilderness is more likely to explore, play around in small streams, and generally run around enjoying the outdoors. When my son did use the chair he really liked it and was glad to have a seat that supported his back. Overall, we enjoyed the camp chair, but would probably not suggest that anyone with similar aged children purchase it with the expectation that it will get heavy use as a chair. My son is glad to have it along, but does not sit in it for extended periods of time. With reasonable expectations in mind, the chair is certainly nice to have around camp even given that it is a luxury item that does add weight to either a child or a parent's pack.

Reviews > Camp Chairs and Seating > Chairs > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Chair > Greg Mehojah > Long Term Report

Reviews > Camp Chairs and Seating > Chairs > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Chair > Greg Mehojah > Long Term Report