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Field Report: Pacific Outdoor
Equipment Kid's Mini Chair
Date: October 2, 2006
Child
Tester
Information:
Name: Daykota Hartley
Age: 2 years, 8 months
Gender: Male
Height: 3 ft 0 in (.91 m)
Weight: 30 lb (14 kg)
E-mail address: c/o Ma-Ma
Relation to adult tester: grandson
Location: within 10 miles of Ma-Ma's house
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Adult
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in
(1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77
kg)
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western
West Virginia, U.S.A.
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Backpacking Background:
I love being outside. I have been day-hiking with my Ma-Ma since
I was about four months old, in all sorts of weather, and have went
tent camping with her
once. This summer she plans to take me camping more times, and I
hope she will take me on a short backpacking trip. I can carry a
small day-pack of about 5 lb (2 kg). In addition to lots of
snacks, I like to bring some of my toy car collection. When I
camp with Ma-Ma, we sleep in a tent.
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Backpacking
Background:
Finally pursuing a
long-time interest, I started backpacking 3 years
ago. I've progressed from day-hiking
and single overnights my first year, to weekend trips the second, and
finally
to a 7-night trip on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia this year.
I
hike and backpack mainly in the hills and valleys of West
Virginia,
and generally use a hammock sleeping system.
For a two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg) including
consumables, and I’m still trying to lighten that a bit.
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Product
Information
Manufacturer: Pacific Outdoor
Equipment
Year of manufacture: 2005 (according to
tag)
Date of Delivery: July 21, 2006
Listed weight: 18 oz (515 g)
Weight as delivered: 17.6 oz (499 g)
Listed Dimensions: 12 x 25 x 0.5 in (30 x 63 x 1.25 cm)
Dimensions as delivered: 11.75 x 25 x 0.5 in (30 x 63 x 1.25 cm)
Color: Sunshine (Yellow, Orange, and Black)
Manufacturer Website: www.pacoutdoor.com
MSRP: $15 USD
Product
Description
The Kid's Mini Chair is a folding foam padded seat with a
backrest. The chair is covered in a tight woven polyester fabric
and has stiff stays for support in both the seat and the back.
The chair is bright yellow and orange in color, with a black bottom and
black printed nature scenes on the front and rear. Adjustable nylon straps (1 in or 2.5
cm wide) with quick release plastic buckles securely hold the sides of
the chair in 'sitting position' or can be unfastened to allow the chair
to become a pad, and the bottom straps can also be wrapped around the
backrest to hold the pad together for carrying via the webbing loops at
the top of the chair. For a more complete description of the
materials and design, please see our Initial
Report.
Field Testing
Conditions
So far, we've used the
Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kid’s Mini Chair
in the outdoors in West Virginia, tent camping on family property and
picnicing at a local park, at elevations from 600 to 900 ft (175-275 m)
in temperatures from 60-80 F (15-25 C), and indoors watching TV and
lounging around, at similar elevation.
Use/Findings
We took the chair to a local park for a picnic. Daykota sat in it
a few minutes on the picnic table bench while eating and a few minutes
on the ground, but was soon up and about running and playing. At
a little over 2 1/2 years old, his attention span is short and he
rarely sits still more than a few minutes anywhere we go.
Daykota also used the chair when he went tent camping with Ma-Maw on
our family property. It was late before we could get away to camp
out, so the chair was used only as a pad. Since temperatures were
in the 60 F (15 C) range, we started with a RidgeRest for extra
insulation under the Kid's Mini-Chair. However, being the
energetic bundle of energy that he is, he was all over the tent
shifting his chair/pad around, and finally ended up sleeping on the
Kid's Mini-Chair only. This seemed to keep him adequately warm
most of the night, although his legs were noticeably cool to the touch
toward morning. He really enjoyed using the brightly colored pad
beside Ma-Maw's sleeping pad, knowing it was "his". The next
morning he picked it up and carried it himself as I packed our other
gear.
Daykota enjoys using the chair for watching television, even when
sitting on the couch, and often picks it up from near the front door
where we keep it and carries it over to the couch or floor in front of
the TV. He has used it for this probably an average of twice a
week
since the chair arrived, and watching television is the one time he
sits still longer than a few minutes. He seems to like the
support the cushioned
back provides, which seems to fit the contours of his little body
better than the back of the couch, which is made with adult physiques
in mind.
So far the chair is holding up well, with no signs of wear. We've
been fairly careful to keep it on clean surfaces for the most part, so
there is no soiling or staining. The chair seems to be
comfortable for him to sit in and lie on, and it seems to be
breathable, since he has never gotten sweaty while sitting in it.
He seems to be easily able to keep his balance when he wants to,
although sometimes he enjoys playing and tipping the chair over
backwards on purpose. Although he seems to enjoy this chair, when
we are getting ready for outdoor activities he often wants to take his
small folding chair with legs instead, probably because this is the
type of chair Ma-Maw and Pa-Paw most often use themselves.
Test Plan
Proposed Field Conditions
Continued testing of the Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kid’s Mini Chair
will primarily be for rest time on day hikes in West Virginia, in local
parks, and at
Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa’s house, unless we get an unusually
warm spell, in which case we hope to go tent camping again. Elevations should be similar to those already
experienced and temperatures may range from 40
F to 80 F (5 – 25 C). Rain is always a
possibility, although of course, like any chair
we will
try to keep it from getting wet.
Daykota will also surely be continuing to use this chair
lounging in
front of
the television watching his favorite shows and movies!
What we plan to test for
Durability/appearance: Does the chair continue to be durable?
Does it show any signs of wear such as
frayed edges, stitching that has pulled loose, pilling or fading of the
fabric or cracks in the buckles? Has it
kept its shape or does it begin to sag or distort?
Is it
easy to clean the chair if it becomes soiled?
Does a lot of dirt and debris get inside the chair from the
unstitched center fold? Have we had any warranty issues, and if
so, how were they handled?
Comfort: Does
Daykota continue to find the chair comfortable for sitting and lying
down both? Do his feet or hands get caught
in the
webbing handles or the side straps? Do
any of the straps or buckles make indentations or irritate his skin at
any time?
Ease of use: Does the chair continue to be
well balanced when he isn't tipping it over on purpose? Is it easy to fasten to a child carrier or day pack
for convenient carrying on hikes?
Appeal: Does the
chair remain appealing to him?
Likes
–
Cheerful color
Easy to convert for carrying, sitting, or lying down
Daykota enjoys using the chair
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Dislikes
–
Straps on backrest are too short to effectively fasten together under
the pad
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Thanks to Pacific Outdoor Equipment and BackpackGearTest
for
the
opportunity to test the Kid's Mini Chair!
Read more reviews of Pacific Outdoor Equipment gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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