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Initial Report: Pacific Outdoor
Equipment Kid's Mini Chair
Date: July 27, 2006
Child
Tester
Information:
Name: Daykota Hartley
Age: 2 years, 6 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: 48
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 looks more or less like what I thought it
would
based on the website photo and description, although the one we
received has screen printing and is more brightly colored than the one
pictured on the website. The front of the chair is bright yellow,
with a cute drawing of a moose printed on the lower part of the back
rest. The rear of the backrest is bright orange with a nature
scene surrounding the words "Insul Seat" printed just above the
center. The bottom of the seat section is solid black.
The fabric
covering the chair has a tight weave, and looks similar to Cordura
nylon, but the label shows it to be 100% polyester.
(Interestingly, the "do not remove under penalty of law except by
consumer" tag was loose in the plastic bag instead of attached to the
chair.) The center of the front panel is not sewn shut, and the
padding appears to be three sections of closed cell foam (listed as
polyethylene foam) running the
length of the chair. The center section is approximately 6 in (15
cm) wide, with a 2.5 in (6.5 cm) wide section on each side. Each
side of the backrest and seat has a stiff stay to provide
support. The bottom of the chair is reinforced with 2 in (5 cm)
nylon webbing along the side edges, with heavy vinyl reinforcing the
back of the area where the chair folds. Nylon straps (1 in or 2.5
cm wide) with quick release plastic buckles hold the chair in the
proper position when sitting, and can be adjusted for comfort, or
opened completely to allow the chair to become a pad. The straps
and buckles can also be used to help hold the chair closed for
transporting by wrapping the straps attached to the bottom of the chair
around the backrest and snapping the buckles together. When the
chair is made into a sleeping pad, the straps on the bottom portion can
be fastened out of the way by buckling them under the pad.
Unfortunately, the straps at the top of the pad are a little bit too
short to do this properly. They can be fastened together, but
doing so pulls the edges of the pad too far toward the center and it
won't lay flat at the top. Two 1 in
(2.5 cm) wide black nylon carry straps are attached to the top of the
chair to make carrying it easy. The chair is stitched together
with heavy black thread, with the stitches appearing even and secure,
and backstitched on the edges. One surprising thing is that the
fabric on the inside fold is not stitched together in the center,
apparently by design. Overall the chair seems to be well made,
with no
visible flaws.
 Preliminary
Testing/Impressions
So far, Daykota seems to like the chair. He was very excited when
I told him I had something new for him, and sat in the chair right
away, staying in it long enough to watch some television and eat a
snack, which is longer than he normally sits still. He sat
straight for a few minutes, then began playing with tipping the chair
over backwards on purpose and made a fun game of that for a few minutes.
The next day, he picked the chair up himself and carried it to me,
saying he wanted to sit. At age 2, even though the buckles open
and close smoothly, they are beyond his ability to operate, so I
configured the chair for sitting and he again sat in it for several
minutes. The chair is light enough for him to carry from place to
place, and easy for me to convert from carrying mode to chair to pad
and back again. I like the way it opens to make a pad long enough
for his torso, which should come in handy when we go camping together.
 Test Plan
Proposed Field Conditions:
We will be testing the Pacific Outdoor Equipment kid’s mini chair
mostly be in West Virginia, in our backyard, in local parks, at
Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa’s house, and tent camping on family
property and/or state parks,
along with any other trips or opportunities that may come up over the
course of
the summer and early fall, which might include using it on bleachers at
a local
football game. We hope to take at least one short
backpacking trip. Elevations may range
from 550 to 1000 ft (150 to 300 m) and temperatures may range from 50
F to 90+ F (10 – 30+ C). High humidity
and rain are always a possibility, although of course, like any chair
we will
try to keep it from getting wet.
Daykota will also be very likely to use this chair lounging in
front of
the television watching his favorite DVD’s from time to time, if he can
manage to sit still that long!
What we plan to test for:
Durability/appearance: How do the fabric, webbing, and buckles hold
up to hard use by a 2 1/2 year old? Do they remain new looking
over the course of the test or do they show signs of wear such as
frayed edges, stitching that has pulled loose, pilling or fading of the
fabric or cracks in the buckles? Has the
chair kept its shape or does it develop a sag in the back or
seat over the course of the test? 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 find it comfortable to sit in?
To lie down on when converted to a pad?
Does it make him sweat? Is the
surface wicking and quick drying if he does sweat?
He’s normally pretty active – does he like the chair well enough
to sit in it for awhile, or does he jump in and out of it quickly? Is it comfortable for him to sit in the
chair and play with his toy cars and trucks?
Is the length of the pad comfortable for him to lie on? 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
when he
sits in the chair?
Ease of use: Is the
chair well balanced, and easy for him to keep from tipping when he
doesn't want to tip? Will he carry it
himself for short distances or does that become too awkward? Is it easy for me to
carry? Will it fasten to a backpack or
child carrier easily and without banging around as we walk?
Appeal: One of
Daykota’s prize possessions has been a small plastic chair just his
size. Does he find this chair even more
appealing?
Likes
–
Cheerful color
Easy to convert for carrying, sitting, or lying down
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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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