Manufacturer: Pacific Outdoor Equipment - 521 East Peach, Unit 4, Bozeman, Montana 59715 USA
Tel: 406-586-5258 Fax: 406-586-5276
Year of Manufacture: 2006?
URL: http://www.pacoutdoor.com
E-mail: support@pacoutdoor.com.
Listed weight: 18 oz. / 515 g.
Weight as delivered: 17.25 oz / 489 g
MSRP: $15.00 USD
Available Colors: Forest / Royal / Red
 

Field Test Locations and Conditions:

Testing of the P.O.E. Kid's Mini Chair took place primarily in Southern California (at home in the San Gabriel Valley, a handful of beach trips in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, one trip to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains), and Salem, Oregon, during the months of August and September 2006.

The southern California region (and most of the western United States) typically has one to two "heat waves" (several consecutive days of higher than normal temperatures) over the summer months. This summer, however, our heat wave lasted much longer than is considered normal. Taking a four year old and her eight-month old brother out in 110° F (43° C) temperatures simply was not an option. This impacted our testing as the time we had set aside to go camping was during the heat wave. For the remainder of the testing period, most days were warm to hot, sunny and cloudless. Lately cooler temperatures have encouraged the development of a thick marine layer (low clouds) which often persists until mid to late afternoon.

Field Test:

While the heat wave disrupted many of our camping, and therefore, testing, plans, we persevered and we were able to get some testing in. The P.O.E. Kid's Mini Chair accompanied us on four local day trips before heading up to Grandma and Grandpa Dash's house in Keizer, Oregon (see table, above). In my Initial Report I posed several questions; I have listed them again below with my comments/findings.

1. Fit & Comfort - Julia found the chair to be comfortable to sit in (when she sat in it). The largest problem was stability; Whenever she'd lean back she would start to fall backwards, startling her. Still, she seemed to enjoy sitting in it and she claims that it is very comfortable.
2. Wear & Tear / Cleaning - As the chair really hasn't seen a large amount of use, it was exposed to grass in our backyard, dirt/rocks at Millard Canyon and Eaton Canyon, beach sand at Cabrillo and Marina Park beaches, and rocks/mud/water at Minto-Brown island. I was able to brush off the dirt and rocks easily; the more stubborn dirt or mud came off with a wet washcloth or sponge. The fabric thus far appears to be quite durable with no signs of abrasion or tearing evident. One issue noted in the initial report was the stichting along the top of the chair. It appeared to be pulling away from the fabric at that time. Normal use during the past few months has not worsened the condition.
3. Miscellaneous -
   • How easy will it be for Julia to set up? Will she be able to do it herself, or need help? - Julia was exposed to the chair for less than three minutes and quickly became a master at setting the chair up and breaking it down.
   • Is the fabric water proof? Water resistant? Soak up water like a sponge? - This question is difficult to answer. While it was exposed to water at the Willamette River, it was only for a few minutes and the amount of water was fairly small. Still, neither the fabric or the chair became saturated; in fact, water beaded up on the surface and never seemed to soak into the fabric. As we are not likely to see a significant amount of rain over the remaining test period, I may have to get creative to test the water proofness of the fabric.
   • Will Julia like it enough to use it? - Well, she does like it, she just would rather be running about than sitting in it. The main problem was the tester herself. Like many four year-olds, Julia can be stubborn and flighty - often at the same time. She'd insist on bringing the chair, only to refuse to sit in it or even acknowledge its existence. Unless, of course, her baby brother, Benjamin, showed an interest in it. Then she got quite possessive of it!
   • Will Benjamin's teething on it cause any damage? Will it survive Julia and be passed on to Ben? - During the course of this test, Benjamin has produced two teeth. The eruption of these teeth is due in part to his love of teething on straps. Any one will do, but he was particularly fond of the ones on the P.O.E. Kid's Mini Chair. Benjamin, apparently, found the straps to be quite tasty. I'm happy to report no straps were harmed (or damaged) during the production of his two bottom teeth. We'll see if future teething encounters produce any noticeable wear and tear on the straps.

Now that the weather has cooled off we plan to spend more time in the Great Outdoors. We probably won't get in any car camping, though. Most of our activities will be daytrips to our local mountains and maybe one more trip to the beach - elevations at these testing locations are similar to those reported at the begining of this report. We shall continue to let Julia use the chair as much as she wants and where ever she wants (within reason). Temperatures over the next two months should be moderate to cool, ranging from 60 - 85° F (16 - 29° C) during the day and 40 - 50° F (4 - 10° C) at night. October is the month for Santa Ana winds to kick up, so daytime tempuratures could get up above 100° F (38° C).