Ultralight Backpacking Chair

This chair is smidge lighter than the lightest chair on the market. It is proven with a 160 lb user. Beyond that, please test carefully, use at your own risk. The quality of the printing makes a difference in the strength of the chair fittings. Please test your particular set extensively in similar conditions close to home before relying on it in the backcountry. It's great for day hikes to sit by the lake with your coffee, great for the beach, as well as lightweight backcountry trips. 

Printing | PETG recommended. Print at the top of the temperature limit for your material to optimize part strength. Print with 6 perimeters and 0.4mm layer thickness if possible. For thinner layers increase the number of perimiters accordingly. A small amount of infill is okay, the perimeters are carring the bulk of the load. 

Print a pair of the fittings with one mirrored in the slicer. Print 8 of the end plugs. The are a very snug fit, I tapped them in with a rubber mallet.

The 3MF file includes a full set of the parts. 

Assembly | In addition to the printed parts, you'll need:

A replacement seat to an REI Flexlite Air chair, about $20: https://www.rei.com/product/205428/rei-co-op-flexlite-air-chair-replacement-seat.

4 pieces of Easton tent pole tubing, about $32 total plus shipping:

• Qty 1, .490" diameter x 26" long, no insert. Cut exactly in half to two 13" pieces.
• Qty 2, .490" diameter x 26" long, with insert. Cut exactly in half (not counting the insert), to one 13" piece with no insert and one 13" piece with an insert sticking out the end.
• Qty 1, .625" diameter x 18" long, no insert. Cut to 12" and discard the short leftover piece.

These can be purchased from https://www.questoutfitters.com/tent_poles.htm or https://www.tentpoletech.com/easton-aluminum/.

A tubing cutter, can be purchased at your local hardware or at quest outfitter when you buy your tubing. Be sure to use the deburr tool on the cutter or a file or coarse sandpaper to remove any sharp burrs from the cut edges.

Insert the plugs in both ends of 2 of the 13" poles. Insert plugs in one end of 2 of the 13" poles and in the end opposite the insert for the two poles with inserts. The large .625" diameter pole does not need plugs. 

Assembly the printed fittings onto the end of the larger pole. Assembly two 26" pole assemblies by inserting the insert into the open end of the single-plugged 13" poles. 

The little feet face toward the back of the chair. Insert the 26" pole assemblies into the openings attached to the little feet. Insert the 13" poles into the other openings. Be sure all poles are completely seated into the fitting. Stretch the seat back over the ends of the poles. 

The seat is made to require your feet to provide stability, which also means you can tilt it forward and back as you're comfortable. Softer ground tends to work better but I use it hard surfaces as well. 

There is an option to use two full-length 26" poles for the back instead of the 2-part assembly. It reduces the weight by a few grams and does not pack down as small. I was able to integrate the longer poles into my backpack as the structure in my pack, replacing the load sheet and offsetting about 100g, making this a 290g total adder to my carry weight for a very comfy chair in camp. It's a good trade, this guy be on many trips with me starting in September 2024 on a 4 night trip to the Pecos Wilderness in NM. 

I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to see pics of your chair out in the wild if you make one.

Designed in Solidworks for Makers.

Printed in Atomic Filament PETG Pro in Dark Cherry.