Hillsound BTR Stool for Ultralight Backpacking & Hiking, Lightweight Camping Chairs, Compact Portable Outdoor Seat

1. Weight. Who wants to carry around a heavy rock in your pack? A rock big enough to sit on is going to weigh down your pack a lot more than this. The BTR weighs slightly less than 4 Top Ramen packages (Yes, I weighed them, lol).2. Clean. A rock is filthy (dirt, mud, animal droppings, bugs, snow). The BTR may get a little dirty over time too, but not like a rock. You're not going to waste water cleaning off a rock. But you can get the BTR clean again when you get home.3. Temperature. A rock in the sun is going to scorch the back of your legs and make your butt sweat. The BTR has a breathable mesh seat and it hasn't been sitting in the sun all day. Even in winter, the BTR will keep you from direct contact with the heat-stealing ground.4. Height. A rock is low to the ground, which makes for an uncomfortable posture. The BTR gives you a more natural sitting position and height that, incidentally, is also out of the mud, bugs, etc. As someone who is older, it's also easier for me to stand up from a BTR than from a rock.5. Comfort. Rocks poke your butt. The BTR mesh seat cradles it. Which do you want after a long walk? It's not a lounge chair, but doesn't need to be. Note for women: sitting on it with one of the seat's triangle points between your legs won't press anything awkwardly, even if you lean forward a little. Men may need to exercise a little more caution.6. Packability. The BTR easily fits in the side pocket of my Osprey Ariel, or can hang off a clip strap threaded through the legs, for easy access. It also fits comfortably into the detachable lid/fanny pack for little side strolls. I can even carry it in some of my larger tote-sized purses. You could probably put this in a bag to take to a dance class, so you had somewhere to sit afterwards, instead of the floor.7. Versatility. You can use the BTR as a makeshift small camera mount. Turn the BTR upside down. Attach something like a SMALLRIG Super Clamp to one of the legs. Weigh the seat down with something heavy, like your water bottle. And there you have a mount that you can perch on a surface to get that group photo or night time-lapse.Shipping to me was a full 8 days earlier than the Amazon estimate, by US mail, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election timeframe. That's pretty impressive.It's a good value for the money I paid, and I'm glad I bought it.

I have both the 14” and 17” models of this stool. They have been handy for wildlife photography hikes when I need to sit in one place for a while to take photographs. These were selected because they were the lightest and most compact folding stools I could find. The weights and dimensions listed in the brand description are accurate. Either will fit in a backpack, but I usually attach the collapsed stool to my belt and I don’t really notice it while hiking. There is a stretchable cord attached to the seat cover that hooks into a fabric loop or metal ring to keep the things together when collapsed. I originally used this to attach it to my belt, but I now use a dedicated strap for that purpose that is easier to handle.The stools are very strong and durable, and they look like they will last for a long time. Once extended, the legs lock in place when the seat is twisted into the “open” position. The stools have never collapsed in use nor have the legs bent or the seat fabric torn. Each leg has a flat rubber foot that increases the surface area in contact with the ground, and this tends to improve stability and keep the legs from sinking into soft surfaces. The seat will detach for cleaning, but I have not had to do that yet.I first got the 14” model because of its smaller size and weight. However, being an older person I have found that the increased height and larger seat of the 17” model is easier for me to use and more comfortable. I haven’t noticed the slight increase in weight and size when attached to my belt. I am very satisfied with this product.

The media could not be loaded. I purchased this Btr stool in August of 2021 when I was in search of a lightweight chair for a backcountry hunt. This fit all of my criteria; packable, lightweight and comfortable. It worked very well and I now use this thing all the time for hiking, camping, hunting and even a couple sporting events. If I know I’ll be sitting on this for more than a couple hours I bring a small foam pad and can sit on it comfortably all day. I’ve now purchased 2 more as gifts for relatives since it’s worked so well. Reason for 4 stars is that after 3 months of use after initial purchase the plastic piece in the middle that holds the legs together snapped. At 190 pounds I was a little upset that it broke so fast. I contacted hillsound, sent a picture of it broken and they sent me a new one right away. Haven’t had any issues since. Even though it broke once I would still recommend this product to anyone.

The system wouldn't allow me to give this a zero rating, but since it failed on day one, after MAYBE a total of 2 hours use over a 24 hour period, I wouldn't even give it a one.I purchased this stool for a 4-day backcountry trip because they were supposed to be lightweight, but sturdy. I am a 5-foot 9-inch woman weighing only 145 lbs. The FIRST NIGHT that the chair was used, being the night before a hard climb to the top of a mountain, it collapsed on me and could have left me very badly injured. Luckily, I only had a mild sprain to my wrist from catching myself, but it did require me to have someone help me get my 25 lb backcountry pack back off and on as I had to wrap my wrist and didn't have the flexibility I needed to get the pack off and on my own. I don't know if it is a bad design entirely or if I just got a defective chair, but either way, it was well past the 30-day return mark when it first got used, so I can't return it for a refund. I ended up throwing it away as soon as I came off the mountain to lighten my pack before starting other climbing trails, so it no longer had any use. I had high hopes for this chair--I had back surgery many years ago, and sitting on the ground can be hard (no pun intended, lol!), but I can't in good recommend this chair.