I think we have all been there in one way or another when you are walking around and have just about had enough and need somewhere to sit down for a rest, somewhere to sit and eat your lunch or just want to sit for while and soak up your surroundings. For many people sitting on the floor or on a rock is a simple solution however for many people myself included this can be an uncomfortable way to try and relax for even a few minutes.
I myself suffer from back problems and a few of my family struggle to walk for long distances without the need to sit down a few times, so what is the solution? Other than only walking around places which has a cafe near by which is somewhat impractical to plan and you will miss out on so much of the beautiful nature in places that are a little of the grid having a backpack chair with you can be a great option
What is a Backpack Chair?
Backpack chairs you will see mostly advertised as fishing chair bags, that makes sense as I can see this being a really practical thing to have with you when you go fishing. Generally the ones we have tried the bag is in a backpack form (rucksack chair) so you can have a strap on 2 shoulders which is needed for most of these to support the structure it has from having a chair attached. A backpack chair has in some form a chair either part of the bag its self to simply fold out when you need it or as we find from our reviews a chair in the bag to pull out and attach.
Best Backpack Chair Review
We take a deep dive into some of the most popular backpack chairs on the market and take them to the test. Heres what we found.
OUR TOP PICK
Although we did find a few cons with this rucksack chair we have chosen it as our best overall top pick, we found this backpack chair to have the best seat out of all the ones we looked at, I tested this with a family member who struggles with mobility and we found this chair to be the easiest to get up from and super fast to fold up and down when you want the chair. The back support is an extra bonus and the only one we could find with one! We think it is great value for money and has a good sized bag with it too.
Size - 57 x 36cm
Weight - 2.8kg
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EDITORS CHOICE
The Zology backpack stool/chair has to be our personal favourite, we use ours allot! We have a 6 year old so having this with us as we go out hiking or has even been very handy when visiting things like theme parks as when you are inevitably queuing for a ride we just pop up the seat and our 6 year old will happily sit down and wait whilst eating a snack from the insulated bag. Although this bag is a little more money than the other ones I still think it is our go to backpack bag, smaller than most but still plenty of room in the bag, the bag is insulted so we usually pack a cool block in there with some food. It also has easy access pockets for your drinks and small bits and everything is accessible when in seat form or when on your back.The seat it actually the most comfy out of all the ones we have tried, although a little lower than the Shakespeare deluxe so maybe not suitable for mobility challenges. Our only gripe which seems to have been the case for most of the rucksack chairs are the straps, why are the manufacturers not having decent padded straps? maybe it will impose on the design of how the seat sits I don't know but you would have thought with the extra weight of carrying a seat they would account for this and make comfy well padded straps. That being said we have walked many hours around with this one full of food and it has done the job well. One last thing the bag sits nicely under the seat so isn't in your way when sat down like some others do.
Size - 41 x 36 x 3 CM
Weight - 1.45kg
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BEST VALUE
Another pick from Shakespeare, a good thing they have on all their backpack chairs is a decent sized bag with compartments and this version is no exception, this is their stool version but once again lack of p'adding in the straps. very easy to pop the seat out for a quick sit down but the seat is not as comfy as the zology backpack chair.
Size - 54 x 32cm
Weight - 1.8kg
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The oxford 2in1 stool seat is a good compact lightweight option but we were not convinced it was good enough quality to last, when we opened this up we thought it looked like it was a child's backpack it is that small! The straps certainly would not go comfortably on an adults back thats for sure.
Size - 21x14x28cm
Weight - 1kg
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We were really excited to try this backpack chair, which has since had a title update it seems since purchasing to now say "Invisible Stool" which is somewhat accurate as it took us 5 minutes to find the stool! This is by far the best backpack out of all of them, the straps are really solid and well padded, it is super comfy to wear and good quality zips and fabric but what about the stool? This is where it falls down, when we finally found the "stool" it was hidden in a pocket at the back, you have to take it out before clicking it together to hold its shape before going back to the backpack and fiddling around to have the flap from the pocket go over the top of the stool to make it a viable seat. As for sitting I think if you are under 5ft tall you might, if your lucky, find this a comfortable seat but for the rest of us I'm afraid you will have to awkwardly find a way to place your legs so you are comfy before figuring out how to get back up from which feels like a full squatting position. Good luck with this one! It is worth mentioning also it comes from China on amazon so takes a while and sending it back is not practical as would cost more than the thing itself however we are happy to keep ours as a good quality back pack with an "emergency" stool. If the chair element is important to you I would give this one a hard no.
Size - 34cm x 25cm x 50cm
Weight - 1.5kg
Pros | Cons |
Great backpack | Seat not easy to set up |
Good straps | Knees higher than hip when sitting |
Things to consider when buying a backpack chair
Size
Think about what size chair would work best for you and in turn what are the cost of this on the size of the backpack itself and the weight you have to carry? You may want to look the weight capacity on the backpack seats also, all the ones we tested were fine with a 15 stone weight for the test but what size would work long term for you.
Cost
You get what you pay for? I am not sure with some of these, we felt they were a little pricey for the quality you are getting however you are getting a 2 in 1 solution so think about how much you want to spend on this and would it be better for you to get a separate backpack and camping chair?
Conclusion
Whatever reason you are looking to get a backpack chair whether you want something for your kid to sit on when they need a break, you have mobility challenges or you need one for your next fishing trip there are a massive range out there and we have tried the ones we found the most interesting on the market and we hope the feedback we have given will help you make sure you get the perfect one for your needs.
