A New Backpacking Chair and Other Innovations

How does a two-legged backpacking chair work? More on that in a moment. Here are a few of the latest backpacking and outdoor adventure innovations, starting with one that won't be out until next year.

Thin Warmth

How do you get more mobility when hiking in the "death zone" on Everest, and at the same time have as much warmth in a six-millimeter layer as you normally get with forty millimeters of goose down? I don't have an answer, and the makers of the Champion Super Suit aren't saying, but that's what their new product is supposed to provide. Scheduled to be tested in 2010 on Mount Everest, the body-suit is being made by the high-tech outdoor company Matuse. It uses nanotechnology and a proprietary "radiant warmth" lining (foil of some sort).

I'm not sure what the suit weighs, but it will be interesting to see how it performs. I suspect it will be a bit pricey for general backpacking use, but new technologies get cheaper in time, so who knows?

New Backpack Idea

Put on a backpack and then reach out with your right hand to pull a leaf off a tree. What happens? To start with your movement is somewhat restricted by the right shoulder strap, which pulls tight against your shoulder. Meanwhile the left one may be almost falling off your other shoulder.

A solution? Black Diamond's Octane Backpack has one. Instead of stitching the bottom of the straps to the pack as is normal, they have them connected them in a continuous loop so that as you move your right shoulder forward it pulls the excess strap needed from the left and vice-versa. In other words one side gets shorter as the other gets longer, allowing for more movement while maintaining balance and stability.

Electric Clothing

Ardica Technologies, working with Mountain Hardwear, has created a winter jacket that contains a flat lithium-ion battery sewn into it. The battery weighs under a pound and will apparently warm you for up to eight hours and charge your cell phone as well. The two versions are called Refugium and Radiance.
This idea is more suited to day-trips than backpacking or multi-day adventures given the limited battery life. Then again, maybe the next step will be a hand-crank generator so you don't have to return to civilization for a recharge.

New Backpacking Chair

A fold-up chair that weighs a bit over a pound might be used by some ultralight backpackers. But Alite's Monarch Chair is not just light. It is also unusual in that it has just two legs. Apparently it uses your own center of gravity to balance.

Of course it's a safe assumption that you don't get to put your legs up. That suggests an obvious question (obvious to me anyhow). Why two legs? It seems excessive. One leg, along with your own two makes for a nice stable tripod. I'll bet someone can create a one-leg backpacking chair that weighs less than ten ounces.

The Ultralight Backpacking Site | Backpacking Chair