Marrying comfort with portability is a challenge for all outdoor gearmakers designing compact chairs and stools for the great outdoors. Canada’s Hillsound Equipment attempt to find this sweet spot centers on a clever two-in-one telescopic mechanism that serves to keep the stool stable and quickly transform into a compact package for easy carry.
We’ve seen a few lightweight seating solutions designed for the great outdoors, with the 1.4-kg (3-lb) Go Chair and the 430-g (1-lb) Bip a couple of recent examples. Hillsound Equipment’s BTR Stool undercuts them both at a very featherlight 346 g (12 oz), while offering a generous load capacity of 120 kg (265 lb).
At the heart of the 14-inch-tall (35-cm) BTR stool is what the company calls the Phantom Lock. This is a twisting telescopic locking mechanism that allows the three legs of the stool to be compacted together for easy carry, but swiveled and swiftly extended for stability when it comes time for some rest.
Also helping keep the BTR nice and light are the aluminum alloy legs and nylon seat, which can be detached for washing purposes or easy replacement should wear and tear take hold.
Hillsound Equipment is offering the BTR stool in orange, black and blue color schemes, along with a larger 17-in (43-cm) size, which tips the scales at 13.7 oz (389 g). Both are the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, with pledges starting at CA$50 (US$37) for the 14-in version and CA$55 (US$41) for the 17-in unit. Shipping is slated for February next year if the campaign runs as planned, and you can check out the promo video below.
Featherlight BTR camping stool features twisting telescopic legs for easy carry [New Atlas]