Cool Find: Alite Monarch Camp Chair - Strange Yet Light, Small, and Smart

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by Mark Stephens on Tue Sep 6, 2011 - (3) Comments


monarch chair from Alite Designs on Vimeo.

On the list of "Outdoor Product Reviews No One Really Needs," camp chairs are going to be near the top, and they're going to be jockeying for position along with shoes, socks, and water bottles. Give or take. So I figure I'll spare you that and file the Alite Designs Monarch Butterfly Chair in our column known as "Cool Find." Here's why.

The trouble with most camp chairs is not so much that they're uncomfortable - alas, they're far more comfortable than the alternative which is, you know, no chair at all. Let's not be too choosy. Camp chairs, though, tend to be awkward monstrosities that either don't fit into a backpack or fold down to something reasonable. Not so with the Monarch. As Alite says, it collapses down to the size of a "very large burrito." <Insert stoke> Equally impressive, or if burritos don't get you excited, the chair tips the scales at a mere 18 ounces. Even the most dedicated long-distance backpackers might consider drilling a few more holes in the toothbrush to allow themselves the luxury of this 18-ouncer. Nevertheless, I think we can all applaud the concept of saving space and weight. A chair this size and unflinching weight surely goes well with family canoe trips or an afternoon at the park.

When you sit in the Alite Monarch for the first time, it's important to think like you're in the movie Matrix. Tell yourself, "There is no chair." As in, and I'm changing the quote here for my purposes, "Then you'll see, that it is not the chair that holds you up, it is only yourself." Ah, how true. How could it be otherwise with a chair that features, and glorifies itself on, just two legs rather than the paradigmsmic four this world of machines has taught us to believe we need. Don't let the machines take over. Who says you need four legs when two will do?

Um, yeah. Almost forgot. Kids dig it. They must be into this existential crappola. Seriously, my good reader, it's a joy to chill in.

Get it from Sierra Expeditions: Alite Monarch Butterfly Camp Chair

Comments   

 
Sarah
+2 # Sarah 2011-09-07 11:58
That's soooo cool! Looks like you could rock a baby in it too! :-) LOL
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Melissa B.
+1 # Melissa B. 2011-09-07 14:17
We have 4 of these chairs and love them !! But I really want to tell you that "Paradigmsmic" is my new favorite word. Ever.
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Andy Hawkins
+1 # Andy Hawkins 2012-02-22 22:14
Of course kids dig it! There wasn't a boy in class who didn't spend most of his time rocking on the back legs of his chair, at least til a well aimed blackboard eraser or piece of chalk brought him down to earth with a bump.
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