Camping gear review: The Therm-a-Rest® Compack™ chair is your backcountry Barcalounger

June 23, 1:03 PMMinneapolis Outdoor Recreation ExaminerMarie Malinowski

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Minneapolis Outdoor Recreation Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Therm-a-Rest Compack chair

I first stumbled upon the Therm-a-Rest camp chair concept in 2005 while backpacking in Maine. My friends, Dave and Matt, and I were taking refuge in a lean-to in Baxter State Park while the rain fell around us in sheets.

With nothing else to do, Dave pulled out a strange contraption, which looked like two big chopsticks held together with a thin nylon sheet, and stuffed his Therm-a-Rest into it.

He then made a satisfied stretching sound and cracked open a book. It was then that the infighting began. Suddenly, sharing with your fellow campers was but a memory.

Backpacking trips have a tendency to take you from the creature comforts of home. I’m okay with that. But sitting on the hard ground, or a rock that deadens the nerves in your butt, is not okay. 

The Therm-a-Rest Compack chair is total campsite comfort in a tidy, six ounce backpack-friendly package. All you need is your twenty-inch wide Therm-a-Rest camp mattress (I used a ProLite Plus) and you have yourself a backcountry Barcalounger--and comfortable mattress. Two pieces of furniture in one.

The beauty of the Compack is that you can take your Therm-a-Rest mattress and fashion a chair that sits upright, while eating, or a chaise lounge for lazing about the fire or reading a book. All you do is decide how many folds you want in your Therm-a-Rest. More folds and you’re sitting upright; fewer (or no) folds and you’re lounging. Adjustable straps on the side allow you to play around with different backrest positions.

When I first took it from the box, I thought the straps and construction looked a little flimsy. Turns out it was an optical illusion. It’s made of ultra-light silnylon and aluminum poles, held the weight of my husband, and makes a rational addition to even the lightest loads.

Best of all, it takes up no room in your pack.