TRAIL Lightweight Folding Chair Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Jane Warwick
Trail Outdoor Leisure – Outdoor Adventures Start Here
My chair arrived in a cardboard tube delivered to the door by Evri. Immediately, I was struck by how light the package was and doubted it could be the folding chair. It was! The chair only weighs 1.65kg in the bag so is light and easy enough to carry as there are two handles on either side of the bag. Perhaps a strap would be useful so it could be carried over the shoulder if you have several things to carry, but it is easy to fit onto a rucksack, or hold using the handle.
My folding chair’s canvas (PVC coated polyester back) is in blue but there is a choice of four other colours red, purple, grey and black. On unzipping the bag, there are just three items, the canvas waterproof seat, the grounds mat and the poles (steel frame). This means it is hard to lose any of it. I loved the ease of assembling the steel frame with the poles simply slotting in together once you remove the Velcro tie as the poles are connected by elastic. Placing the frame on the ground (it is important to follow the instructions as the grounds mat is only used for soft surfaces like grass or sand) with the shorter poles with the black feet at the ends forming the legs.
Next unfold the canvas seat and as the instructions clearly say connect the top of the seat (the logo “Trail outdoor leisure” at the top), at the corners to the long poles. The long poles easily slot into the corner sleeves at the back of the seat at the top. The next shorter pole easily fits into the corner sleeve of the seat part of the canvas. It is the final pole fitting into the canvas sleeve that is the hardest to do and be aware of the instructions – “During assembly care must be taken not to pinch your fingers”. The first time around, I found it virtually impossible and so took out the pole from the main frame joint and inserted it into the sleeve and then put the pole back into the frame. However, avoid doing this as the pole may not fit securely back into the joint. This problem is mainly due to the canvas being new, so it is a little stiff. I found that after I had assembled it a few times it gets easier to do as there is a little more flexibility. Now I just hold the side of the frame above the ground with the pole to be slot into the sleeve in my right hand and my left hand holding the front corner of the seat and push them towards each other so the pole slots in. I am right-handed so if you are left-handed you would need to do it the other way round. The seat is very comfortable to sit in.
A clever idea of the company is to use the carry bag as a place to store personal belongings under the seat and off the ground. If you wish to do this, then you need to attach the bag to the frame before you put the canvas seat on which is what the instructions clearly state.
The ground mat (nylon mesh) is only used for soft ground to prevent the chair from sinking, and the instructions are again clear with the feet slotting into the corner pockets. The little hoop on each pocket makes this easier and like with the canvas seat the last foot is hard to do initially but gets easier with use. The ground mat is then connected to the frame using the Velcro strap.
I think it is clever how everything is easy to disassemble and store easily in the carry bag as I have found after using other folding chairs you can spend a bit of time getting the chair back into its storage bag. Also, being so small when it is not in use, it is easy to store ready for the next time.
This smart seat is ideal for fishermen, or people watching outdoor games such as cricket, football etc or for the beach, festivals, camping or a picnic and even due to it being lightweight taken on a hike to a top of a hillside to then sit and admire the view.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £29.99 currently on sale for £19.99
This product can be purchased from Trail Outdoor Leisure here.