Alite Monarch Chair

Summary

Awesome Sauce. No more ants in your pants and hard rocks imprinting contour maps on your glutes. Pops together in seconds with no instructions needed! Super light and worth every bit of these 18oz.

This was my first foray into bringing comfort on the trail. The hike was a strenuous 12 miles in rugged Henry Coe Park in Morgan Hill, CA.  5 miles of single track down hill then a constant 3 mile 1300' climb to the ridge line and it was time for a rest.  

Two oddly convenient rocks provided a good resting spot. Legs were burning, breathing was rapid, rocks were hard!   Ants were sizing us up and the ticks were migrating in. I pried myself from the  jagged rocks feeling every the indentations for dozens of sharp edges. I whipped out my brand new, never used Alite Monarch Butterfly Chair.  

Amid curses by my hiking pal, I quickly figured out how to assemble it. The supports practicably snapped themselves in place. A few seconds looking at the nylon material and I figured out it was easily color coded, with well chosen colors for my color blind self, where to put the aluminum rods.

Within a minute, I was resting comfortable in seat back mode. That is, rather than balancing on the two legs, turn it around and place the back on the ground and the seat is a backrest. The trail was much softer then the rocks but still not enough so I switched to chair mode. No special acrobatics needed. I was rewarded with pure bliss. I struggle with lower and mid back pain. When hiking hard hikes like this, I am stuck with hours of pain.  This chair gave me 30 minute of pure pain relief! 

The Alite Monarch is super comfortable. The 30 minute on the trail were a huge relied on my legs, rear end and back. There was no uncomfortable seam across my quads and nothing me poking me under my arms. Really a delight to have on the trail and so light I forgot I had in in my day pack.

If you are sick of sitting in the dirt, on hard, sharp rocks and tired of being a day trip for ants and other bugs, get yourself an Alite Monarch Chair and enjoy something special on the trail.

Summary

Your wilderness Lazyboy recliner and a must have luxury item.

If a person wants to carry a Thermarest pad and use that company's chair kit it's fine--it is a fine combo. However in going ultra light I gave up that heavier pad so I had nothing for my campchair either until I found this butterfly chair.

Now it doesn't matter if I'm going for one night or 8 nights, this chair is the one luxury item I refuse to leave behind. I think of it as my Lazyboy recliner for the wilderness. After a hard day of hiking I like to be able to sit comfortably and on a log or on the ground doesn't do it for this 60-year-old body.

So this chair at 18 ounces is worth the weight. I get into it and proceed to cook and eat from it. Great back support and if you lose your balance for some reason you're close enough to the ground you're not going to get hurt.

The only drawback is being balanced you have a hard time staying upright if you fall asleep in it.

Summary

It's super light for what it provides. And what it provides is a comfortable place to sit down, off the ground, that collapses into a size not much bigger than a Nalgene.

I had seen the Alite chairs in use on a trip to Nicaragua and been jealous of my friends' ability to whip them out of a backpack pocket and have a place to sit that didn't require becoming muddy. After picking one up I still have only good things to say about them.

The chair is durable (hasn't shown any wear over my two years of use). The small pack size for a comfortable chair that gets you off the ground is amazing. The name of the company definitely applies to their product..it's quite light (IMO) for what you get. The mesh on the seat provides nice breathability and the color scheme is definitely unique.

The only thing that I would change (and they have by adding a new model) is having only two points of contact. Having to keep your feet out in front of you or leaning up against something is usually not a big deal but sometimes circumstances make it such that a third leg on the chair would be nice.

On the other hand only having two points allows you to use/balance the chair in many spots where you couldn't get three points to rest on the ground and have the chair be level.

All in all a great chair and one worth investing in (or asking for as a gift:).

Summary

One of most innovative and popular accessories of recent times, the Alite Monarch Butterfly chair is a hot item that you'll probably want to add to your camping kit.

I really love this chair and it always becomes the center of attention on my trips, inspiring everyone to have to try sitting in it and at least one or two to go home and buy one.

I was an early adopter when I tried one at REI last summer...it was just so comfortable and unique. I thought the price was steep then and since it's gone up $20 in retail. But I'd still have to say it's worth it. The chair's popularity speaks volumes...100s of reviews and videos online, and good luck finding a used one on ebay.

If you can try it out first, do so because it's not for everyone. But it does make many happy and is quite versatile, despite what some say. For instance, it's performed reasonably well even in sand (yes, it does sink some but placing flip-flops under the legs will prevent this). And even though I usually pack pretty light, I've found the excuse to take this along on short backpacking trips. It is my one luxury item, and it sure is nice to have in camp.

I have used mine so much that I've already had a mishap...while cooking my dinner, I got up to get something and the wind blew the chair over my stove. Luckily my dinner didn't spill but the chair suffered two small burn holes. Oh, that was painful but the sling still holds me with no problems and the ripstop fabric has prevented the holes from getting bigger. Now the chair has character.

My main point to this story is that I contacted the company and they sent me a new sling, just in case...for that reason alone I will be buying more of these chairs as gifts for friends. So don't worry about having issues because Alite stands firmly behind their products. (I have no relation to the company)

Summary

Used this chair for a weekend of Boy Scout Training. It's very lightweight, which is a must for backpacking. It's also very comfortable and gives you that rocking chair feeling. Way better than sitting on a log or the ground!!!

The chair's legs are very strong. I dropped into it several times as I was sitting down into it, and yes it's an art to get into it, and it held up, and I'm about 220.

After I figured out the best way to get into it, it was a breeze. Getting out is the same way. I like that you can rock in it, and have very good back support. You are able to slide back in it if you were to roasting something over a fire, or you can totally drop down into it and get really comfortable.

Very nice chair, although a little pricey. Although I have found that you get what you pay for when it comes to lightweight backpacking gear. 

Summary

Light and fast.

Love it! Takes up minimal room in pack. Sitting comfortably is a must for me at 49, well worth the little bit of weight compared to other packable chairs — no comparison, this is the one to get.