The Alps Mountaineering brand Tri-Leg stool is the one of the best investments in outdoor gear that I’ve made — and for less than $20! This one item has made the outdoors so much more accessible for me, as someone who can’t stand in one place for a long time.
A dark gray and neon green colored tri-leg stool.
When and where I use this stool:
When fishing from the shore of just about any lake if I know I’m not going to be there all day, but maybe an hour two.
Same with fishing along the Mississippi River in Pool 2 (I’m usually around Hidden Falls/Lock and Dam #1). If I’m going to be moving up or down river more than once, I will bring this stool because it’s so easy to to just grab and throw in my bag. Set up takes 2 seconds.
On hikes where we’ll be stopping a lot — such as an edible plant hike. I can’t stand in one place for a long time, so whipping this thing out is super easy/non-disruptive, and make longer and more stationary programs way more accessible for me.
In larger group meetings where there are tables for folks to sit at — especially during the time of COVID, it’s nice to have a bit of extra space from people, so I use this to help me get a bit more distance if/when needed.
I’ve also used this stool as a table to keep my tackle box off the ground, and as part of a camera stand when setting up my phone to take a picture on a timed setting.
Where and when I don’t use this stool:
Super uneven ground (at a slant/tilt that is too hard to stay upright on).
If I’m going to be shore fishing from the same spot on a lake for more than an hour. When this happens, I usually bring a packable chair, as I appreciate having the back support.
I absolutely recommend this stool. It’s inexpensive, fairly lightweight, unpacks/unfolds and is ready to go in about 2 seconds, and it has a 250lbs weight limit. If going out for less than an hour, or if I were going to be moving around a fair amount, I would choose this stool over any ultra lightweight folding chair in a heartbeat, simply based on cost, ease of use and portability.