This invention relates to a portable, foldable chair, especially suited to outdoor activities like hunting.
Hunters tend to walk for extended periods in terrain unsuitable for sitting, such as over ground that is rough, wet or frozen. In addition, the ground can be sloped or uneven. Some hunting situations require the hunter to wait in a tree stand above prey. In other situations, the hunter needs to sit close to the ground, obscured by ground cover. Moreover, the hunter tends not to hunt in improved areas readily accessible to vehicles.
Some known foldable seats are generally configured for use on a prepared surface. For example, stadium bench seats can be of cold metal without back support so folding seats are provided that will grip to the bench seat. These stadium folding chairs are entirely unsuitable for hunting and hiking because they do rely on gripping to the bench seat to prevent falling over backward. Also, the provisions for carrying assume a modest distance. The weight and provisions for carrying would be unsuitable for other outdoor uses.
Some chairs are of lightweight plastic construction but are unsuitably bulky. Many single piece chair designs exist for home and backyard use. Although weather resistant and relatively light, the lack of a foldable backrest and the extension of the legs makes them an impediment in carrying. Moreover, a hunter may prefer sitting as close as practical to ground level for safety reason and to minimize being seen by prey, nor do these chairs have provisions for securing to a tree stand or backpack.
Other chairs, such as those common for seaside use, are foldable, weather resistant and short-legged. However, these chairs also suffer from having to resort to metal frames to achieve sufficient strength at the fold mechanism. And, these designs tend to still be bulky and unsuitable for extended portage.
Since these chairs are not designed with hunting in mind, they do not have additional features of interest to hunters such as appropriate colors to avoid alerting prey, ability to dissipate heat or collected water, and ability to hand carry the chair with one hand.