When you’re outdoors, camp chairs are a luxury. I’m not talking about car camping where you can take everything from grills to tables and chairs to six-person tents. No, I’m talking about true outdoor adventure when you are trekking into the great wild, far from any parking area, miles from civilization. On those adventures, you need to keep your pack light, which also means luxuries like a camp chair are left at home. There are plenty of stumps and logs out there for you to sit on! But Alite Designs has come up with the Mayfly, a camp chair that is so small, so minimalist, and so light weight, that there’s no reason not to bring along this luxury on any and all trips outside.
The Mayfly chair is actually one in a family of camp chairs that includes the 4-legged Mantis and the 2-legged Monarch. The Mayfly falls in between as it has a removable front leg so you can go 4-legged or 2, depending on your mood. Features also include:
- Large sling for more comfort
- Durable for everyday use, lifetime guarantee
- Packs down small to go in your bag, closet or car
- Weighs nothing at 1.4lbs – holds up to 250 lbs
- Super easy to assembly, color coded for simplicity
- Patent pending innovative design
- 7000 series aluminum poles
- 2100 ripstop nylon
- MSRP: $100
Since I got the Alite Designs Mayfly Chair, I’ve taken it on ski-camping trips to the Henry and La Sal Mountains in Southern Utah, and found it to be very comfortable despite its minimalist design. The fact that you are sitting so low to the ground allows you to rock the chair back and forth just like the Monarch Chair, only that front leg lets you also rest your full weight if you want. I loved just lounging by the campfire at night, or drinking coffee on a grassy plateau overlooking the San Rafael Swell at sunrise.
Assembly is really quite easy as the legs snap together and insert into the chair with color-coded tabs. The only problem I had was figuring out which way the front leg goes in, and had issues with sliding it in place as it kept spinning around on its hinges. After finagaling it the first time, I got it down and have no problems after practice. However, I rarely even use the front leg as I enjoy rocking the chair on the back legs anyway.
But what really makes the Mayfly Chair stand out is its portability. It packs down smaller than a water bottle in its own carrying case and only weighs 1.4 pounds. It pack down slim too so I can easily slide it in with the rest of my gear and it takes up hardly any room. I’m no light-and-fast weenie when it comes to backpacking, but when the season comes, I will absolutely be bringing the Mayfly along. The comfort and luxury of having a camp chair in the mountains cannot be undersold. I also foresee the Mayfly coming out for outdoor concerts at Deer Valley or Red Butte Gardens.
The Alite Designs Mayfly Chair even works in a pinch when houseguests arrive and you run out of seating. This happened to me already when we had friends over and all our guests were chilling on the couch and dining room chairs. So I ran downstairs to my gear stash, grabbed the Mayfly, and viola! Instant chair in the living room and it also became a conversation piece.
Good Mayfly Chair: Very comfortable, seating options with removable front leg, super light weight, easy to assemble, model of simplicity, just damn cool.
Bad Mayfly Chair: Expensive, harder to exit than a normal camp chair, no place to put my beer.
Final Word: The Alite Designs Mayfly Chair is ideal for backpackers looking for an ultra-packable camp chair that also doubles as a concert seat or clutch furniture.
For more from Alite designs, visit them at www.alitedesigns.com