REVIEWED: Sitpack portable resting device
This compact, foldable T-shaped resting device takes the weight off – and it’s no bigger than a can of beer
Travel can be tough on the human body, but while marching through airports is exhausting, it’s the standing around that can really hurt. Airport security queues and enormous museums are one thing, but the real killer is when you have to stand still for hour after hour.
T-shaped travel
Cue the Sitpack, a portable device that expands to form a T-shaped stool or chair that supports your weight. Weighing 562g on its own and almost exactly the same dimensions of a large beer can, Sitpack was inspired by a music festival, specifically the hours standing around waiting for the next act to perform.
Easy set-up
However, since TravGear’s hobbies are mainly photography and stargazing, the Sitpack was taken out on a few sessions to see how it stacked up. The first impressions are good, with the sides of the ‘beer can’ easily hinging up to allow a big red button to be tugged downwards in several sections for precisely 87cm/34.25 inches.
Weight of the matter
Putting all of your weight on Sitpack is another matter; the experience felt much like that experiment you probably did at school when you have to trust the person behind you to catch you when you fall backward.
Hips don’t lie
Straddling the 13-inch wide Sitpack is comfortable enough and, once you’ve plucked up the courage to lean backwards onto it, it does indeed feel much more comfortable than simply standing around transferring weight from hip to hip. Its maker claims that it leaves only 30 percent body weight on the coccyx. It feels that way for sure.
Pocket rocket
Made from strong polycarbonate, Sitpack proved a real help, not so much when taking photos (though we did find it useful while using a tripod and waiting for a sun-rise), but when we were using binoculars. If you’re somewhere where you want to remain relatively still, but where taking a chair isn’t an option, Sitpack is a great gadget for your back pocket.