whats your backpacking luxury item?

[hutchie]

Whats the one luxury item you take? Mines is a kindle

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I usually have a few along! If the fishing is good my main luxury item(s) (Perhaps necessity??) would be my fly fishing gear, but other than that I'd have to go with a camera (...Kind of a necessity for me as well), or since they are truly optional, perhaps the best answer would be my Exped Synmat UL7 LW sleeping pad I picked up last fall or on some more relaxed trips - A backpackable chair.

[AdventureMyk]

Chair, hammock, hot chocolate, iPod, and a book? Why settle at just one?

(note: I'm definitely not a gram-weenie!)

[AdventureMyk]

Aaron, we carry the Little Joey Travel Chair. It's not much heavier, a heck of a lot more comfortable, sits taller and packs in about the same space. We tried that one a few times as well as other Airlites, etc. The Joey was cheaper and more comfortable to boot. Your mileage may vary of course.

Having 4 legs also gives us the side benefit of storing gear in it in the vestibule (Big Agnes Slater 3 could easily swallow 5-6 of these chairs under the huge vestibule) when it's raining so that keeps everything dry. Can't do that with a 2-legged chair. Sitting up a little higher around the camp fire tends to be warmer, too.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

The Little Joey looks pretty comfortable. The Monarch definitely has its pros and cons for sure, 2 legs can take some getting used to...but it's lightweight and at the end of the day gives me a chair type experience. However, it turns out that Jen prefers a more traditional design, and as a result we actually now have a Helinox Ground Chair that I've been testing out recently:

http://www.campsaver.com/helinox-ground-chair

On the pricey side but luckily was able to pick it up during one of the 20% off sales. So far though it's proven to be pretty comfortable although true to its name it looks like it sits a bit lower than the Little Joey. I like the vestibule storage idea, when I do take a chair one thing that always bothers me is the fact that it doesn't really have too many uses...

[AdventureMyk]

Ack... the bars across the bottom could prove to be an issue if you are camping in areas that have roots, stumps, or uneven ground. It would be pretty annoying to find yourself constantly trying not to rock on them. Have you played with the regular chair design by Heli and Little Joey (virtually the same kind of chair but the joey sits up a bit more on longer legs and if you are taller it's more comfy. We had a few convert to them from the Heli's just for that reason but the Heli is a sweet chair).

This was from a 4-day/3-night kayak camping run around Lake Santeetlah, NC. It just gives you an idea of the chairs and the vestibule.

[Jen]

I like the looks of the Joey chair! But for now, the Helinox does really well for me, with the added benefit that it's low enough for our toddler to sit in it easily without tipping over. I can't believe the vestibules on that tent, easily 5-6 chairs could fit and maybe a small sofa.

My luxury items are: dark chocolate, a book and my monkey pillowcase. Although, I forgot the pillowcase on a trip last summer and was miserable... so perhaps that is a necessity now instead of a luxury!

[ogg]

Alite monarch chair, ebook reader, a can of beer, maybe a dram or two of single malt scotch, a small lantern, a small, padded pillow sack and a reflective sun umbrella. I guess I don't hold back with the luxury items. The umbrella lets me have some shade wherever I want to sit and read, ideally a spot with a nice view. It's saved my bacon camping above the timblerline where there's otherwise no shade. I always plan around allowing for some time to kick back and read. I'll be taking my oldest daughter on a backpack trip this spring and plan on bringing a hammock, mainly for her. She likes to read too.

[AdventureMyk]

I can see the minion curled up in the Heli a bit easier. Now what is this monkey pillow case? (pics required of course)

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Ack... the bars across the bottom could prove to be an issue if you are camping in areas that have roots, stumps, or uneven ground. It would be pretty annoying to find yourself constantly trying not to rock on them. Have you played with the regular chair design by Heli and Little Joey (virtually the same kind of chair but the joey sits up a bit more on longer legs and if you are taller it's more comfy. We had a few convert to them from the Heli's just for that reason but the Heli is a sweet chair).

Good point regarding the pole design. The Monarch has worked pretty well in that type of situation even on sloped ground, but I've found you do have to be careful to align it correctly with the slope. I actually haven't tried out the regular Helinox chair / Joey, (And I should at least for comparison) ...to be honest even at about 18 ounces for the Monarch it's always a tough decision in regards to weight for me and taking the Helinox Ground Chair takes that even a bit further. The larger chairs do look seriously comfortable though. One chair I'd hoped to try is the Sling-Light, (Apparently no longer for sale) but I don't know that I'd be a fan of strapping it to the outside of my pack. (Good for breaks though, I suppose...)

Cool tent by the way and I can definitely see the chair organization at work. Our dog would love that vestibule!