I was looking around my garage, trying to find a seat that will work on my new boat. I've got several, none seemed right. Some are thick and heavy, make me sit too high up. Some have a back rest that interferes with my PFD. Most of my favorites work with bucket seats. Do you have a favorite seat pad/backrest? I generally use a fanny pack when tripping and my Prism has a thwart that turns the fanny pack into a lower lumbar support, so I just use a pad. Not sure what I'll be able to use with the new boat coming late this month.
I have a blown L2/L3 and need some lower back support. I have tried a lot of seat backs and back bands, most of which were unsatisfactory for one reason or another.
The Sit-backer seat pad was too thick, and the back supports too high and too rigid to allow much torso rotation; I didn’t need the seat height raised that much nor the back that high.
The CrazyCreek or similar Wenoah Super Seat was better, but still restrictive, and the underseat straps and buckles inconvenient. Plus the seat back tends to fall over horizontal when stepping out of the canoe, which became one more thing to arrange when getting in. Getting back on the seat after kneeling was even more problematic, unless I wanted to sit on a double thick pad. Not.
Almost every seat back I tried was too tall, taller than I needed, so tall that even mostly-mesh-back PFD’s were uncomfortably against the seat back.
What works be for me (everyone is different) is a Surf to Summit Performance Pro back band.
P1011546 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Works equally well with bench or bucket seats.
Four swivel clips attached at pad eyes or webbing loops easy to put on. Hint, if the back band is always going in the same boat just loosen the straps on the front or the back (not both) to remove. When you go to put it back in just tighten that same set of straps and it returns to last perfect position.
Ladder locks correctly oriented on the sides, so easy to tighten or loosen on the fly. Straps pulling both forward and backward, holding the back band vertical so it can’t fall over when kneeling or stepped out of the canoe. The back band is only 9” high at center, with tapered sides, so it interferes very little with torso rotation, and is short enough to squeeze under some limbo logs without getting hung up.
https://www.surftosummit.com/product...ance-back-band
(That is a terrible product photo; it does not show the two backside straps and clips.
I do want a seat pad, but I’d rather choose my own. A cut-to-size piece of RidgeRest is mighty comfy. I like having the option of deflation adjustment and most often use a Therma-rest stadium pad mostly deflated so I have good sitz bone contact but it still cups my arse cheeks like a bucket seat.
P5010762 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
A couple of webbing straps around a bench seat and the bottom cushion isn’t going anywhere.
I don’t see how any of the seat backs or back band work comfortably while wearing a fanny pack, but that is the part of my back that is screwed up to start with.