I know this sub-forum is for sleeping equipment. For me, the Exped Chair Kit has a place in the sleeping equipment discussion.
At home, I never sleep flat on my back or side. It causes me back pain. I strongly prefer to have my head and shoulders elevated with a couple of pillows stacked up against the headboard. Truth be told, I'd rather sleep sitting upright in a chair (I actually did that for several years when my back pain was much worse) than flat on my back.
This has been a huge problem for me when camping. There's no headboard in a tent to pile pillows against. I've tried raising my head with a camping pillow and putting my dry bags / portage bag under the sleeping mat. These always slide around don't get the job done for me and I can't get a good night's sleep.
On my most recent six night Allagash trip in June I decided to give the Exped Chair Kit a try. It worked fantastic for me (coupled with the Exped Megamat Lite sleeping pad but any inflatable pad should work). While advertised as a chair kit to turn a sleeping pad into a chair, it can also be used (and is shown) turning your sleeping pad into an adjustable chaise lounge. That's how I used it. It was FANTASTIC! For reading in my tent (I can't comfortably read on my back, either), I had the back up at a near 90 degree angle. And then when I got sleepy, I just adjusted the side straps and reduced the angle to one conducive to sleeping for me (30-45 degrees).
Here's the official link from Exped. One of the pics shows it in chaise lounge configuration:
www.exped.com
As you can see in the photos on Exped's site, it's a simple product. Basically a sleeping pad cover with a zipper at one end, some aluminum support rods in the back (like the Crazy Creek chairs), and a couple of adjustable straps to set the angle.
If you like sitting up in your tent -- to read or to sleep, I highly recommend it.
EDIT: Here it is in chaise configuration:
At home, I never sleep flat on my back or side. It causes me back pain. I strongly prefer to have my head and shoulders elevated with a couple of pillows stacked up against the headboard. Truth be told, I'd rather sleep sitting upright in a chair (I actually did that for several years when my back pain was much worse) than flat on my back.
This has been a huge problem for me when camping. There's no headboard in a tent to pile pillows against. I've tried raising my head with a camping pillow and putting my dry bags / portage bag under the sleeping mat. These always slide around don't get the job done for me and I can't get a good night's sleep.
On my most recent six night Allagash trip in June I decided to give the Exped Chair Kit a try. It worked fantastic for me (coupled with the Exped Megamat Lite sleeping pad but any inflatable pad should work). While advertised as a chair kit to turn a sleeping pad into a chair, it can also be used (and is shown) turning your sleeping pad into an adjustable chaise lounge. That's how I used it. It was FANTASTIC! For reading in my tent (I can't comfortably read on my back, either), I had the back up at a near 90 degree angle. And then when I got sleepy, I just adjusted the side straps and reduced the angle to one conducive to sleeping for me (30-45 degrees).
Here's the official link from Exped. One of the pics shows it in chaise lounge configuration:
Chair Kit - Accessory | Exped
As you can see in the photos on Exped's site, it's a simple product. Basically a sleeping pad cover with a zipper at one end, some aluminum support rods in the back (like the Crazy Creek chairs), and a couple of adjustable straps to set the angle.
If you like sitting up in your tent -- to read or to sleep, I highly recommend it.
EDIT: Here it is in chaise configuration:
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