Testing 3 Genius Portable Stools I Found Online
Standing is fantastic, and as humans we do plenty of it. But every now and then, it sure is nice to sit. We’ve all felt that fatigue creep in. Your legs start going weak, your head gets a little funny, and suddenly all you want in the world is to take a load off.
Backpacking chairs have been around for a while now, and I love them, but they come with some real downsides. The smallest and most portable ones will break the bank, and the budget friendly kind tend to be big and bulky. That’s before you count the time spent sliding poles together and stretching the seat fabric into place. I use my cheap backpacking chair all the time, but there are plenty of moments where I just want a quick little sit without the whole setup ritual.
So I went digging online and found 3 portable pocket seat options that actually check all the boxes: compact, fast to set up, and budget friendly.
In this review I’ll walk through each style of portable stool and the features that make them unique. I’ll also give my honest opinion on all three, since I’ve been using them in my daily life for a while now. I’ll admit, I had my doubts about one of them, but it surprised me and ended up becoming one of my favorites. So without further ado, here are my top 3 pocket chairs.
- Lightest: Koofull Folding Stool (The Flat Folder) | #Koofull_Flat_Folder_Stool | At 9 ounces and half an inch thick, it slips into a backpack like a school folder and weighs less than your empty water bottle. | View on Amazon
- Most Compact: TJSTJS Camping Stool (The X-Frame) | #TJSTJS_X-Frame_Stool | The aluminum legs collapse into the seat to form a pouch about the size of a pencil case, small enough to live in a fanny pack. | View on Amazon
- Most Comfortable & Versatile: Fishboy Collapsible Stool | #Fishboy_Collapsible_Stool | Adjustable up to 17.7 inches with a flat top that doubles as a side table, it’s the only one here that feels like actual seating. | View on Amazon
3 Best Pocket Chair Features & Design
Koofull Flat Folder Stool
Key Features
- Weight: about 9 oz
- Folded size: roughly 12.6″ x 7.5″ and only 0.5″ thick
- Unfolded size: about 12.6″ wide x 6.9″ deep x 7.5″ tall
- Seat area around 11.8″ x 4.5″
- Weight capacity: 220 lbs
- Material: waterproof polypropylene (PP) plastic
- Setup: pull the handles apart, press the middle down, done
- Doubles as a small tote or container when opened
- Comes in several colors
Overview
If you’ve never seen a flat folding stool before, the design takes a second to wrap your head around. Folded, it’s basically two slabs of plastic the size of a school folder. Pull the handles apart, press down the middle, and it locks into a low little camping stool rated for 220 lbs.
At around 9 ounces it weighs less than an empty water bottle, which is why this is the one I slide into my backpack without even thinking about it. The plastic is waterproof too, so wet grass and muddy ground don’t bother it one bit.
Fair warning, it’s stiff the first few times you open it, and the seat sits low. But for a quick rest on a hike or a clean place to sit at a soggy campsite, it’s hard to beat.
Buy This If You:
- Want the lightest, thinnest portable stool out there.
- Carry a backpack, tote, or laptop bag most days.
- Need a seat that’s waterproof and easy to wipe clean.
- Like the idea of a stool that doubles as a little container.
Don’t Buy This If You:
- Have knees or hips that hate low seats.
- Want padding or any real comfort for longer sits.
- Weigh close to or over the 220 lb limit.
TJSTJS X-Frame Stool
Key Features
- Weight: 1.5 lbs
- Folded size: 10.5″ long, 4.3″ wide and 2.3″ tall
- Unfolded size: 13.5″ tall (a 16″ version is also sold)
- Fabric seat is about 16.5″ x 14.6″
- Weight capacity: 330 lbs (more like 200 lbs)
- Legs: 7075 aircraft grade aluminum
- Has internal shock cord, so they snap together on their own.
- Seat: 600D Oxford fabric
- The seat itself becomes the storage bag.
Overview
The TJSTJS is the most familiar looking of the bunch, a classic X-frame camping stool with aluminum legs and a fabric seat. The clever part is how it packs up. The legs fold into themselves and the seat wraps around everything to become its own little carry pouch.
There’s a shock cord running through the legs, so the frame practically assembles itself when you shake it open. They lists the capacity at 330 lbs thanks to those aircraft grade aluminum legs, but in my experience the fabric seat starts complaining well before that. I wouldn’t trust it with weights over 200 lbs.
Where it wins is packed size. It’s the most compact of the three and slips into spaces the others can’t, which makes it a great glove box or fanny pack stool for lighter folks. Just note that it’s a bit of a learning curve when folding it back into itself. I’ve struggled a number of times trying to pack this thing together.
Buy This If You:
- Want the smallest packed size, something that fits a fanny pack or small purse.
- Are a smaller adult, or shopping for a kid.
- Like the feel of a traditional camp stool with a fabric seat.
- Hate keeping track of separate storage bags.
Don’t Buy This If You:
- Weigh much over 200 lbs, the fabric shows strain regardless of the rating.
- Want the lightest option, since the metal legs add up.
- Plan on long sits, because it’s still a pretty low perch.
- Don’t want to learn how to fold it together.
Fishboy Collapsible Stool
Key Features
- Weight: 2.54 lbs
- Folded size: a 10″ disc just 2.56″ tall, like a thick frisbee.
- Unfolded size: adjustable anywhere from about 2.5″ up to 17.7″ tall, with a 10″ round seat
- Claimed weight capacity: 400 lbs (I’d personally trust it to around 300).
- Built from 120 interlocking plastic segments in a fish scale pattern.
- Pull and twist to lock at any height, opens and closes in seconds.
- Includes an adjustable 22″ carry strap.
- The flat round top works as a mini side table.
- Optional seat cushion sold separately.
Overview
The Fishboy is the one I almost didn’t order, and it’s become the stool I reach for most. It’s a stack of plastic rings that pull apart like a telescope and lock at whatever height you want, anywhere from a couple inches up to 17.7 inches. That makes it the only true adjustable height option here, and the only one tall enough to feel like real seating for adults.
The flat 10 inch top doubles as a little side table, and the whole thing collapses into a disc you can sling over your shoulder with the included strap. At 2.54 lbs it’s the heaviest of the three, and calling it a pocket chair is a stretch because the 10 inch diameter means it’s still pretty large even when folded.
But for comfort, stability and everyday usefulness, nothing else in this lineup touches it.
Buy This If You:
- Want the most comfortable, adult friendly seat height.
- Like having an adjustable stool that doubles as a side table.
- Need more weight capacity than the other two offer.
- Mostly carry a backpack or keep your gear in the car.
Don’t Buy This If You:
- Leed something truly pocket sized or featherweight.
- Sit on rocky, uneven ground a lot, since the flat base wants level footing.
- Want a compact option for packing.
Trying Them Out
There’s always a reason to have a stool around, whether it’s a quick break on a hike or a rest while you’re stuck in a long line. But a chair that isn’t there is useless. That’s why I made it my mission to test 3 of the most interesting “pocket chairs” I could find on the internet.
Flat Folder
The most unique design is easily what I call the flat folder. It’s just two pieces of plastic that lay flat like a school folder when stored, then pop into a small but sturdy stool when you unfold them. Looking at the pictures, it doesn’t seem like something that should work. In person though, it’s a genuinely clever way to have a small seat anywhere you go, especially if you carry a backpack or a large purse.
The flat folder won’t be for everyone. It sits you very low and the seat area is on the small side, but the weight capacity seems pretty solid. Even full grown men can sit on it without it showing any kind of strain. It’s not the most comfortable option here, and like I said, the space for your butt is limited. The design is genius though, and it even doubles as a bag or container. A handy bonus if you’re out foraging in the forest or just need a little extra storage on the go.
X-Frame Stool
The X-frame is really just a classic camping stool with a catch: the legs fold into themselves and the seat becomes the storage bag. It sits you up a little higher than the flat folder, but it’s still a low sitting experience. The main downside with this type of portable chair is the weight limit. It can only hold what the seat fabric can handle. When my 200 lb father tried it out, you could see how hard the load was on it. So I’d call this one an option for smaller adults and kids.
With that said, it folds down into a tidy little package that slips into a small purse or a large fanny pack without a fight. It’s basically a stool in a pencil case. A true “pocket” option. The metal legs do make it heavier than the ultralight folder though.
Collapsible/Telescopic Stool
Then there’s the collapsible, or telescoping, stool. This is the most comfortable and durable portable chair of the three. It sits high enough to work for pretty much any adult, and the wide base makes it more stable than the other options in this review. There’s even an optional seat pad if you want a little extra cushion. On top of that, it’s height adjustable. You can lock it in place along each of the plastic layers that make up the legs.
The round plastic top is flat and works as a small table, which makes it a fantastic pairing with the other portable stools. It’s also very sturdy with a high weight capacity. The listing says 400 lbs, and I mostly believe it, but realistically I wouldn’t trust it past 300.
All that height, adjustability and strength comes at a cost though. It’s heavy, and I wouldn’t really call it a “pocket” option since it only collapses down to the size of its top and base. It’s still easy to toss in a backpack, and it barely takes up room in a car. The flat base gives it great stability on hard ground, but it struggles on uneven or rocky terrain. I really like using it as a side table, or as a seat on anything that needs the weight spread out, like a paddle board.
To Wrap It Up
To sort them by their strengths: the flat folder is the lightest, the X-frame packs down the smallest, and the collapsible stool is the most comfortable and versatile. Each one has its place, and the best portable stool for you comes down to your weight, your size, and how you plan on carrying it. If you’re a backpack person, the collapsible stool can follow you almost anywhere. If all you’ve got is a small bag or a fanny pack, the X-frame is probably your best bet.
Funny enough, every one of these works as a quick seat for most people, and it’s been fun to see what designers keep coming up with for camping, hiking and everyday use.
