Walkstool Comfort

I honestly don't know how long I've had this stool or where I found it. I've always been into gear shops and camping stores, and I think this was one of the products I ordered online after doing a lot of research and reading reviews myself, which if you've read anything else on this site, you know is exactly how I buy. What I can tell you for sure: I've had this exact stool for easily over fifteen years. Not a replacement. Not my second one. This one.

That's the review, really. Everything else is detail.

Three Positions, Not One

A lot of people default to wanting a full seat, or a back, or something padded. But for something ultralight that still gives you real functionality, this thing is unbeatable in my opinion, and the reason is that it's three seats in one.

The obvious mode is legs fully extended, sit down, use it like it's intended. But just as often I keep the legs pushed all the way in, and now it's a low squat mode you can lean with and move with. If you're working on a fire or building something outside, and you want to be comfortable off the ground, or the ground is wet, that low squatted sit is awesome. I use it that way probably as much as at full height.

And there's a third position that might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. Take it all the way down, lie down, and it becomes a kind of pillow. It may sound weird, but try it and you'll be surprised: it weirdly cradles the head in a super comfortable position. I wouldn't sleep that way, but for laying back and taking it easy outside, it works.

The Weight Rating Is the Whole Point

Cheap tripod stools are rated for about 220 pounds and they mean it. Ask any big guy who's ridden one to the ground in front of an audience. The Walkstool Comfort models are rated between 440 and 550 pounds depending on size. I own a gym; my friends are not small people. This stool does not care. That rating is why it costs multiples of what the gas-station version does, and it's the difference between a tool and a prank. Made in Sweden, comes with a carry bag, and mine is the proof of the build quality claim: fifteen plus years of camping trips and truck duty, still working great.

Battle Scars

Here's the only thing I haven't liked, and I wouldn't even call it a downside, because it's just age. For years mine had rubber feet on the bottom that helped it grip and stay in position, and over time they've either fallen off, ripped off, or broken apart. New feet are on my list, and I feel like the stool will be fully restored, good as new, the day I put them on. Beyond that, honestly, I like that it's old. I like that it's beat up. It's nostalgic to me at this point, and it's the reason I can't justify trying their other models even though I'd love to: this one still works.

The Number One Use Nowadays: Bath Time

Camping, keeping it in the truck, all of that still applies. But the number one use I have for the Walkstool these days is bath time. I set it up next to the tub and hang out with the boys while they get a bath, without being on my knees, without sitting on the floor, without perching on the edge of the tub. It is perfect for that job, and the fact that a camping stool ended up as bathroom furniture tells you everything about how versatile this thing really is.

Who Should Skip This

If your outside time is two Saturdays a year, a $25 camp chair with a cupholder is honestly fine, and you get a backrest. This is for the guy who hauls his own gear, values pack size, or has ever felt a cheap stool flex under him and quietly begun negotiating with gravity. Mine is the 18-inch Comfort 45, the low-sit model. Go taller if you're mostly fishing or getting up and down constantly.

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